Veterinary Research Forum
Vet Res Forum

Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever, transfer patterns, vectors and history in Iran and neighboring countries

Document Type : Review Article

Authors

Mousa Tavassoli 1
Salar Zarrabi Ahrabi 2
Gurkan Akyildiz 2
Aysen Gargili Keles 2

1 Department of Pathobiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Urmia University, Urmia, Iran

2 Department of Basic Health Science, Health Sciences Faculty, Marmara University, Istanbul, Türkiye

https://doi.org/10.30466/vrf.2024.2022437.4162
Abstract
Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) is indeed to be considered as one of the most significant vector-borne diseases globally. The virus responsible for CCHF can persist in various animals and lead to severe infections in humans. Ticks of the Ixodidae family are the acknowledged vectors of CCHF virus (CCHFV) transmission to humans. In this review, different tick species from Iran and its neighbors and their roles in the transmission of CCHFV were evaluated. However, the transmission patterns of CCHF to humans primarily involve tick bites, direct contact with the blood, organs, or tissues of contaminated animals, and exposure to CCHF patients are important in virus transmission. The results of this review confirm that the tick vectors in Iran and its neighbors are very common. Even though tick bite is one of the most important risk factors for CCHF, it cannot explain all cases, and there are other important risk factors, such as high-risk occupations and having contact with livestock. Ticks that have been proven to transmit the disease, especially Hyalomma marginatum, are scattered in Iran and neighboring countries. Transporting passengers and livestock and sometimes smuggling livestock are the means of transmitting the virus between neighboring countries. Therefore, there is a need for joint preparedness and response programs to prevent and manage CCHF between Iran and its neighbors.

Keywords

Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus
Iran
Tick
Transfer patterns
Vectors

Subjects

  1. Nicholson WL, Sonenshine DE, Noden BH, et al. Ticks (ixodida). In: Mullen G, Durden L (Eds). Medical and veterinary entomology. 3th Auburn, USA: Elsevier 2019; 603-672.
  2. Estrada-Peña A, Palomar AM, Santibáñez P, et al. Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus in ticks, Southwestern Europe, 2010. Emerg Infect Dis 2012;18(1): 179-180.
  3. Gale P, Stephenson B, Brouwer A, et al. Impact of climate change on risk of incursion of Crimean‐Congo haemorrhagic fever virus in livestock in Europe through migratory birds. J Appl Microbiol 2012; 112(2): 246-257.
  4. Chumakov MP. A new virus disease - Crimean hemorrhagic fever [Russian]. Nov Med 1947; 4: 9-11.
  5. de la Fuente J, Estrada-Pena A, Venzal JM, et al. Overview: ticks as vectors of pathogens that cause disease in humans and animals. Front Biosci 2008; 13: 6938-6946.
  6. Bente DA, Forrester NL, Watts DM, et al. Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever: history, epidemiology, pathogenesis, clinical syndrome and genetic diversity. Antiviral Res 2013; 100(1): 159-189.
  7. Shahhosseini N, Wong G, Babuadze G, et al. Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus in Asia, Africa and Europe. Microorganisms 2021; 9(9): 1907. doi: 10.3390/microorganisms9091907.
  8. Gargili A, Estrada-Peña A, Spengler JR, et al. The role of ticks in the maintenance and transmission of Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus: a review of published field and laboratory studies. Antiviral Res 2017; 144: 93-119.
  9. Aslam M, Abbas RZ, Alsayeqh A. Distribution pattern of Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever in Asia and the Middle East. Front Public Health. 2023; 11: 1093817. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2023.1093817.
  10. Sharifi-Mood B, Metanat M, Alavi-Naini R. Prevalence of Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever among high risk human groups. Int J High Risk Behav Addict 2014; 3(1): e11520. doi: 10.5812/ijhrba.11520.
  11. Hajian M, Mohaghegh S. Factors Influencing the health of participants in religious mass gathering ceremonies in Iraq: a systematic review. Trauma Monthly 2023; 28(1): 694-714.
  12. Tsergouli K, Karampatakis T, Haidich AB, et al. Nosocomial infections caused by Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever virus. J Hosp Infect 2020; 105(1): 43-52
  13. Nasirian H. New aspects about Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) cases and associated fatality trends: a global systematic review and meta-analysis. Comp Immunol Microbiol Infect Dis 2020; 69: 101429. doi: 10.1016/j.cimid.2020.101429.
  14. Ahrabi SZ, Akyildiz G, Kar S, et al. Detection of the Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus genome in questing Ixodes and Haemaphysalis spp. in the periurban forestry areas of Istanbul: has a new biorisk emerged? Vector Borne Zoonotic Dis 2023; 23(10): 528-536.
  15. Hosseini-Chegeni A, Tavakoli M, Telmadarraiy Z. The updated list of ticks (Acari: Ixodidae & Argasidae) occurring in Iran with a key to the identification of species. Syst Appl Acarol 2019; 24(11): 2133-2166.
  16. Piazak N. The first report of Amblyomma lepidum (Donitz, 1909) in Iran. Iranian J Publ Health 2005; 34(2): 70-73.
  17. Tavassoli M, Mohamadi E. First report of Ixodes (Pholeoixodes) hexagonus on chukar (Alectores chukar) in Northwest of Iran and it’s public health importance. Persian J Acarol 2015; 4(1): 205-211.
  18. Torabpour S, Soltani A, Sadeghi S, et al. The first detection of Amblyomma hebraeum (Acarina: Ixodidae) in Iran. Vet Parasitol Reg Stud Reports 2019; 16: 100276. doi: 10.1016/j.vprsr.2019.100276.
  19. Aydin L, Bakirci S. Geographical distribution of ticks in Turkey. Parasitol Res 2007;101(Suppl 2): S163-S166.
  20. Chavshin AR, Seyyed-Zadeh Ticks and tick-borne diseases in the Middle East. In: Nuttal P (Ed). Climate, ticks and disease. Oxford, UK: CABI 2021; 469-476.
  21. Hoogstraal H, Kaiser M. The ticks (Ixodoidea) of Iraq: keys, hosts, and distribution. J Iraqi Med Prof 1958; 6(2-3): 58-84.
  22. Mohammad M. A bio-taxonomic study on the hard ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) of some domestic and wild animal from Iraq. Ph.D. Thesis, College of Sciences, University of Baghdad. Baghdad, Iraq; 1996.
  23. Perveen N, Muzaffar SB, Al-Deeb MA. Ticks and tick-borne diseases of livestock in the Middle East and North Africa: a review. Insects 2021; 12(1): 83. doi: 10.3390/insects12010083.
  24. Abdally MH, Al-Marri TM, Abdally HM, et al. Incidence and prevalence of hard ticks in ruminants of Al-Ahsa oasis region, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. World's Vet J 2020; 10(3): 276-285.
  25. Converse JD, Moussa MI. Quaranfil virus from Hyalomma dromedarii (Acari: ixodoidea) collected in Kuwait, Iraq and Yemen. J Med Entomol 1982; 19(2): 209-210.
  26. Schaffner F, Bansal D, Mardini K, et al. Vectors and vector-borne diseases in Qatar: current status, key challenges and future prospects. J Am Mosq Control Assoc 2021; 39(1): 3-13.
  27. Perveen N, Muzaffar SB, Al-Deeb MA. Prevalence, distribution, and molecular record of four hard ticks from livestock in the United Arab Emirates. Insects 2021; 12(11): 1016. doi: 10.3390/insects12111016.
  28. Rahman A, Kashif M, Nasir A, et al. A review of tick and tick control strategies in Pakistan. Pak J Med Health Sci 2022; 16(1): 652-655.
  29. Hoogstraal H. Biological patterns in the Afghanistan tick fauna. In Proceedings: The 3rd international congress of acarology; Prague, Czech 1973: 511-514.
  30. Berdyyev A, Amanguliyev A, Meledzhayeva MA. Study of bloodsucking ticks in Turkmenistan in Light of Teaching of Academician Ye. N. Pavlovskiy. USSR Report Life Sci Biomed Behav Sci 1984; 1: 36-42.
  31. Manukian DV, Oganesian AS, Shakhnazarian SA, et al. The species composition of mosquitoes and ticks in Armenia [Russian]. Med Parazitol (Mosk) 2006; 1: 31-33.
  32. Orlova MV, Doronin IV, Doronina MA, et al. A review of Ixodid ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) associated with Lacerta spp. (Reptilia: Lacertidae) from the Caucasus and adjacent territory. Diversity 2023; 15(9): 1026. doi: 10.3390/d15091026.
  33. Chinikar S, Ghiasi S, Hewson R, et al. Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever in Iran and neighboring countries. J Clin Virol 2010; 47(2): 110-114.
  34. Ahmadkhani M, Alesheikh AA, Khakifirouz S, et al. Space-time epidemiology of Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) in Iran. Ticks Tick Borne Dis 2018; 9(2): 207-216.
  35. Elyasi A, Jahanifard E, Sharififard M, et al. Geographical distribution of five major tick vectors of Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever in Iran, 2003-2017 (A review article) J Mazandaran Univ Med Sci. 2018; 28(166): 231-245.
  36. Telmadarraiy Z, Chinikar S, Vatandoost H, et al. Vectors of Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus in Iran. J Arthropod Borne Dis 2015; 9(2): 137-147.
  37. Akyildiz G, Bente D, Keles AG, et al. High prevalence and different genotypes of Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus genome in questing unfed adult Hyalomma marginatum in Thrace, Turkey. Ticks Tick Borne Dis 2021; 12(2): 101622. doi: 10.1016/ j.ttbdis.2020.101622.
  38. Çıtıl R, Eğri M, Önder Y, et al. Determination of seroprevalence and risk factors of Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever (CCHF) in the endemic region in Turkey: a population-based cross-sectional study. J Trop Med 2021; 2021: 9945089. doi: 10.1155/2021/9945089.
  39. Alhilfi RA, Khaleel HA, Raheem BM, et al. Large outbreak of Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever in Iraq, 2022. IJID Reg 2023; 6: 76-79.
  40. Perveen N, Khan G. Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever in the Arab world: a systematic review. Front Vet Sci 2022; 9: 938601. doi: 10.3389/fvets.2022.938601.
  41. Al-Nakib W, Lloyd G, El-Mekki A, et al. Preliminary report on arbovirus-antibody prevalence among patients in Kuwait: evidence of Congo-Crimean virus infection. Trans R Soc Trop Med Hyg 1984; 78(4): 474-476.
  42. Al-Abri SS, Hewson R, Al-Kindi H, et al. Clinical and molecular epidemiology of Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever in Oman. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2019; 13(4): e0007100. doi: 10.1371/journal. pntd.0007100.
  43. Khan AS, Maupin GO, Rollin PE, et al. An outbreak of Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever in the United Arab Emirates, 1994-1995. Am J Trop Med Hyg 1997; 57(5): 519-525.
  44. Farooq H, Beveridge N, Fletcher T, et al. A systematic review on the incidence and mortality of Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever (CCHF) in Pakistan. Int J Infect Dis 2020; 101(S1): 250. doi: 10.1016/ j.ijid.2020.11.088.
  45. Masood I, Tahir MJ, Naeem A, et al. The new wave of Congo virus in Pakistan: emerging threat. Trop Med Health 2023; 51(1): 62. doi: 10.1186/s41182-023-00559-z.
  46. Sahak MN, Arifi F, Saeedzai SA. Descriptive epidemiology of Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) in Afghanistan: reported cases to National Surveillance System, 2016–2018. Int J Infect Dis 2019; 88: 135-140.
  47. Fereidouni M, Apanaskevich D A, Pecor D, et al. Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus in Central, Eastern, and South-eastern Asia. Virologica Sinica 2023; 38(2), 171-183. doi: 10.1016/j.virs.2023.01.001.
  48. Aslani D, Salehi-Vaziri M, Baniasadi V, et al. Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever among children in Iran. Arch Virol 2017; 162(3): 721-725.
  49. Keshtkar-Jahromi M, Sajadi MM, Ansari H, et al. Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever in Iran. Antiviral Res 2013; 100(1): 20-28.
  50. Leblebicioglu H, Sunbul M, Guner R, et al. Healthcare-associated Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever in Turkey, 2002–2014: a multicentre retrospective cross-sectional study. Clin Microbiol Infect 2016; 22(4): 387.e1-387.e4. doi: 10.1016/j.cmi.2015.11.024.
Veterinary Research Forum
Volume 15, Issue 11
November 2024
Pages 575-582

  • Receive Date 17 February 2024
  • Revise Date 10 April 2024
  • Accept Date 25 May 2024

Home

Guide for Authors

Submit Manuscript

Reviewers

Contact Us