Rising Tick Threat: Silent Bloodsuckers Spread Dangerous Illness

WHO:

BBC Wildlife Magazine - Researchers at Stony Brook Medicine, including lead author Luis Marcos, director of Stony Brook University’s Tick-Borne Diseases Clinic.

BBC Wildlife Magazine - The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

WHAT:

BBC Wildlife Magazine - 31 million Americans are bitten by ticks each year.

BBC Wildlife Magazine - Weekly rates of ER visits for tick bites are the highest for this time of year since 2017 in all parts of the US, apart from the South-Central region.

BBC Wildlife Magazine - The first case of the Bourbon virus in New York was confirmed by researchers.

BBC Wildlife Magazine - Two cases carried neutralising antibodies for the Bourbon virus, with one showing a four-fold rise in antibodies indicating a severe or very recent infection.

BBC Wildlife Magazine - Symptoms of the Bourbon virus include fever, fatigue, rash, headache, body aches, and nausea.

WHERE:

BBC Wildlife Magazine - The case of the Bourbon virus was identified in New York.

BBC Wildlife Magazine - Bourbon virus cases have been found in the Midwest, East Coast, and Southern US.

WHEN:

BBC Wildlife Magazine - The first case of the Bourbon virus in New York was identified in April 2026.

BBC Wildlife Magazine - The Bourbon virus was first identified in 2014.

WHY:

Vox - Climate change, changing land use, and an explosion in the deer population are contributing to the rise of ticks and tick-borne diseases.

HOW:

BBC Wildlife Magazine - The Bourbon virus is transmitted through the lone star tick (Amblyomma americanum), which can stay attached to the host for as long as seven days.

BBC Wildlife Magazine - The patient with the Bourbon virus was initially misdiagnosed with Lyme disease and treated with doxycycline, which did not help.

(UPDATED July 25, 2026 19:22 UTC)

Researchers at Stony Brook Medicine have confirmed the first case of the Bourbon virus in New York, with two additional cases showing neutralizing antibodies, indicating a severe or recent infection. Each year, around 31 million Americans are bitten by ticks, and this summer, emergency room visits for tick bites are at their highest levels since 2017, except in the South-Central region. The Bourbon virus, transmitted by the lone star tick, can cause symptoms like fever, fatigue, and body aches, and the patient was initially misdiagnosed with Lyme disease before receiving appropriate treatment.