New Virus Identified in Tick Bite Illness

[Chemar]

A New Phlebovirus Associated with Severe Febrile Illness in Missouri

Laura K. McMullan, Ph.D., Scott M. Folk, M.D., Aubree J. Kelly, M.S., Adam MacNeil, Ph.D., Cynthia S. Goldsmith, M.G.S., Maureen G. Metcalfe, B.S., Brigid C. Batten, M.P.H., César G. Albariño, Ph.D., Sherif R. Zaki, M.D., Ph.D., Pierre E. Rollin, M.D., William L. Nicholson, Ph.D., and Stuart T. Nichol, Ph.D.

 

N Engl J Med 2012; 367:834-841August 30, 2012

 

Two men from northwestern Missouri independently presented to a medical facility with fever, fatigue, diarrhea, thrombocytopenia, and leukopenia, and both had been bitten by ticks 5 to 7 days before the onset of illness. Ehrlichia chaffeensis was suspected as the causal agent but was not found on serologic analysis, polymerase-chain-reaction (PCR) assay, or cell culture. Electron microscopy revealed viruses consistent with members of the Bunyaviridae family. Next-generation sequencing and phylogenetic analysis identified the viruses as novel members of the phlebovirus genus. Although Koch's postulates have not been completely fulfilled, we believe that this phlebovirus, which is novel in the Americas, is the cause of this clinical syndrome.

 

 

to read more please go to:

 

http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1203378

[red]

A New Phlebovirus Associated with Severe Febrile Illness in Missouri

Laura K. McMullan, Ph.D., Scott M. Folk, M.D., Aubree J. Kelly, M.S., Adam MacNeil, Ph.D., Cynthia S. Goldsmith, M.G.S., Maureen G. Metcalfe, B.S., Brigid C. Batten, M.P.H., César G. Albariño, Ph.D., Sherif R. Zaki, M.D., Ph.D., Pierre E. Rollin, M.D., William L. Nicholson, Ph.D., and Stuart T. Nichol, Ph.D.

 

N Engl J Med 2012; 367:834-841August 30, 2012

 

Two men from northwestern Missouri independently presented to a medical facility with fever, fatigue, diarrhea, thrombocytopenia, and leukopenia, and both had been bitten by ticks 5 to 7 days before the onset of illness. Ehrlichia chaffeensis was suspected as the causal agent but was not found on serologic analysis, polymerase-chain-reaction (PCR) assay, or cell culture. Electron microscopy revealed viruses consistent with members of the Bunyaviridae family. Next-generation sequencing and phylogenetic analysis identified the viruses as novel members of the phlebovirus genus. Although Koch's postulates have not been completely fulfilled, we believe that this phlebovirus, which is novel in the Americas, is the cause of this clinical syndrome.

 

 

to read more please go to:

 

http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1203378

Fear the tick! (That's a joke for you Maryland Terrapin fans). They say this is a "new virus". Well the technology to detect this virus is state of the art so really medicine has no idea how long it has been around. It sort of like calling America the "New World" when Columbus showed up. It wasn't so new to Indians whose forebearers lived with Wooly Mammoths . Here is a little more info on the article at

http://vitals.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/08/28/13532240-new-tick-borne-virus-puts-the-bite-on-missouri-farmers?lite

These farmers actually got sick in 2009 a full 3 years ago but it takes awhile for some of these things to get printed. In the piece at NBC news it lists some of the CDC 10 tick diseases. It finishes with "There's also Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, an old disease that still strikes about 2,500 people a year". So RMSF is an "old disease" and all the others are new??? Maybe this reporter never read the recent piece on the mummified remains of the 5000 year old man on the Swiss Alps. They found Lyme DNA in him. http://www.crystalinks.com/oetzi.html To quote that article "1st documented Lyme case". I wonder if his medicine people told him there is no such thing as Lyme is the Alps. LOL

Harvey

[cobbiemommy]

This story happened in "my backyard". Less than 30 miles from my home. My husband and brother-in-law are farmers.

 

DS, 13, has been bitten by several ticks and suffers from PANDAS, Lyme and Bartonella. We journeyed halfway across the country for treatment and now I'm having those same doctors call Dr. Folk, the treating infectious disease doc, to test my son. When we get to see Dr. Folk, it will literally be a 5 minute car ride to Heartland Health.

 

Could this be why my son has never fully recovered? Why the fatigue is so great that he has a hard time going to school all day and doesn't play any sports?

 

I am just stunned...