The Bourbon virus can cause fever, fatigue, headaches, and body aches, and experts warn additional cases in the Northeast may be going undiagnosed.

A lone star tick on human skin shown up close with visible details of its anatomy and the surrounding skin surface — A Lone Star Tick on skin. Credit:
epantha/Getty Images

A rare tick-borne disease first spotted in Kansas has been identified in New York.

A 67-year-old Long Island man was diagnosed with the Bourbon virus after spotting two ticks on his leg while working in his Brookhaven Town backyard, CBS News reported. The first confirmed case in New York state, experts have said this may be the “tip of the iceberg.”

Michael Larkin initially tested negative for Lyme disease and eventually learned he had contracted the Bourbon virus after becoming part of a year-long antibody study conducted by researchers at Stony Brook University. The virus was first discovered in 2014 in Bourbon County in Kansas, but researchers believe it may be more prevalent in the northeastern United States than initially thought.

Symptoms of the Bourbon virus can include fever, fatigue, rash, headaches, body aches, nausea, and vomiting, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). There are no vaccines or medicines available to prevent or treat the virus. Like Lyme disease, it is spread by infected ticks.

In the case of Larkin, he experienced intense headaches that wouldn’t go away after spotting the ticks on his body. “I just keep feeling worse and worse,” he told CBS News.

Larkin’s is one of only a few confirmed cases of the disease in the U.S., but a lack of commercial testing options makes it harder to diagnose the virus. The Bourbon virus, which can be fatal, can easily be mistaken for Lyme disease. Unlike the Bourbon virus, which doesn’t respond to antibiotics, Lyme disease is caused by bacteria spread by lone star ticks.

“There are a lot of lone start ticks in New York and in the Northeast, we have dense populations, and when someone is infected with Bourbon virus symptoms they are similar to other tick-born infections,” Dr. Luis Marcos, the director of Stony Brook’s tick-borne disease clinic, said in a statement disclosing the New York infection. “For these reasons, the Bourbon virus is likely more prevalent than we think in our region and other cases are likely not being diagnosed.”

For those who contract the virus, the CDC recommends treating mild symptoms with over-the-counter pain relievers. The agency also recommended wearing long sleeves and pants, and using insect repellent. Anyone spending time in wooded areas outdoors is also encouraged to check for ticks afterwards.

While the Bourbon virus doesn’t sicken everyone it infects, it can be fatal. The person who contracted the first known case of the Bourbon virus in Kansas in 2014 died from it. Another person died from the virus this year.

“The good news is that Bourbon virus is rare,” experts at Stony Brook wrote. “Still, it’s a reminder that tick bites can spread more than just Lyme disease.”

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A Rare Tick-borne Virus That Can Be Fatal Was Just Confirmed in New York—Here’s What Travelers Should Know