Heartland virus: a novel and emerging tick-borne encephalitis

Heartland virus (HRTV) is a Bunyaviridae, phlebovirus that it has recently emerged as the causative agent of human disease characterized by thrombocytopenia and leukopenia in the United States and China. It seems to be the HRTV has been also reported in China, Japan and Korea. Recently the first fatal case of HRTV disease in an 80-year-old Tennessee resident was reported.