Detection of Bourbon Virus-Specific Serum Neutralizing Antibodies in Human Serum in Missouri, USA
Gayan Bamunuarachchi, Houda Harastani, Paul W. Rothlauf, Ya-Nan Dai, Ali H. Ellebedy, Daved H. Fremont, Sean P. J. Whelan, David Wang, Adrianus C. M. Boon
Abstract
Since the discovery of the Bourbon virus (BRBV) in 2014, a total of five human cases have been identified, including two fatal cases. BRBV is thought to be transmitted by the lone star tick, which is prevalent in the eastern, southeastern, and midwestern United States. BRBV has been detected in ticks in Missouri and Kansas, and serological evidence suggests that it is also present in North Carolina. However, the true infection burden of BRBV in humans is not known. In the present study, we developed two virus neutralization assays to assess the seroprevalence of BRBV-specific antibodies in human sera collected in 2020 in St. Louis, MO. We found that a small subset of individuals are seropositive for neutralizing antibodies against BRBV. Our data suggest that BRBV infection in humans is more common than previously thought.