Geographical distribution and surveillance of Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever in Iran.

Sadegh Chinikar (1) , Seyed Mojtaba Ghiasi (1) , Maryam Moradi (1) , Mohammd M. Goya (2) , Mohammd R. Shirzadi (2) , Mohammd Zeinali (2) , Mohsen Meshkat (3) , Michele Bouloy (4)

1 Department of Arboviruses and Viral Hemorrhagic Fevers [Tehran]
2 CDC - Center for Disease Control
3 Veterinary Organization
4 Génétique Moléculaire des Bunyavirus

Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) is viral hemorrhagic fever caused by CCHF virus, which belongs to the family Bunyaviridae and the genus Nairovirus. The virus is transmitted to humans via contact with blood and tissue from infected livestock, a tick bite, or contact with an infected person. Since 2000, we have shown the disease to be prevalent in 23 out of 30 provinces of Iran. Among those, Sistan-va-Baluchistan, Isfahan, Fars, Tehran, Khorasan, and Khuzestan demonstrated the highest infection, respectively. Notably, Sistan-va-Baluchistan province, southeast of Iran, has the highest prevalence of CCHF, and has shown to be present since at least 2000. Phylogenetic study of the CCHF virus genome isolated from Iranian patients showed a close relationship with the CCHF Matin strain (Pakistan). Our epidemiological data in the last decade have implied that the severity and fatality rate of the disease has ranged variably in different provinces of Iran. More pathogenesis and phylogenetic studies should therefore be investigated to clarify these differences.

Keywords: CCHF distribution--CCHF in Iran; CCHF distribution--CCHF in Iran.

Domains: Virology

Sadegh Chinikar, Seyed Mojtaba Ghiasi, Maryam Moradi, Mohammd M. Goya, Mohammd R. Shirzadi, et al.. Geographical distribution and surveillance of Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever in Iran.. Vector-Borne and Zoonotic Diseases, 2010, 10 (7), pp.705-8. ⟨10.1089/vbz.2009.0247⟩. ⟨pasteur-00748089⟩