Seroprevalence of Crimean Congo Hemorrhagic Fever Virus in Livestock, Pakistan: Crimean Congo Hemorrhagic Fever Virus in Livestock

Maham Yamin; Umer Farooq; Muhammad Qasim; Madiha Khalid; Aneela Javed

doi:10.54393/fbt.v2i02.14

Authors

Maham Yamin Department of Healthcare Biotechnology, Atta-Ur-Rahman School of Applied Biosciences, National University of Sciences and Technology, Islamabad,
Umer Farooq Animal Health Program, Animal Sciences Institute, National Agriculture Research Center, Islamabad, Pakistan & University of Hail, Hayil, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Muhammad Qasim Department of Microbiology, Kohat University of Science and Technology, Kohat, Pakistan & Human Aging Research Institute, School of Life Science, Nanchang University, Nanchang, Jiangxi, China
Madiha Khalid Department of Healthcare Biotechnology, Atta-Ur-Rahman School of Applied Biosciences, National University of Sciences and Technology, Islamabad, Pakistan
Aneela Javed Department of Healthcare Biotechnology, Atta-Ur-Rahman School of Applied Biosciences, National University of Sciences and Technology, Islamabad, Pakistan

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.54393/fbt.v2i02.14

Keywords:

Zoonosis, Livestock, Ticks, CCHFV diagnostics, One health, Emerging

Abstract

Crimean-Congo Haemorrhagic Fever Virus (CCHFV) is among the deadly human pathogens which cause a highly lethal haemorrhagic fever. CCHFV, a high-priority zoonotic pathogen is distributed widely and is transmitted in a vertical transmission cycle through these animals. Humans get infected by an infected tick bite, contact with viremic livestock blood, and through nosocomial route. Several CCHFV outbreaks have been reported for the past 2 decades in Pakistan and the virus has emerged in previously non-endemic regions as well. It is important to screen animals for CCHFV through an efficient diagnostic assay to prevent the viral zoonotic spill over to humans. Objectives: To screen the presence of CCHFV in sera collected from cattle, goat, and sheep in various regions in Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Sindh through a pre-established IgG ELISA assay. Methods: A recombinant nucleoprotein (rNP) of CCHFV was used to capture the anti CCFHV IgG antibodies in the animal sera. Results: Among 164 animals tested, 65% (103/164) showed the presence of IgG CCHFV antibodies. From the total 103 animals tested positive, 14.5 % (CI 0-28.2%) were cattle, 63.7% (CI 38.5-60.3%) were goats and 42% (CI 24.4-48.8%) were sheep. Conclusions: High seroprevalence of the CCHFV was expected from these areas as numerous cases of CCHFV have been reported previously. Since no commercial tests are available for the detection of CCHFV-specific antibodies in animals, this IgG ELISA test can be used to screen the animals in areas at risk such as those that have the presence of permissive ticks

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