A Case Report of Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever Virus Europe-1 Genotype in the West of Iran

Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) is a fatal tick-borne viral zoonosis. CCHF virus (CCHFV) has 7 distinct genotypes with a determined geographical distribution pattern. However, similar genotypes have been reported from distant geographical areas.
On 4 June 2016, a CCHF suspected case from Sanandaj city, Kurdistan province of Iran, was confirmed with CCHFV infection by RT-PCR test. The phylogenetic analyses showed a strain belonging to Europe-1 genotype.
Considering the similarity of Iranian strain of Europe-1 genotype to the strains from Turkey and Russia, it could be claimed that Europe-1 genotype has introduced to Iran from European countries. However, to have a better understanding about the circulation of CCHFV Europe-1 genotype in Iran, further investigations should be performed.