Geographical Distribution of Five Major Tick Vectors of Crimean Congo Hemorrhagic Fever in Iran, 2003-2017 (A review article)

Background and purpose: Crimean Congo Hemorrhagic Fever (CCHF) is a dangerous viral zoonotic disease. Ticks are the main vector which transmit CCHF virus from livestock to human. The present study was done to provide a comprehensive database on major ticks in the CCHF virus transmission and their geographical dispersal in Iran. This would be of great benefit in planning for intelligent control of the disease based on the budget and personnel in areas where the incidence of the disease is high. Materials and methods: In this study, the articles published (2003-2017) on five important vectors of the CCHF in Iran were reviewed in electronic databases, including PubMed, Google scholar, SID, Iran Medex, Elsevier, and Scopus, using the following keywords: Tick Fauna, Iran, Ixodidae, CCHF, detection of CCHF and Tick distribution. Then, the data in Excel was exported to ArcGIS 9.3 to provide geographic dispersion and vector infection map. Results: Distribution map of five important tick species in transmission of CCHF virus including Hyalomma marginatum, Hy.anatulicum, Hy.asiaticum، Hy.dromedarii, and Rhipicephalus sanguineus were drawn. The distribution map of these five tick species and molecular methods indicated that in 8 of 31 provinces CCHF virus was identified in two species, including Hy. marginatum and Hy.anatulicum. Conclusion: More extensive studies are needed to detect the fauna and distribution of ticks. Also, isolation of disease agents from samples in areas where the disease was reported should be done. Current findings could be used to update the database for prediction and modeling of CCHF based on the effective factors.