Heartland virus-associated death in tennessee.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Heartland virus (HRTV) is a tick-borne phlebovirus recently described in Missouri that is associated with fever, leukopenia, and thrombocytopenia. The virus has also been detected in Ambylomma americanum ticks.

Methods

Here we report the first fatal case of HRTV disease in an 80-year-old Tennessee resident. He was hospitalized with fever, confusion, leukopenia, and thrombocytopenia and developed multiorgan failure and hemorrhage. A tick-borne illness was suspected and testing for ehrlichiosis was negative. He died on hospital day 15, and autopsy specimens were tested for various pathogens as part of an unexplained death evaluation.

Results

HRTV antigens were detected in postmortem spleen and lymph nodes by immunohistochemistry, and HRTV was detected in prem

SUBMITTER: Muehlenbachs A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4608028 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature