CDC investigating newly discovered Bourbon virus

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Friday that its investigating a newly discovered virus that may have contributed to the death of a previously healthy man in Kansas last year.

A CDC study published Friday details the progression of the man's illness and actions taken by the CDC and Kansas health agencies to treat and investigate the case. The virus, named Bourbon virus for the Kansas county where the man lived, is part of a group of viruses called thogotoviruses. Some of the viruses in this group have been linked to ticks of mosquitoes in parts of Europe, Asia and Africa. The Kansas man had been bitten multiple times by ticks in the days before becoming ill in 2014. 

Test results for several infectious diseases came back negative. A sample of the patient's blood was sent to CDC for more testing, which revealed evidence of an unidentified virus. CDC researchers used advanced testing and determined what they found was actually a new virus. 

CDC is collaborating with additional agencies to identify more cases of the Bourbon virus, and find out how people are being infected, options for laboratory testing for the virus, and if there are any treatment options for the symptoms that may arise.