Heartland virus is a phlebovirus in the family Bunyaviridae. As of November 2022, more than 60 cases of Heartland have been reported in the Midwestern, Eastern, and Southern United States. Most patients become ill between May and September. A few cases were fatal in patients with comorbidities. The virus has been found in the Lone Star tick (Amblyomma americanum), but it is not known whether this tick can transmit the virus to humans through a bite.
Symptoms are typical of other tickborne diseases:
- Fever
- Fatigue
- Headache
- Muscle aches
- Loss of appetite
- Nausea
There is no treatment, and testing is currently available through the CDC. Blood samples of 1,428 deer, raccoon, coyotes, and moose collected from killed animals revealed 103 seropositive animals in the geographic areas of Heartland virus disease.
