New deadly illness discovered in Kansas: Tick-borne disease named the ‘Bourbon Virus’ is believed to be behind mysterious death of farmer
John Seested, 68, was admitted to University of Kansas hospital in June with symptoms similar to those of tick-borne diseases
But tests for known illnesses came back negative shortly before he went into multiple organ failure and died
Researchers from the CDC and University of Kansas discovered the disease was tick borne, dubbing it the Bourbon Virus
No vaccine currently exists for the virus, though researchers say they’re working on how to combat it
By PETE D’AMATO
DailyMailUK
21 December 2014
Researchers have identified a new tick-borne illness believed to be the cause of a Kansas man’s death this summer.
The Centers for Disease Control are investigating a new disease being named the Bourbon Virus that doctors struggled to identify for months.
WPTV reports that a patient entered the University of Kansas Medical Center with symptoms like those of other diseases carried by ticks.
In spite of the symptoms, John Seested, 68, tested negative for known tick-borne illnesses, according to the Fort Scott Tribune.
‘It was very frustrating,’ Dr Dana Hawkinson, an infectious disease physician at the hospital told WPTV about the uncertainty surrounding the diagnosis.
‘That’s one of the biggest problems with my job, which I love, when we can’t answer those questions, when we can’t help the patients or their families.’
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