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Diagnostic assays for Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever
Jessica Vanhomwegen1, Maria João Alves, Tatjana Avšič Zupanc
1Institut Pasteur, Paris, France. jvhomweg@pasteur.fr
Insights
Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) diagnosis is improved by reliable serologic and molecular assays. These validated tools enhance CCHF surveillance and reduce risks associated with infectious sample handling.
Area of Science:
- Virology
- Epidemiology
- Diagnostic Assay Development
Background:
- Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) is a severe tick-borne viral illness with high mortality.
- Accurate and rapid diagnostic tools are crucial for CCHF patient management and outbreak control.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the performance and on-site applicability of various diagnostic assays for CCHF.
- To compare serologic and molecular methods for CCHF virus detection.
Main Methods:
- Evaluation of ELISA, immunofluorescence, quantitative reverse transcription PCR, and low-density macroarray assays.
- Utilized precharacterized archived patient serum samples for CCHF virus detection.
Main Results:
- Serologic assays showed high sensitivity (IgM: 87.8%-93.9%, IgG: 80.4%-86.1%).
- Molecular assays demonstrated good sensitivity (79.6%-83.3%) with excellent specificity.
- Molecular test performance was influenced by patient country of origin.
Conclusions:
- Well-characterized diagnostic tools for CCHF are available, supporting reliable diagnosis and surveillance.
- On-site laboratory use of these assays can decrease turnaround time, costs, and biosafety risks.
Abstract:
Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) is a highly contagious viral tick-borne disease with case-fatality rates as high as 50%. We describe a collaborative evaluation of the characteristics, performance, and on-site applicability of serologic and molecular assays for diagnosis of CCHF. We evaluated ELISA, immunofluorescence, quantitative reverse transcription PCR, and low-density macroarray assays for detection of CCHF virus using precharacterized archived patient serum samples. Compared with results of local, in-house methods, test sensitivities were 87.8%-93.9% for IgM serology, 80.4%-86.1% for IgG serology, and 79.6%-83.3% for genome detection. Specificity was excellent for all assays; molecular test results were influenced by patient country of origin. Our findings demonstrate that well-characterized, reliable tools are available for CCHF diagnosis and surveillance. The on-site use of such assays by health laboratories would greatly diminish the time, costs, and risks posed by the handling, packaging, and shipping of highly infectious biologic material.
