Diagnostic Testing for Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever

Abstract

Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever is the most geographically widespread tick-borne virus, with infection resulting in mortality in up to 30% of cases. Clinical diagnosis alone is difficult due to the nonspecific nature of symptoms; therefore, laboratory diagnostics should be utilized for patients with residence in or travel to regions of endemicity in whom the disease is suspected. This minireview provides an overview of laboratory tests available for Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) and their utility in diagnosis with a focus on diagnosing CCHF in humans.

Keywords: Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus.

FIG 1

Cartoon overview of diagnostic testing for acute illness due to Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus in a non-fatal human infection. Patients with fatal CCHFV infections may have prolonged viremia and may not develop antibodies to CCHFV. The period of greatest assay utility is shown in the orange box. Black lines indicate the outer limits of utility in patients who recover, gray lines indicate periods of uncertain positivity or documented positivity among fatal cases, and black arrows indicate persistent assay positivity. The typical periods of each stage are outlined in gray boxes, with ranges outlined by black lines.