Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever infection in domestic animals in Marmara region, Western Turkey

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Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) has been an important health issue in Turkey since the last decade. Although there is a well-described endemic area, the infection tends to disseminate into non-endemic areas. In the South Marmara region, a non-endemic area, serological and virological investigations were performed to evaluate the infection status in livestock animals. Among 508 blood samples collected from 5 different locations, 33.1% were positive for CCHF-neutralizing antibodies. The highest seroprevalence rate was detected in goats (66.0%), followed by sheep (31.8%) and cattle (13.0%) (p< 0.0001). There were extensive differences in seroprevalence rates in neighboring locations, i.e., 7.8% in Keles and 47.6% in the Orhaneli district of Bursa province. Using antigen-capture ELISA (Ag-ELISA) and real-time reverse transcription PCR (rt RT-PCR), 6.6% of the tested animals were found to be viremic at the time of sampling. Two samples that were negative by Ag-ELISA produced a positive signal in rt RT-PCR, indicating the higher sensitivity of the latter method for detecting viremic animals. The results of this study demonstrate the wide distribution of CCHF virus in some locations in a non-endemic area, which may lead to the generation of focal infectious areas