Researchers have confirmed New York State’s first case of Bourbon virus, a rare and potentially severe infection carried by lone star ticks, according to scitechdaily.com. The patient, 67-year-old Michael Larkin of Suffolk County, contracted the virus after being bitten by two lone star ticks while working outdoors, as reported by the New York Post.
New York State Confirms First Case of Rare Bourbon Virus on Long Island
Larkin was initially treated with an antibiotic appropriate for Lyme disease, which allowed the virus to run unchecked, leading to severe symptoms including a rash, fever, night sweats, and debilitating headaches. He spent five days hospitalized before making a full recovery, according to the New York Post. The case was treated in April 2026 by Dr. Luis Marcos, professor in the Departments of Medicine and Microbiology and Immunology at the Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University and director of the Tick-borne Disease Clinic, alongside his colleagues, according to Foxweather.
Research Findings and Under-Diagnosis Concerns
The confirmation stems from a study published in the American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene by Marcos and co-authors including Victoria A. Bateman, Rudline G. Zamor, Brigitte Maczaj, Angelina Blyufer, Charles Kyriakos Vorkas, Alexander T. Ciota, and Alan P. Dupuis II. The researchers analyzed blood samples from 107 individuals presenting with fever and other tick-borne illness symptoms between 2019 and 2024, according to Foxweather and SciTechDaily.
Because symptoms overlap with other tick-borne conditions and lack widespread commercial tests, experts believe the virus is going largely undetected.
There are a lot of lone start ticks in New York and in the Northeast, we have dense populations, and when someone is infected with Bourbon virus symptoms they are similar to other tick-born infections,
Marcos said in a statement reported by Foxweather. For these reasons, the Bourbon virus is likely more prevalent than we think in our region and other cases are likely not being diagnosed.
Understanding the Virus and Vector Risks
Discovered in 2014 and named after Bourbon County, Kansas, the virus is primarily transmitted by the lone star tick (Amblyomma americanum), which can be identified by a distinct white dot or lone star on its back, according to Foxweather and the New York Post. There are currently no vaccines, specific medications, commercial diagnostic tests, or known treatments for the Bourbon virus, leaving doctors to provide supportive care such as IV fluids and pain management for hospitalized patients, as outlined by Foxweather and the New York Post.
The virus can cause severe symptoms including fever, fatigue, rash, headache, body aches, nausea, vomiting, low platelet counts, and low white blood cell levels, as noted by Gizmodo. Globally, very few cases have been confirmed, but the virus has been linked to at least two deaths — one in 2014 and another in 2026, according to Foxweather.
Prevention and Recommendations
Lone star ticks are also capable of transmitting ehrlichiosis and tularemia, and can trigger alpha-gal syndrome, an immune reaction causing a lifelong red meat and dairy allergy, according to New York Post and SciTechDaily. Experts emphasize that expanding populations of white-tailed deer, combined with milder winters and longer warm seasons, have allowed tick habitats to expand northward into the Northeast.
To guard against tick bites, health guidance recommends:
- Avoiding grassy, brushy, and wooded areas, and staying in the center of hiking trails.
- Using EPA-registered insect repellents containing DEET, picaridin, IR3535, or Oil of Lemon Eucalyptus (OLE).
- Treating clothing with 0.5% permethrin.
Study authors stress that these findings highlight the need for expanded viral surveillance, clinical testing and assay development to improve clinical decision-making and inform tick-borne disease epidemiology and vector management,
as reported by Foxweather.
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