A new genetic variant of the Crimean–Congo hemorrhagic fever virus isolated in Crimea

• Published in: Molecular genetics, microbiology and virology Vol. 31; no. 2; pp. 94 - 101
• Main Authors: Kulichenko, A. N., Volynkina, A. S., Kotenev, E. S., Pisarenko, S. V., Shaposhnikova, L. I., Lisitskaya, Y. V., Vasilenko, N. F., Tsygankova, O. I., Evchenko, Y. M., Tohov, Y. M., Savel’ev, V. N., Tihonov, S. N., Penkovskaya, N. A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Allerton Press 01.04.2016; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Biomedical and Life Sciences; Blood; Crimean hemorrhagic fever; Epidemics; Experimental Works; Genetic analysis; Genomes; Hemorrhage; Life Sciences; Microbiology; Molecular Medicine; Polymerase chain reaction; Ribonucleic acid; RNA; RNA viruses; Viruses; Crimea; molecular epidemiology; whole genome sequencing; Crimean–Congo hemorrhagic fever; phylogenetic analysis; Crimean federal district
• ISSN: 0891-4168; 1934-841X
• DOI: 10.3103/S0891416816020051

The work presents the results of genetic identification of Crimean–Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) virus isolates obtained in the Crimean federal district in the course of the 2015 epidemiological survey for a Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever case from Crimea. A PCR test for the presence of the CCHF virus RNA was performed for a single blood serum sample obtained from a patient and for 61 pools (506 individuals) of ixodic ticks collected during an epizootological study carried out in six administrative regions of the Crimean federal district. CCHF virus RNA was detected in the patient’s blood serum and in ten samples of ixodic ticks. Genetic identification of the CCHF virus isolates was performed by sequencing S, M, and L virus genome segments. The results of the molecular and genetic analysis showed that the RNAs of the CCHF viruses detected in the blood serum samples and three tick suspension samples are highly homologous to each other and belong to a new Crimea (Vd) genetic subgroup of the Europe 1 genotype. Whole genome sequences were obtained for two CCHF virus isolates from the Crimea subgroup (Vd). CCHF virus variants belonging to the Crimea subgroup (Vd) of the Europe 1 genotype have been described for the first time and are endemic for the Crimean peninsula.