Zhou Ruobing, Sprong Hein, Liu Qiyong, Krafft Thomas, Estrada-Peña Agustin
Department of Health, Ethics & Society, CAPHRI Care and Public Health Research Institute, Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands.
Centre for Zoonoses and Environmental Microbiology, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), Bilthoven, the Netherlands.
PLoS Negl Trop Dis. 2025 Mar 18;19(3):e0012923. doi: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0012923. eCollection 2025 Mar.
Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever is a broadly distributed tick-borne disease and is caused by the arthropod-borne Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus (CCHFV). Hyalomma ticks have been associated with the circulation of the virus in natural foci and in laboratory experiments. One of the main species, Hyalomma rufipes, is originally distributed in Africa. However, anthropogenic activities, bird migration, and domestic animal movement, could break the natural barriers that prevent its spread out of its natural area of colonization. This study explored the potential suitable areas for H. rufipes in Africa, Southern Europe and Central Asia using an environmental niche model. Explanatory variables based on climate were generated by harmonic regression of long-term climate; records of H. rufipes were obtained from public databases or provided by other scientists and researchers. The model indicated that areas likely to support permanent populations of H. rufipes are distributed across Southern Africa, Northern Africa, Southern Europe, the Arabian Peninsula, and the Caucasus. Data on migratory birds infested with H. rufipes further supports the need for surveillance activities in these regions to monitor and manage both the vectors and the pathogens they carry.
克里米亚-刚果出血热是一种广泛分布的蜱传疾病，由节肢动物传播的克里米亚-刚果出血热病毒（CCHFV）引起。璃眼蜱属蜱虫与该病毒在自然疫源地以及实验室实验中的传播有关。主要物种之一的边缘璃眼蜱最初分布于非洲。然而，人为活动、鸟类迁徙和家畜移动可能会打破阻止其扩散出其自然定殖区域的天然屏障。本研究使用环境生态位模型探索了边缘璃眼蜱在非洲、南欧和中亚的潜在适宜区域。基于气候的解释变量通过长期气候的调和回归生成；边缘璃眼蜱的记录来自公共数据库或由其他科学家和研究人员提供。该模型表明，可能支持边缘璃眼蜱永久种群的区域分布在南非、北非、南欧、阿拉伯半岛和高加索地区。感染边缘璃眼蜱的候鸟数据进一步支持了在这些地区开展监测活动的必要性，以监测和管理病媒及其携带的病原体。
