Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus circulating among sheep of Portugal: a nationwide serosurvey assessment

Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus (CCHFV) is a widespread zoonotic pathogen that can cause mild to severe hemorrhagic disease in humans. CCHFV may be transmitted through direct contact with tissue or blood of viremic animals; however, the primary transmission route is through infected tick bites...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Tropical animal health and production 2022-08, Vol.54 (4), p.237-237, Article 237
Main Authors: Mesquita, João R., Cruz, Rita, Esteves, Fernando, Santos, Carla, Pousa, Humberto, Coelho, Catarina, Mega, Ana Cristina, Nóbrega, Carmen, Vala, Helena, Peyrefitte, Christophe Nicolas, Nascimento, Maria São José, Barradas, Patrícia Ferreira
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Antibodies
Antigens
Biomedical and Life Sciences
Crimean hemorrhagic fever
Domestic animals
Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay
Farms
Fever
Hemorrhage
Hemorrhagic disease
Immunoglobulin G
Infectious diseases
Insect bites
Life Sciences
Serology
Sheep
Short Communications
Ticks
Veterinary Medicine/Veterinary Science
Viruses
Wild animals
Zoology
Zoonoses
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Summary:Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus (CCHFV) is a widespread zoonotic pathogen that can cause mild to severe hemorrhagic disease in humans. CCHFV may be transmitted through direct contact with tissue or blood of viremic animals; however, the primary transmission route is through infected tick bites. CCHFV RNA has been detected in ticks feeding on domestic and wild animals in western Spain, suggesting an established circulation of CCHFV in Western Europe. Ruminants have been recognized as important CCHFV reservoirs and have been linked to human cases in endemic regions. Given the emergence of CCHF in neighboring Spain, and a report of two CCHFV seropositive humans in southern Portugal in 1985, we investigated the potential circulation of this virus in the country by performing a nationwide anti-CCHFV IgG serosurvey in sentinel sheep of Portugal. Sera ( n  = 459) randomly selected from widely distributed farms ( n  = 20) of Portugal were tested using a commercial double-antigen enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, yielding an overall seroprevalence of 0.4% (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.04–1.56%). Positive sheep were from the southern region of Portugal (Alentejo region), which raise the seroprevalence of this region to 0.74% (95% CI 0.09–2.66%). This is the first study reporting the presence of CCHFV antibodies in sheep of Portugal, thus suggesting a geographical expansion of CCHFV to this country. It seems likely that CCHFV may exist focally in southern Portugal.
ISSN:0049-4747
1573-7438
DOI:10.1007/s11250-022-03238-z