Coltivirus is a genus of viruses (belonging to the Reoviridae family) that infects vertebrates and invertebrates.

[6] Colorado tick fever was originally recorded in the 19th century, and today it is one of the most common tick-borne diseases in the United States.

[7] One theory of how the European Eyach virus is proposed to have come about in Europe is by the migration of lagomorphs from North America over fifty million years ago.

The following five species are assigned to the genus:[8] The Coltivirus virions are about 60–80 nanometers in diameter and are not enveloped, and are generally a spherical shape with icosahedral symmetry.

When the genome is processed with gel electrophoresis, the segments migrate as three class sizes (three bands).

Reassortment of the RNA segments in progeny is common, and this plays a role in some of the genetic diversity between the serotypes.

This species of tick can be found in areas with shrubs, lightly wooded locations, grasslands, and on hiking or biking trails.

Unfortunately, mature D. andersoni prefer to feed on medium or large mammals that are walking around the knee-high plants.

The adult tick then transmits the virus to humans through a bite, where it infects bone marrow cells.

Erythrocytes, which are enucleated red blood cells, seem to be infected while they are erythroblasts, their nucleated precursor stage.

[5] The distribution of Colorado tick fever virus is in the Rocky Mountain area of the United States at elevations between four and ten thousand feet.

Also, April, May, and June are when the infections mainly occur, because this is the time when the adult ticks are prevalent in the environment.

[5] There is currently no known vaccine or treatment available to treat these Coltiviruses, but 3'-fluoro-3'-deoxyadenosine, a nucleoside analog, halts replication of Colorado tick fever virus in vitro.