Papa Anna, Chaligiannis Ilias, Kontana Natasa, Sourba Tatiana, Tsioka Katerina, Tsatsaris Andreas, Sotiraki Smaragda
Department of Microbiology, Medical School, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece.
Department of Microbiology, Medical School, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece; Veterinary Research Institute, HAO-Demeter (former NAGREF), NAGREF Campus, PO Box 60272, Thermi, 57001 Thessaloniki, Greece.
Ticks Tick Borne Dis. 2014 Sep;5(5):590-3. doi: 10.1016/j.ttbdis.2014.04.008. Epub 2014 Jun 18.
Ticks were collected from various regions of northern Greece and tested for the presence of Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus (CCHFV) RNA. Human and animal sera were collected in the regions where CCHFV-positive ticks were detected, and they were tested for the presence of IgG antibodies against the virus. A CCHFV strain was detected in Rhipicephalus bursa ticks collected from sheep in Kastoria regional unit, differing by 9.7% at the nucleotide level from the AP92 strain, which was isolated in 1975 in another region of Greece. Up to date, CCHF cases have not been reported in these regions. The human seroprevalence in the area was estimated at 6%, while IgG-positive sheep was detected in two of the four neighboring farms tested. The circulation of this specific CCHFV lineage in Greece, especially in a region where the seroprevalence is high, together with the lack of human CCHF cases, suggests a probable antigenic, but non- or low-pathogenic character of this lineage. Further studies on these strains will increase our knowledge about the role of AP92-like strains in the CCHF epidemiology, which might be useful for drug and vaccine design.
从希腊北部的不同地区采集蜱虫，并检测其是否存在克里米亚-刚果出血热病毒（CCHFV）RNA。在检测到CCHFV阳性蜱虫的地区采集人类和动物血清，并检测其是否存在针对该病毒的IgG抗体。在卡斯托里亚地区单元从绵羊身上采集的牛蜱中检测到一种CCHFV毒株，其在核苷酸水平上与1975年在希腊另一个地区分离的AP92毒株相差9.7%。截至目前，这些地区尚未报告CCHF病例。该地区的人类血清阳性率估计为6%，而在测试的四个相邻农场中的两个农场检测到IgG阳性绵羊。这种特定的CCHFV谱系在希腊的传播，特别是在血清阳性率较高的地区，以及缺乏人类CCHF病例，表明该谱系可能具有抗原性，但无致病性或低致病性。对这些毒株的进一步研究将增加我们对AP92样毒株在CCHF流行病学中的作用的了解，这可能对药物和疫苗设计有用。
