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Determinants of Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever virus exposure dynamics
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  • Raúl Cuadrado-Matías,
  • Sara Baz-Flores,
  • Alfonso Peralbo-Moreno,
  • Gloria Herrero-García,
  • María A. Risalde,
  • Patricia Barroso Seano,
  • Saúl Jiménez-Ruiz,
  • Carmen Ruiz-Rodriguez,
  • Francisco Ruiz-Fons
Raúl Cuadrado-Matías
Instituto de Investigacion en Recursos Cinegeticos

Corresponding Author:[email protected]

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Sara Baz-Flores
Instituto de Investigacion en Recursos Cinegeticos
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Alfonso Peralbo-Moreno
Instituto de Investigacion en Recursos Cinegeticos
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Gloria Herrero-García
Instituto de Investigacion en Recursos Cinegeticos
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María A. Risalde
Universidad de Cordoba Departamento de Anatomia y Anatomia Patologica Comparadas
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Patricia Barroso Seano
Instituto de Investigacion en Recursos Cinegeticos
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Saúl Jiménez-Ruiz
Instituto de Investigacion en Recursos Cinegeticos
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Carmen Ruiz-Rodriguez
Instituto de Investigacion en Recursos Cinegeticos
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Francisco Ruiz-Fons
Instituto de Investigacion en Recursos Cinegeticos
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Abstract

Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever (CCHF) is an emerging tick-borne human disease in Spain. Understanding the spatiotemporal dynamics and exposure risk determinants of CCHF virus (CCHFV) in animal models is essential to predict the time and areas of highest transmission risk. With this goal, we designed a longitudinal survey in two wild ungulate species, the red deer ( Cervus elaphus) and the Eurasian wild boar ( Sus scrofa), in Doñana National Park, a protected Mediterranean biodiversity hotspot with high ungulate and CCHFV vector abundance, and which is also one of the main stopover sites for migratory birds between Africa and western Europe. Both ungulates are hosts to the main CCHFV vector in Spain, Hyalomma lusitanicum. We sampled wild ungulates annually from 2005 to 2020 and analysed the frequency of exposure to CCHFV by a double-antigen ELISA. The annual exposure risk was modelled as a function of environmental traits in an approach to understand exposure risk determinants that allow us to predict the most likely places and years for CCHFV transmission. The main findings show that H. lusitanicum abundance is a major driver of the fine-scale spatial CCHFV transmission risk, while inter-annual variations in the risk are conditioned by virus/vector hosts, by host community structure and by weather variations. The most relevant conclusion of the study is that the emergence of CCHF in Spain might have been associated with recent wild ungulate population changes promoting higher vector abundance. Decreasing wild ungulate population densities could reduce vector abundance and thus virus prevalence and the risk of CCHFV transmission to humans.
03 Jul 2022Submitted to Transboundary and Emerging Diseases
03 Jul 2022Submission Checks Completed
03 Jul 2022Assigned to Editor
06 Jul 2022Reviewer(s) Assigned
21 Jul 2022Review(s) Completed, Editorial Evaluation Pending
26 Jul 2022Editorial Decision: Revise Major
06 Sep 20221st Revision Received
06 Sep 2022Submission Checks Completed
06 Sep 2022Assigned to Editor
07 Sep 2022Reviewer(s) Assigned
17 Sep 2022Review(s) Completed, Editorial Evaluation Pending
17 Sep 2022Editorial Decision: Revise Minor
19 Sep 20222nd Revision Received
19 Sep 2022Submission Checks Completed
19 Sep 2022Assigned to Editor
19 Sep 2022Reviewer(s) Assigned
26 Sep 2022Review(s) Completed, Editorial Evaluation Pending
27 Sep 2022Editorial Decision: Revise Minor
27 Sep 20223rd Revision Received
28 Sep 2022Submission Checks Completed
28 Sep 2022Assigned to Editor
28 Sep 2022Review(s) Completed, Editorial Evaluation Pending
29 Sep 2022Editorial Decision: Accept