Mohammad Mehdi Sedaghat1, Moslem Sarani1, Sadegh Chinikar2, Zakiye Telmadarraiy1, Abdolreza Salahi Moghaddam3, Kamal Azam4, Norbert Nowotny5, Anthony R Fooks6, Nariman Shahhosseini7. 1. Department of Medical Entomology and Vector Control, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. 2. Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran. 3. Department of Pathobiology, Hormuzgan University of Medical Sciences, Bandar Abbas, Iran. 4. Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. 5. Institute of Virology, Department of Pathobiology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Austria; Department of Basic Medical Sciences, College of Medicine, Mohammed Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences, Dubai, UAE. 6. Wildlife Zoonoses and Vector-Borne Diseases Research Group, Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA), Surrey; National Consortium for Zoonosis Research, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK. 7. Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, WHO Collaborating Centre for Arbovirus and Haemorrhagic Fever Reference and Research, Hamburg, Germany.
Abstract
BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVES: Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever virus (CCHFV) causes severe disease with fatality rate of 30%. The virus is transmitted to humans through the bite of an infected tick, direct contact with the products of infected livestock as well as nosocomially. The disease occurs sporadically throughout many of African, Asian and European countries. Different species of ticks serve either as vector or reservoir for CCHFV. This study was aimed to determine the prevalence of CCHFV in hard ticks (Ixodidae) in the Golestan Province of Iran. METHODS: A molecular survey was conducted on hard ticks (Ixodidae) isolated from six counties in Golestan Province, north of Iran during 2014-15. The ticks were identified using morphological characteristics and presence of CCHFV RNA was detected using RT-PCR. RESULTS: Data revealed the presence of CCHFV in 5.3% of the ticks selected for screening. The infected ticks belonged to Hyalomma dromedarii, Hy. anatolicum, Hy. marginatum and Rhipicephalus sanguineus species. INTERPRETATION & CONCLUSION: The study demonstrated that Hyalomma ticks are the main vectors of CCHFV in Golestan Province. Thus, preventive strategies such as using acaricides and repellents in order to avoid contact with Hyalomma ticks are proposed.
BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVES: Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever virus (CCHFV) causes severe disease with fatality rate of 30%. The virus is transmitted to humans through the bite of an infected tick, direct contact with the products of infected livestock as well as nosocomially. The disease occurs sporadically throughout many of African, Asian and European countries. Different species of ticks serve either as vector or reservoir for CCHFV. This study was aimed to determine the prevalence of CCHFV in hard ticks (Ixodidae) in the Golestan Province of Iran. METHODS: A molecular survey was conducted on hard ticks (Ixodidae) isolated from six counties in Golestan Province, north of Iran during 2014-15. The ticks were identified using morphological characteristics and presence of CCHFV RNA was detected using RT-PCR. RESULTS: Data revealed the presence of CCHFV in 5.3% of the ticks selected for screening. The infected ticks belonged to Hyalomma dromedarii, Hy. anatolicum, Hy. marginatum and Rhipicephalus sanguineus species. INTERPRETATION & CONCLUSION: The study demonstrated that Hyalomma ticks are the main vectors of CCHFV in Golestan Province. Thus, preventive strategies such as using acaricides and repellents in order to avoid contact with Hyalomma ticks are proposed.
Authors: Abdelmalik I Khalafalla; Yan Li; Anna Uehara; Nasareldien A Hussein; Jing Zhang; Ying Tao; Eric Bergeron; Ibrahim H Ibrahim; Mohamed A Al Hosani; Mohd F Yusof; Zulaikha M Alhammadi; Saeed M Alyammahi; Esmat F Gasim; Hassan Z A Ishag; Farida A L Hosani; Susan I Gerber; Salama S Almuhairi; Suxiang Tong Journal: J Gen Virol Date: 2021-02 Impact factor: 3.891