Molecular biology of the Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus

Abstract

Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus (CCHFV) is a member of the family Bunyaviridae. This family comprises more than 300 virus species grouped into five distinct genera: Orthobunyavirus, Hantavirus, Phlebovirus, Nairovirus, and Tospovirus [15]. The genus Nairovirus consists of seven different serogroups, but only two of them are human pathogens [9]. The CCHF group contains CCHFV and the nonhuman pathogenic Hazara virus; the Nairobi sheep disease group includes the pathogenic Nairobi sheep disease and Dugbe viruses [54, 57]. All members of the genus Nairovirus are transmitted by ticks (argasids and ixodids); CCHFV most efficiently by members of the genus Hyalomma, followed by Rhipicephalus and Dermacentor [29, 35]. The natural cycle of CCHFV includes transovarial and transstadial transmission among ticks and a tick-vertebrate host cycle involving wild (e.g. hares, hedgehogs) and domestic animals (e.g. ostriches, cattle) [29, 53, 58].