Serologic and molecular evidence for circulation of Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus in ticks and cattle in Zambia

PLoS Negl Trop Dis. 2021 Jun 1;15(6):e0009452. doi: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0009452. eCollection 2021 Jun.

Abstract

Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) is a tick-borne zoonosis with a high case fatality rate in humans. Although the disease is widely found in Africa, Europe, and Asia, the distribution and genetic diversity of CCHF virus (CCHFV) are poorly understood in African countries. To assess the risks of CCHF in Zambia, where CCHF has never been reported, epidemiologic studies in cattle and ticks were conducted. Through an indirect immunofluorescence assay, CCHFV nucleoprotein-specific serum IgG was detected in 8.4% (88/1,047) of cattle. Among 290 Hyalomma ticks, the principal vector of CCHFV, the viral genome was detected in 11 ticks. Phylogenetic analyses of the CCHFV S and M genome segments revealed that one of the detected viruses was a genetic reassortant between African and Asian strains. This study provides compelling evidence for the presence of CCHFV in Zambia and its transmission to vertebrate hosts.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Antibodies, Viral / blood
  • Cattle
  • Cattle Diseases / blood
  • Cattle Diseases / epidemiology
  • Cattle Diseases / parasitology*
  • Hemorrhagic Fever Virus, Crimean-Congo / genetics
  • Hemorrhagic Fever Virus, Crimean-Congo / isolation & purification*
  • Hemorrhagic Fever, Crimean / blood
  • Hemorrhagic Fever, Crimean / epidemiology
  • Hemorrhagic Fever, Crimean / veterinary*
  • Hemorrhagic Fever, Crimean / virology
  • Humans
  • Immunoglobulin G / blood
  • Phylogeny
  • Serologic Tests
  • Ticks / virology*
  • Zambia / epidemiology

Substances

  • Antibodies, Viral
  • Immunoglobulin G

Grants and funding

This work was supported by the Agency for Medical Research and Development and Japan International Cooperation Agency within the framework of the Science and Technology Research Partnership for Sustainable Development (grant no. JP18jm0110019 to AT) and by the Agency for Medical Research and Development within the framework of the Japan Initiative for Global Research Network on Infectious Diseases (grant no. JP18fm0108008 to HS). Funding was provided in part by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (KAKENHI) (grant nos. JP16H02627 to AT, JP15K18778 to MK, and JP18K15163 to MK). The funders had no role in the study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.