Viral Load as a Predictor of Outcome in Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever.

Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) is a potentially fatal disease affecting multiple organ systems. To determine the association between viral load and severity of CCHF infection, quantitative measurement of CCHF virus was performed using 1-step reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction for 36 patients with CCHF infection. Viral loads ranged from copies/mL to copies/mL. 3 9 1.1-10 - 9.9-10 Nine (25%) of 36 patients died. In 8 of the 9 patients with fatal outcomes, viral loads were detected that were - copies/mL, whereas in 25 of the 26 patients with 9 1-10 nonfatal outcomes, viral loads were detected that were ! copies/mL (P < .001). A viral load - RNA 9 9 1-10 1-10 copies/mL can be considered to predict a fatal outcome with a positive predictive value of 80%, with 88.9% sensitivity and 92.6% specificity. We suggest that viral load is a measure of the severity of CCHF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]