Author(s):
Vanhomwegen, J. 
; Alves, M. J. ; Zupanc, T. A. ; Bino, S. ; Chinikar, S. ; Karlberg, H. ; Korukluoglu, G. ; Korva, M. ; Mardani, M. ; Mirazimi, A. ; Mousavi, M. ; Papa, A. ; Saksida, A. ; Sharifi-Mood, B. ; Sidira, P. ; Tsergouli, K. ; Wolfel, R. ; Zeller, H. ; Dubois, P.
Date: 2012
Persistent ID: http://hdl.handle.net/10400.18/1176
Origin: Repositório Científico do Instituto Nacional de Saúde
Subject(s): Infecções Sistémicas e Zoonoses; Crimean-Congo; Hemorrhagic Fever; Diagnostic Assays
Description
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.
