Alkhurma Hemorrhagic Fever Virus in Ornithodoros savignyi Ticks

Abstract

Evidence for the tickborne nature of Alkhurma hemorrhagic fever virus (AHFV) is indirect because AHFV has not been detected in arthropods. One Ornithodoros savignyi tick from Saudi Arabia contained AHFV RNA. This is the first direct evidence that AHFV is a tickborne flavivirus and confirms the association between human AHFV cases and tickbite history.

Keywords

• Biosafety level 4
• Saudi Arabia
• flavivirus
• tick
• arthropodborne
• arbovirus