Ticks are known to suck the blood of various animals they meet, including humans. They are also known for the horrible disease they spread, the Lyme virus, a deadly disease that affects more and more people every day.
The family of a farmer in Kansas, USA, discovered how dangerous this parasite is, and virologists have learned that Lyme disease is not the only problem with these horrible insects.
The farmer died after being bitten by a tick. Everyone believed that the main cause was Lyme disease, although the pre-death symptoms were different. Upset doctors took the body and began researching to determine the exact cause of death. That was the moment when everyone declared themselves shocked.
After countless tests, the local veterinary authorities discovered that the man was infected with an unknown virus, which they named Bourbon, after the locality where the farmer lived and died.
Infectious disease expert Dr. Dana Hawkinson says the virus “is a genome that resembles other viruses found in Europe, South Africa, but has never been identified in the Western Hemisphere.” It’s definitely something I’ve never encountered before. ”
This is also the reason why the man could not be treated in time. Not being a virus spread in the USA, there was no antidote against it, and the doctors who examined it for the first time did not know what to do.
Research is now underway to determine if the new strain of the virus has spread to other parts of the United States or is an isolated case.