Molecular identification of Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever virus in Hyalomma rufipes and Amblyomma variegatum in the Upper East Region of Ghana

Seth Offei Addo; Ronald Essah Bentil; Charlotte Adwoa Addae; Bernice Olivia Ama Baako; Kevin Nii Yartey; Jane Ansah-Owusu; Christopher Nii Laryea Tawiah-Mensah; Bright Agbodzi; Selassie Kumordjie; Clara Yeboah; Victor Asoala; James C Dunford; John Asiedu Larbi; Philip Kweku Baidoo; Michael David Wilson; Joseph W Diclaro 2nd; Samuel K Dadzie

doi:10.1007/s00705-024-05983-y

Molecular identification of Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever virus in Hyalomma rufipes and Amblyomma variegatum in the Upper East Region of Ghana

Arch Virol. 2024 Mar 6;169(3):62. doi: 10.1007/s00705-024-05983-y.

Authors

Seth Offei Addo^{1

2}, Ronald Essah Bentil³, Charlotte Adwoa Addae³, Bernice Olivia Ama Baako⁴, Kevin Nii Yartey³, Jane Ansah-Owusu³, Christopher Nii Laryea Tawiah-Mensah³, Bright Agbodzi³, Selassie Kumordjie³, Clara Yeboah³, Victor Asoala⁴, James C Dunford^{5

6

7}, John Asiedu Larbi⁸, Philip Kweku Baidoo⁸, Michael David Wilson³, Joseph W Diclaro 2nd⁹, Samuel K Dadzie¹⁰

Affiliations

¹ Parasitology Department, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, University of Ghana, Legon, Accra, Ghana. [email protected].
² Department of Theoretical and Applied Biology, KNUST, Kumasi, Ghana. [email protected].
³ Parasitology Department, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, University of Ghana, Legon, Accra, Ghana.
⁴ Navrongo Health Research Centre, Upper East Region, Navrongo, Ghana.
⁵ Navy Entomology Center of Excellence, Jacksonville, FL, USA.
⁶ Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD, USA.
⁷ School of Community and Environmental Health, Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA, USA.
⁸ Department of Theoretical and Applied Biology, KNUST, Kumasi, Ghana.
⁹ Navy Entomology Center of Excellence, Center for Disease Control and Prevention Detachment, Atlanta, Georgia.
¹⁰ Parasitology Department, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, University of Ghana, Legon, Accra, Ghana. [email protected].

PMID: 38446223
DOI: 10.1007/s00705-024-05983-y

Abstract

Sampled ticks were screened for Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever virus (CCHFV) using an assay that targets the nucleoprotein gene region of the S segment, a conserved region of the CCHFV genome. Minimum infection rates of 0.34% and 0.10% were obtained when testing pools of Hyalomma rufipes and Amblyomma variegatum, respectively. Next-generation sequencing and phylogenetic analysis showed that the S and L segments of the CCHFV isolate clustered with those of similar isolates of genotype III. However, analysis of the M segment showed that reassortment had occurred, causing this segment to cluster with those of isolates of genotype I, providing the first evidence of such an occurrence in Ghana.

MeSH terms

Amblyomma*
Animals
Biological Assay
Ghana
Hemorrhagic Fever Virus, Crimean-Congo* / genetics
Phylogeny

Grants and funding

GRANT12767296/Uniformed Services University Center for Global Health Engagement (CGHE) through the Global Health Engagement Research Initiative