Molecular epidemiology of Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus in Russia

Anna Volynkina; Yana Lisitskaya; Albert Kolosov; Lyudmila Shaposhnikova; Sergey Pisarenko; Vladimir Dedkov; Anna Dolgova; Alexander Platonov; Alexander Kulichenko

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0266177

Molecular epidemiology of Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus in Russia

PLoS One. 2022 May 12;17(5):e0266177. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0266177. eCollection 2022.

Authors

Anna Volynkina¹, Yana Lisitskaya¹, Albert Kolosov¹, Lyudmila Shaposhnikova¹, Sergey Pisarenko¹, Vladimir Dedkov^{2

3}, Anna Dolgova², Alexander Platonov⁴, Alexander Kulichenko¹

Affiliations

¹ Stavropol Research Antiplague Institute, Federal Service for Consumer Rights Protection and Human Well-being, Stavropol, Russia.
² Saint Petersburg Pasteur Institute, Federal Service for Consumer Rights Protection and Human Well-being, Saint Petersburg, Russia.
³ Martsinovsky Institute of Medical Parasitology, Tropical and Vector Borne Diseases, Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University, Moscow, Russia.
⁴ Central Research Institute for Epidemiology, Federal Service for Consumer Rights Protection and Human Well-being, Moscow, Russia.

Abstract

In this report, we present new data on the diversity and geographical distribution of genetic variants in Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus (CCHFV) in Russia. Partial S, M, and L segment sequences of the CCHFV genome were obtained from 500 serum samples from CCHF patients and 103 pools of ticks collected in the south of the European region of Russia in 2007-2017. The investigated viral strains belonged to the lineages Europe 1 (596 samples), Africa 3 (1 sample) and a new genetic lineage, Europe 3 (6 samples). The Russian CCHFV strains of the Europe 1 lineage formed four subgroups (Va-Vd) correlated with the geographical site of virus isolation. Segment reassortment events between strains of different subgroups within lineage Europe 1 were revealed. The complete S, M and L genome segments of 18 CCHFV strains belonging to different subgroups of the Europe 1 lineage and the complete S segments of 3 strains of the Europe 3 lineage and 1 strain of the Africa 3 lineage were sequenced. The analysis of the geographical distribution of CCHFV genetic variants in southern Russia revealed local viral populations with partially overlapping boundaries.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Hemorrhagic Fever Virus, Crimean-Congo* / genetics
Hemorrhagic Fever, Crimean* / epidemiology
Humans
Molecular Epidemiology
Phylogeny
Russia / epidemiology

Grants and funding

Anna Volynkina, Vladimir Dedkov, Anna Dolgova, Alexander Platonov: RSF grant N. 20-64-46014, Russian Sciense Foundation URL https://www.rscf.ru/en/. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.