title: Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever is a tick-borne viral zoonosis with the potential of human-to-human transmission, affecting wide areas in Asia, Southeastern Europe, and Africa. Hemorrhagic manifestations constitute a prominent symptom of late stage disease with case fatality rates from 10% to 50%. The purpose of this article is to review recent literature on Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever with emphasis on its epidemiology and management.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Climate and environmental changes may affect Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever epidemiology and trigger community outbreaks. Risk factors for acquisition of infection have been well studied. In the hospital, high-risk activities include interventions for gastrointestinal bleeding and needle stick injuries. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction may rapidly diagnose Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever with high sensitivity and specificity. Ribavirin is the only promising therapeutic agent currently available but case-control studies have not been conducted. Recently, the Mx proteins have been found to act against Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus and deserve further research.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Clinicians should be aware of the potential of importation of Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever cases from endemic areas and nosocomial transmission. Studies on the efficacy of ribavirin are needed.
authors.affiliation: Office for Zoonoses and Foodborne Diseases, Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: Regina
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Vorou
authors.forename: Ioannis N
authors.initials: IN
authors.lastname: Pierroutsakos
authors.forename: Helen C
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Maltezou
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D003225:Hemorrhagic Fever Virus, Crimean-Congo / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000502:physiology; D006479:Hemorrhagic Fever, Crimean / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000821:virology; D006801:Humans; D012254:Ribavirin / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D013987:Ticks; D015047:Zoonoses
chemical_list: D000998:Antiviral Agents; D012254:Ribavirin