Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever Virus: Strategies to Combat with an Emerging Threat to Human

Shivendra      Pratap; Manju      Narwal; Aditya      Dev; Sonali      Dhindwal; Shailly      Tomar; Pravindra      Kumar

Abstract

Bunyaviridae family consists of vector borne lethal viruses, stands out as the largest virus family with its 350 members. One such virus of this family, Crimean- Congo hemorrhagic fever virus (CCHFV) is transmitted through bites of ixodid ticks or by direct contact with blood from infected animals. Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever (CCHF) is a severe disease in humans which is endemic in large parts of the world with a high mortality rate. This virus could also be used as a bioterrorism agent due to its human-to-human transmission with no specific therapy. The pathogenicity factor of CCHFV is unexplored due to the lack of animal models. CCHFV, being an RNA virus, is able to mutate rapidly hence preventing the development of effective therapy against it. Till now ribavarin is the only available drug for supportive treatment but has many side-effects. New technologies like RNA interference have emerged as a solution for epidemics of CCHF. RNAi is a sequence specific approach, has been used successfully against different pathogens. This review focuses on designing and application of RNAi with emphasis on the role of bioinformatics for the anti CCHFV therapeutic development strategy.

Keywords: Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever, CCHFV, bunyaviridae, nairoviridae, RNAi, siRNA, epidemiology, glycoproteins, antiviral therapy, nucleoprotein