title: Imported Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever cases in Istanbul.
abstract: We described a series of imported cases of Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever (CCHF) in Istanbul and investigated the genetic diversity of the virus. All the suspected cases of CCHF, who were applied to the health centers in Istanbul, were screened for CCHF virus (CCHFv) infection by using semi-nested Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) following RT-PCR. Simultaneous blood samples were also sent to the national reference laboratory in Ankara for serologic investigation. In 10 out of 91 patients, CCHFv was detected by PCR, and among 9 out of 10, anti-CCHFv IgM antibodies were also positive. Clinical features were characterized by fever, myalgia, and hemorrhage. The levels of liver enzymes, creatinine phosphokinase, and lactate dehydrogenase were elevated, and bleeding markers were prolonged. All the cases were treated with ribavirin. There was no fatal case. All the strains clustered within the same group as other Europe/Turkey isolates.
authors.affiliation: Istanbul University, Cerrahpaşa Medical Faculty, Microbiology and Clinical Microbiology Department, Istanbul. kmidilli@istanbul.edu.tr <kmidilli@istanbul.edu.tr>
authors.forename: Kenan
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Midilli
authors.forename: Ayşen
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gargili
authors.forename: Onder
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Ergonul
authors.forename: Gönül
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Sengöz
authors.forename: Recep
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ozturk
authors.forename: Mehmet
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bakar
authors.forename: Frans
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Jongejan
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D004196:Disease Outbreaks; D005260:Female; D003225:Hemorrhagic Fever Virus, Crimean-Congo / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006479:Hemorrhagic Fever, Crimean / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000635:transmission*; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D017678:Sex Distribution; D016019:Survival Analysis; D014195:Travel; D014421:Turkey / Q000453:epidemiology; D014505:Urban Population
chemical_list: D012367:RNA, Viral