Definition of Thogotovirus (Bourbon virus)

Thogotovirus: a viral genus of the family Orthomyxoviridae. The Thogotovirus genus contains six or more viruses that are associated with hard or soft ticks. Two of these viruses, the Thogoto and Dhori viruses, are known to cause human disease. To date, the only virus from this genus previously found in the U.S. was the Aransas Bay virus. However, a 2015 report described a novel member of the Thogotovirus genus that was found to infect a patient in Bourbon County, Kansas. This virus has been referred to as the "Bourbon virus." The infected patient, who later died, had a history of tick exposure was determined to be ill as a result of infection with this previously undescribed virus. It is currently unknown if the virus is widespread in ticks, if it always causes symptoms in humans, or if it has infected other humans.