Sahar Khakifirouz - Department of Arboviruses and Viral Hemorrhagic Fevers (National Ref. Lab), Pasteur Institute of Iran
Seyed Javad Mowla - Molecular Genetics Department, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University
Vahid Baniasadi - Department of Arboviruses and Viral Hemorrhagic Fevers (National Ref. Lab), Pasteur Institute of Iran
Mehdi Fazlalipour - Department of Arboviruses and Viral Hemorrhagic Fevers (National Ref. Lab), Pasteur Institute of Iran
Tahmineh Jalali - Department of Arboviruses and Viral Hemorrhagic Fevers (National Ref. Lab), Pasteur Institute of Iran
Seyedeh Maryam Mirghiasi - Department of Arboviruses and Viral Hemorrhagic Fevers (National Ref. Lab), Pasteur Institute of Iran
Mostafa Salehi-Vaziri - Research Center for Emerging and Reemerging Infectious Disease, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran

Introduction: Crimean Congo Hemorrhagic Fever (CCHF) is a fatal tick-borne viral zoonosis with a case fatality rate of ۵% to ۳۰%. CCHF has been documented as the most frequent tick-borne viral infection in Iran with more than ۵۰ cases annually. Kerman Province in the south of Iran is one of the CCHF-endemic areas of the country, but no data on infection of ticks with this virus from this area is available. This study aimed to investigate the CCHFV infection among ticks collected from ۴ different counties in this province. Methods: In ۲۰۱۱, a total of ۲۰۳ hard ticks were collected from Kerman, Jiroft, Sirjan, and Kuhbanan counties in Kerman Province, southeast of Iran. Infection of ticks with CCHFV was investigated using RT-PCR targeting the small segment of the viral genome. Results: Out of ۲۰۳ ticks, Dermacentor (۵۰.۲۴%) was the most frequent genus followed by Hyalomma (۳۹.۳۹%), Haemaphysalis (۹.۸۵%) and Rhipicephalus (۰.۴۹%). Our results showed no CCHFV infection of ticks. Conclusion: Our finding indicates no circulation of CCHFV in ticks from Kerman Province. However, as Kerman Province is an endemic region for CCHF, further investigations are needed to have a better understanding of the CCHFV vectors in this region.

Crimean Congo Hemorrhagic Fever, Tick-Borne Diseases, Ixodidae, Iran