Molecular detection of Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus in tick species collected from livestock in the border line of Iran-Afghanistan

Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever (CCHF) is a viral, acute, febrile, and hemorrhagic disease that causes significant death in humans. Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus has been isolated from different species of ticks, including 28 hard ticks and 2 soft ticks. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of CCHF virus in ticks isolated from domestic livestock in border villages of Sistan region in the north of Sistan and Baluchestan province. In this study, 54 livestock including 50 sheep, 3 goats and 1 cow in four villages (Choto, Nader Alamkhan, Millak and Sanjarani) from Sistan region were sampled. After identifying genus and species of ticks, the samples were examined for the presence of the virus genome by reverse polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR).Acording to taxonomic ranks 2 genera and 3 species were identified, which include Rhipicephalus Sanguineous, Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) annulatus and Hyalomma anatolicum. The presence of the virus was not confirmed in any of the 50 tested samples. Our findings indicate that CCHFV may not circulating in the ticks of Sistan border villages. However, since Sistan and Baluchestan province is an endemic region for CCHF, more research is needed for a better understanding of CCHFV vectors in this region.