Heartland and Bourbon Tick Viruses Spread to Ninth State — SkimNews
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- Heartland virus and Bourbon virus have killed at least seven people in the US, and Nebraska became the ninth state to detect one or both viruses in local lone star ticks, with both found in Sarpy County and Heartland virus also in Richardson County.
- Joseph Fauver at the University of Nebraska Medical Center led analysis of more than 7,000 lone star ticks collected across Nebraska between 2022 and 2026, suggesting the ticks migrated from neighboring Missouri and Kansas.
- New York reported its first human Bourbon virus case in a man in his 60s who was bitten by multiple ticks while working outdoors on Long Island and recovered after a sample was sent to the New York State Department of Health.
- Analysis of Missouri blood samples found nearly 1% of people carry neutralizing antibodies to Heartland and Bourbon viruses, indicating infections are far more common than confirmed cases because no commercial tests exist and symptoms mimic other illnesses.
- There are no antivirals or treatments available for Heartland or Bourbon virus, unlike ehrlichiosis and Lyme disease, which are also tick-borne and treatable with antibiotics.
- More than 80 people have been infected with Heartland virus in central and eastern US states since its 2012 discovery, including at least four deaths, the most recent a 32-year-old Connecticut woman who died of cardiac arrest last October.
Why it matters: With lone star ticks expanding northward and westward due to climate change and reforestation, more Americans face exposure to two viruses for which there are no commercial tests, no treatments, and no vaccines. The nearly 1% antibody prevalence in Missouri suggests infections routinely go undiagnosed, leaving a significant surveillance gap as the tick's range grows.
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