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Detection of Bourbon Virus-Specific Serum Neutralizing Antibodies in Human Serum in Missouri, USA.
Bamunuarachchi, Gayan; Harastani, Houda; Rothlauf, Paul W; Dai, Ya-Nan; Ellebedy, Ali; Fremont, Daved; Whelan, Sean P J; Wang, David; Boon, Adrianus C M.
  • Bamunuarachchi G; Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri, USA.
  • Harastani H; Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri, USA.
  • Rothlauf PW; Department of Molecular Microbiology, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri, USA.
  • Dai YN; Program in Virology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
  • Ellebedy A; Department of Pathology and Immunology, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri, USA.
  • Fremont D; Department of Pathology and Immunology, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri, USA.
  • Whelan SPJ; Department of Pathology and Immunology, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri, USA.
  • Wang D; Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri, USA.
  • Boon ACM; Department of Molecular Microbiology, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri, USA.
mSphere ; 7(3): e0016422, 2022 06 29.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1923114
ABSTRACT
Bourbon virus (BRBV) was first discovered in 2014 in a fatal human case. Since then it has been detected in the tick Amblyomma americanum in the states of Missouri and Kansas in the United States. Despite the high prevalence of BRBV in ticks in these states, very few human cases have been reported, and the true infection burden of BRBV in the community is unknown. Here, we developed two virus neutralization assays, a vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV)-BRBV pseudotyped rapid assay and a BRBV focus reduction neutralization assay, to assess the seroprevalence of BRBV neutralizing antibodies in human sera collected in 2020 in St. Louis, MO. Of 440 human serum samples tested, three (0.7%) were able to potently neutralize both VSV-BRBV and wild-type BRBV. These findings suggest that human infections with BRBV are more common than previously recognized. IMPORTANCE 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.
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Full text: Available Collection: International databases Database: MEDLINE Main subject: Ticks / Thogotovirus Type of study: Observational study Limits: Animals / Humans Country/Region as subject: North America Language: English Journal: MSphere Year: 2022 Document Type: Article Affiliation country: Msphere.00164-22

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Full text: Available Collection: International databases Database: MEDLINE Main subject: Ticks / Thogotovirus Type of study: Observational study Limits: Animals / Humans Country/Region as subject: North America Language: English Journal: MSphere Year: 2022 Document Type: Article Affiliation country: Msphere.00164-22