Deer tick virus
Appearance
Deer tick virus | |
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Black and white Feulgen stained microphotograph depicting intact tick salivary glands infected by deer tick virus. Hypotrophied salivary acinus filled with amorphous masses of pinkstaining (=Feulgen positive) material (arrows). Scale bar = 10 µm. | |
Virus classification | |
(unranked): | Virus |
Realm: | Riboviria |
Kingdom: | Orthornavirae |
Phylum: | Kitrinoviricota |
Class: | Flasuviricetes |
Order: | Amarillovirales |
Family: | Flaviviridae |
Genus: | Flavivirus |
Species: | |
Virus: | Deer tick virus
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Deer tick virus | |
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Prevention | Avoid possible tick-infested areas, such as the woodlands |
Deaths | 2[1][2] |
Deer tick virus (DTV) is a virus in the genus Flavivirus spread via ticks that causes encephalitis.[1]
Taxonomy
DTV closely resembles
amino acid sequence identity).[3]
Due to their close similarities, DTV is also called Powassan virus lineage II.Peromyscus leucopus).[5]
Epidemiology
DTV has a strong prevalence in the northeastern and north central part of the
pathogenic or it does not easily infect humans. Human incidence might be severely underestimated.[1]
History
In 1997, it was isolated from I. scapularis ticks collected in Massachusetts and Connecticut.[6]
A fatal case of DTV encephalitis occurred at a
horses. Lyme disease was commonly reported in the patient's area of residence, showing that tick activity was prevalent in the patient's area (at the time of admission).[1]
In 2017, another fatal case of DTV was documented when a 72-year-old woman was admitted to a hospital in
anterior horn cells within the spinal cord and meningoencephalitis of the brain were discovered. A considerable loss of Purkinje cells was evident in the patient.[2]