DETECTION AND GENETIC CHARACTERISTICS OF RNA ISOLATES OF CRIMEAN-CONGO HAEMORRHAGIC FEVER VIRUS FROM THE HYALOMMA MARGINATUM TICKS COLLECTED IN THE ASTRAKHAN REGION (2016)

Abstract

1,746 specimens of H. marginatum ticks collected in the Astrakhan region were examined by RT-PCR, their infection rate with CCHF virus amounted to 1.5%. This is comparable with results of earlier studies performed in different years in the Astrakhan and Rostov regions and testified to such indices of viral resistance as 0.1; 0.9; 2.4; 0.6; 0.9 and 2.3%. As a result of sequencing of fragments of the genome (fourteen of the 26 isolates of RNA, they refer to the genotype Europe-1. Seven out of 14 isolates belong to the subtype Va Stavropol-Rostov-Astrakhan, two represent the reassortant genetic variant S-Vc; M-Vb; L-Va.