B ourbon virus (BRBV; genus Thogotovirus, family Orthomyxoviridae) is a suspected tickborne human pathogen isolated in 2014 from a patient residing in Bourbon County, Kansas, USA (1). BRBV is closely related to Oz virus, which was isolated from Amblyomma testudinarium ticks in Japan (2,3). Since the initial discovery of BRBV, human cases have been identified in Kansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma (4). The Amblyomma americanum lone star tick has been identified as the likely vector of BRBV transmission and maintenance (5,6). Small and medium-sized mammals and ground-dwelling birds such as wild turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo) are hosts for the immature ticks. Adults feed on large mammals, such as coyotes (Canis latrans) and white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus). All 3 active developmental stages of the tick will bite humans (7). Virus detection in ticks and serologic evidence in mammalian hosts, including white-tailed deer, have been demonstrated in Missouri, Kansas, and North Carolina (6,8-10). The StudyIn July 2019, New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) epidemiologists were notified that BRBV RNA was detected in an individual, partially engorged female A. americanum tick removed from a Long Island, New York, resident. Comprehensive testing performed through the University of Massachusetts TickReport service (https://www.tickreport.com) revealed the tick was also positive for Ehrlichia ewingii bacteria. Notes on the tick submission form indicated the person was experiencing fever, chills, and fatigue; officials with NYSDOH and Suffolk County Department of Health Services (SCDHS) attempted to contact the resident for a follow-up investigation. No additional information was provided, and no blood samples were available to assess potential infection with BRBV.In 2016, NYSDOH and SCDHS initiated active tick surveillance targeting A. americanum ticks for BRBV and Heartland virus (HRTV). HRTV-infected ticks and seropositive deer were detected on Long Island in 2018 and reported in 2021 (11). We used standardized flag sampling for the collection of hostseeking A. americanum ticks on public lands in Suffolk County. During 2016-2020, a total of 1,265 pools, representing 4,189 adults, 7,227 nymphs, and 97 larvae, tested negative for BRBV RNA by real-time reverse transcription PCR using an in-house multiplex assay to detect HRTV and BRBV (11). The BRBV primers for this assay were designed based on the St. Louis strain (GenBank accession no. MK453528) (12). During 2021, we expanded sampling for A. americanum ticks on Long Island to collect a greater number of ticks from more locations, and we modified molecular detection protocols to use BRBV-specific primers developed at TickReport (Table 1). We designed BRBV-specific primers based on the original virus strain deposited in GenBank (accession no. KU708254) (13). We collected a total of 1,058 pools, consisting of 4,406 adults

A naplasmosis is an emergent tickborne disease caused by the obligate intracellular bacterium Anaplasma phagocytophilum (1). Initially termed human granulocytic ehrlichiosis, human infection with A. phagocytophilum was fi rst described in 1994 in patients from Minnesota and Wisconsin, USA (1,2). Now referred to as human granulocytic anaplasmosis or simply anaplasmosis, this infection is characterized by a nonspecifi c infl uenza-like illness marked by fever, fatigue, muscle aches, and headache (3). Although severe complications and death occur in rare instances, most patients recover fully after treatment with appropriate antimicrobial drugs (4).Human infection with A. phagocytophilum has now been documented in patients in North America, Europe, and Asia, and a notable incidence has occurred in the United States (5). Anaplasmosis became a nationally notifi able disease in the United States during 1999, and nationwide case counts have since increased >16-fold, from 348 cases during 2000 to 5,762 cases during 2017 (6). Most of these infections occur in the northeastern and upper midwestern states, where well-established populations of Ixodes scapularis (blacklegged or deer ticks) transmit A. phagocytophilum in addition to the infectious agents of Lyme disease, babesiosis, and Powassan virus disease (7-9).New York State (NYS), which is situated within the northeastern United States, to which tickborne diseases are endemic, has reported the second highest number of anaplasmosis cases of any state, closely behind Minnesota (10-12). Surveillance of anaplasmosis cases by the NYS Department of Health (NYSDOH) indicates that since the fi rst NYS case was reported in 1994, the burden of anaplasmosis has increased substantially, accounting for a larger proportion of NYS tickborne disease cases every year (≈4% during 2010 vs. ≈11% during 2018) (13). Since 2015, anaplasmosis has consistently surpassed babesiosis as the second most common tickborne disease in NYS, after Lyme disease (13). In addition to surveillance of tickborne disease cases, the NYSDOH also conducts routine vector surveillance to monitor the dynamics of tick populations and the prevalence of tickborne pathogens, including A. phagocytophilum, to estimate

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Human granulocytic anaplasmosis (HGA) and human babesiosis are tick-borne diseases spread by the blacklegged tick (Ixodes scapularis Say, Acari: Ixodidae) and are the result of infection with Anaplasma phagocytophilum and Babesia microti, respectively. In New York State (NYS), incidence rates of these diseases increased concordantly until around 2013, when rates of HGA began to increase more rapidly than human babesiosis, and the spatial extent of the diseases diverged. Surveillance data of tick-borne pathogens (2007 to 2018) and reported human cases of HGA (n = 4,297) and human babesiosis (n = 2,986) (2013–2018) from the New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) showed a positive association between the presence/temporal emergence of each pathogen and rates of disease in surrounding areas. Incidence rates of HGA were higher than human babesiosis among White and non-Hispanic/non-Latino individuals, as well as all age and sex groups. Human babesiosis exhibited higher rates among non-White individuals. Climate, weather, and landscape data were used to build a spatially weighted zero-inflated negative binomial (ZINB) model to examine and compare associations between the environment and rates of HGA and human babesiosis. HGA and human babesiosis ZINB models indicated similar associations with forest cover, forest land cover change, and winter minimum temperature; and differing associations with elevation, urban land cover change, and winter precipitation. These results indicate that tick-borne disease ecology varies between pathogens spread by I. scapularis.

Sera from white-tailed deer (WTD, Odocoileus virginianus) hunter-harvested throughout New York State (NYS), 2007–2015, were tested by plaque reduction neutralization for antibodies against nine mosquito-borne viruses from the families Peribunyaviridae, Flaviviridae, and Togaviridae. Overall, 76.1% (373/490) of sampled WTD were seropositive against at least one virus, and 38.8% were exposed to multiple viruses. The seropositivity rate in adult WTD (78.0%) was significantly greater (P < 0.0001) than that in fawns (47.7%). Neutralizing antibodies against California serogroup viruses were most common in WTD sampled across all regions (67.1%), followed by the Bunyamwera serogroup (BUN) (37.6%). Jamestown Canyon and Cache Valley orthobunyaviruses were responsible for most California and BUN infections, respectively. Seroprevalence rates to West Nile virus were higher in samples originating from Long Island (LI) (19.0%) than in those originating from the central (7.3%), western (5.0%), and Hudson Valley (4.4%) regions of NYS. Antibodies to Eastern equine encephalitis virus were seen primarily in WTD from central NYS (5.1%), where annual enzootic activity occurs, but low rates were documented in western NYS (1.4%) and LI (1.7%). Low rates of Potosi and LaCrosse orthobunyavirus, and Highlands J virus antibodies were detected over the course of this investigation. St. Louis encephalitis virus (or a closely related virus) antibodies were detected in samples collected from central and western NYS, suggesting local virus transmission despite a lack of evidence from routine mosquito surveillance. Serologic results demonstrate the value of WTD in NYS as an indicator of arbovirus distribution and recent transmission on a relatively fine spatial scale.

The emergence of novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) variants in late 2020 and early 2021 raised alarm worldwide because of their potential for increased transmissibility and immune evasion. Elucidating the evolutionary and epidemiologic dynamics among novel SARS-CoV-2 variants is essential for understanding the trajectory of the coronavirus disease pandemic. We describe the interplay between B.1.1.7 (Alpha) and B.1.526 (Iota) variants in New York State, USA, during December 2020–April 2021 through phylogeographic analyses, space-time scan statistics, and cartographic visualization. Our results indicate that B.1.526 probably evolved in New York City, where it was displaced as the dominant lineage by B.1.1.7 months after its initial appearance. In contrast, B.1.1.7 became dominant earlier in regions with fewer B.1.526 infections. These results suggest that B.1.526 might have delayed the initial spread of B.1.1.7 in New York City. Our combined spatiotemporal methodologies can help disentangle the complexities of shifting SARS-CoV-2 variant landscapes.

Anaplasmosis, caused by the tickborne bacterium Anaplasma phagocytophilum , is an emerging public health threat in the United States. In the northeastern United States, the blacklegged tick ( Ixodes scapularis ) transmits the human pathogenic genetic variant of A. phagocytophilum (Ap-ha) and a nonpathogenic variant (Ap-V1). New York has recently experienced a rapid and geographically focused increase in cases of anaplasmosis. We analyzed A. phagocytophilum– infected I. scapularis ticks collected across New York during 2008–2020 to differentiate between variants and calculate an entomological risk index (ERI) for each. Ap-ha ERI varied between regions and increased in all regions during the final years of the study. Space-time scan analyses detected expanding clusters of Ap-ha located within documented anaplasmosis hotspots. Ap-ha ERI was more positively correlated with anaplasmosis incidence than non-genotyped A. phagocytophilum ERI. Our findings help elucidate the relationship between the spatial ecology of A. phagocytophilum variants and anaplasmosis.

In July 2019, Bourbon virus RNA was detected in an Amblyomma americanum tick removed from a resident of Long Island, New York. Tick infection and white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) serosurvey results demonstrate active transmission in New York, especially Suffolk County, emphasizing a need for surveillance anywhere A. americanum is reported.