Seroprevalence of Heartland Virus in Georgia Public
Ojeda, Erick (Spring 2023)
Abstract
Introduction: Heartland Virus (HRTV) is an emerging tick-borne arbovirus that had been detected around the Southeast, Midwest, and Northeast regions. There have been over 60 cases of HRTV present in the United States up to date. HRTV is described as a single-stranded negative – sense RNA Bandavirus. HRTV is transmitted by the Lone Star Tick (A. americanum) and is known to feed on a wide variety of medium- to large-size organisms. In the southeastern United States, A. americanum is the tick most frequently associated with human bites Our hypothesis is that the prevalence of HRTV has been underreported due to nonspecific illness and lack of awareness.
Objective: The main objective of the study was to analyze the seroprevalence of HRTV among Georgia residents.
Methods: We developed a sandwich Enzyme- Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) for HRTV. Because this was a new assay, we performed detailed titrations of each reagent to determine the best concentration. We tested 201 serum samples that were collected from patients registered through the Emory Healthcare System. We collected data elements including the specimen collection date, specimen type, county of residency, patient demographics, and laboratory testing diagnostic results.
Results: A darker optical density background indicates the presence of HRTV IgG antibodies present in the sample. We successfully optimized the new HRTV IgG ELISA using positive and negative controls. There were no HRTV positive patients’ samples detected in the study.
Discussion: Out of the 201 serum samples analyzed in the study, zero samples were positive for HRTV, indicating a low seroprevalence. Future work will test more samples from a broader range throughout Georgia and will include patients with known outdoor exposure.
Conclusion: There were no positive HRTV antibodies present on the 201 serum samples. Even though samples could test negative there can be more exposures of HRTV that is unknown and more samples from various health systems must be tested.
Table of Contents
Background 1
Design & Methods 4
Results 8
Discussion 14
Conclusion 15
References 15
Supplementary Figures 17
About this Master's Thesis
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