Background: Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) is a potentially fatal tick-borne viral disease. Hard ticks are both carriers and reservoirs of the CCHF virus. In this regard, the present study was done to investigate the CCHF viral infection in collected ticks from livestock in Gonabad City (Southwest of Razavi Khorasan Province) in Eastern Iran.
Methods: This descriptive study was performed in rural areas of Gonabad City in 2018. The forceps sampling method collected hard ticks from livestock (goats, sheep, and cattle). The ticks were identified based on a valid taxonomic key; finally, the CCHF viral infection was evaluated using the RT-PCR technique.
Results: Between April and October 2018, 100 ticks were collected from 13 rural areas of Gonabad. The frequency of ticks collected from goats, sheep, and cows was 6.4%, 3.7%, and 89.9%, respectively. Also, 90% of ticks were Hyalomma (Hyalomma anatolicum excavatum (n=9), Hyalomma lusitanicum (n=59), Hyalomma marginatum (n=4), Hyalomma anatolicuman (n=18)) and the remaining 10% were Rhipicephalus sanguine. Overally, CCHF infection was observed in 14% of the ticks (Hy. excavatum, Hy. lusitanicum, and Hy. anatolicumand Rhipicephalus sanguineus).
Conclusion: Hyalomma species is the main vector of the CCHF virus. Due to the high abundance of hard ticks in nature and the livestock environment, special care is required in the villages. Also, due to the presence of more scattered ticks in the northern half of the country, comprehensive studies that cover a wide geographical area and cover a larger sample size are necessary.