title: Suspected Crimean Congo Haemorrhagic Fever cases in Albania.
abstract: During 2003 to 2006 samples from 34 Albanian patients with suspected Crimean Congo Hemorrhagic Fever (CCHF) were tested by serology and PCR for CCHF virus; negative samples were further tested for hantaviruses, Leptospira spp. and Rickettsia spp. CCHF virus was detected in 38.2% of cases, hantaviruses in 11.7%, and leptospirosis and rickettsiosis were diagnosed in 29.4% and 2.9% of cases, respectively. There is a seasonal and clinical overlapping among the 4 diseases in Albania, suggesting that testing for these agents is necessary in cases with fever and haemorrhagic manifestations.
authors.affiliation: A' Department of Microbiology, Medical School, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece. annap@med.auth.gr
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Papa
authors.forename: Silvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bino
authors.forename: Evangelia
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Papadimitriou
authors.forename: Enkelejda
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Velo
authors.forename: Majlinda
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Dhimolea
authors.forename: Antonis
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Antoniadis
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000415:Albania / Q000453:epidemiology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D003225:Hemorrhagic Fever Virus, Crimean-Congo / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006479:Hemorrhagic Fever, Crimean / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction