TY - JOUR AU - El Khoury, Marc AU - Camargo, Jose AU - White, Jennifer AU - Backenson, Bryon AU - Dupuis, Alan AU - Escuyer, Kay AU - Kramer, Laura AU - St. George, Kirsten AU - Chatterjee, Debarati AU - Prusinski, Melissa AU - Wormser, Gary AU - Wong, Susan T1 - Potential Role of Deer Tick Virus in Powassan Encephalitis Cases in Lyme Disease–endemic Areas of New York, USA T2 - Emerging Infectious Disease journal PY - 2013 VL - 19 IS - 12 SP - 1926 SN - 1080-6059 AB - Powassan virus, a member of the tick-borne encephalitis group of flaviviruses, encompasses 2 lineages with separate enzootic cycles. The prototype lineage of Powassan virus (POWV) is principally maintained between Ixodes cookei ticks and the groundhog (Marmota momax) or striped skunk (Mephitis mephitis), whereas the deer tick virus (DTV) lineage is believed to be maintained between Ixodes scapularis ticks and the white-footed mouse (Peromyscus leucopus). We report 14 cases of Powassan encephalitis from New York during 2004–2012. Ten (72%) of the patients were residents of the Lower Hudson Valley, a Lyme disease–endemic area in which I. scapularis ticks account for most human tick bites. This finding suggests that many of these cases were caused by DTV rather than POWV. In 2 patients, DTV infection was confirmed by genetic sequencing. As molecular testing becomes increasingly available, more cases of Powassan encephalitis may be determined to be attributable to the DTV lineage. KW - deer tick virus KW - Powassan virus KW - encephalitis KW - flavivirus KW - Ixodes scapularis KW - New York KW - United States KW - ticks KW - vector-borne infections KW - viruses KW - Lyme disease DO - 10.3201/eid1912.130903 UR - https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/19/12/13-0903_article ER - End of Reference