Diagnostic assays for Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever

Emerg Infect Dis. 2012 Dec;18(12):1958-65. doi: 10.3201/eid1812.120710.

Abstract

Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) is a highly contagious viral tick-borne disease with case-fatality rates as high as 50%. We describe a collaborative evaluation of the characteristics, performance, and on-site applicability of serologic and molecular assays for diagnosis of CCHF. We evaluated ELISA, immunofluorescence, quantitative reverse transcription PCR, and low-density macroarray assays for detection of CCHF virus using precharacterized archived patient serum samples. Compared with results of local, in-house methods, test sensitivities were 87.8%-93.9% for IgM serology, 80.4%-86.1% for IgG serology, and 79.6%-83.3% for genome detection. Specificity was excellent for all assays; molecular test results were influenced by patient country of origin. Our findings demonstrate that well-characterized, reliable tools are available for CCHF diagnosis and surveillance. The on-site use of such assays by health laboratories would greatly diminish the time, costs, and risks posed by the handling, packaging, and shipping of highly infectious biologic material.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study
  • Multicenter Study
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay
  • Hemorrhagic Fever Virus, Crimean-Congo / genetics
  • Hemorrhagic Fever Virus, Crimean-Congo / immunology
  • Hemorrhagic Fever Virus, Crimean-Congo / isolation & purification*
  • Hemorrhagic Fever, Crimean / diagnosis*
  • Humans
  • Microarray Analysis
  • Polymerase Chain Reaction
  • Reagent Kits, Diagnostic
  • Reproducibility of Results
  • Sensitivity and Specificity
  • Serologic Tests

Substances

  • Reagent Kits, Diagnostic