The discovery of phleboviruses in North American ticks has accelerated since 2012 (Heartland virus). MTLV was first identified in 2015-2017 during metagenomic sequencing of A. americanum collected at Mountain Lake Biological Station (Virginia, USA). Initial characterization revealed:
Mountain Lake virus (MTLV) is a recently characterized phlebovirus (order Bunyavirales , family Phenuiviridae ) isolated from Amblyomma americanum (lone star ticks) and white-tailed deer ( Odocoileus virginianus ) in the southeastern and mid-Atlantic United States. Serological surveys suggest low-level human exposure, but clinical cases remain undocumented. This paper synthesizes current genomic, ecological, and seroepidemiological data on MTLV, compares it with pathogenic relatives (SFTSV, Heartland virus), and models spillover risk. We argue that MTLV occupies a distinct ecological niche with lower vertebrate pathogenicity but higher vector abundance, warranting active surveillance. mt-lbv