Journal of Arthropod-Borne Diseases (Jun 2016)

Molecular Assay on Crimean Congo Hemorrhagic Fever Virus in Ticks (Ixodidae) Collected from Kermanshah Province, Western Iran

  • Maria Mohammadian,
  • Sadegh Chinikar,
  • Zakkyeh Telmadarraiy,
  • Hassan Vatandoost,
  • Mohammad Ali Oshaghi,
  • Ahmad Ali Hanafi-Bojd,
  • Mohammad Mehdi Sedaghat,
  • Mehdi Noroozi,
  • Faezeh Faghihi,
  • Tahmineh Jalali,
  • Sahar Khakifirouz,
  • Nariman Shahhosseini,
  • Firoozeh Farhadpour

Journal volume & issue
Vol. 10, no. 3

Abstract

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Background: Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever (CCHF) is a feverous and hemorrhagic disease endemic in some parts of Iran and caused by an arbovirus related to Bunyaviridae family and Nairovirusgenus. The main virus reser­voir in the nature is ticks, however small vertebrates and a wide range of domestic and wild animals are regarded as reservoir hosts. This study was conducted to determine the infection rate of CCHF virus in hard ticks of Sarpole-Zahab County, Kermanshah province, west of Iran. Methods: From total number of 851 collected ticks from 8 villages, 131 ticks were selected randomlyand investi­gated for detection of CCHF virus using RT-PCR. Results: The virus was found in 3.8% of the tested ticks. Hyalommaanatolicum, H.asiaticum and Rhipicephalus sanguineus species were found to have viral infection, with the highest infection rate (11.11%) in Rh. sanguineus. Conclusion: These findings provide epidemiological evidence for planning control strategies of the disease in the study area.

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