Relationship between Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus strains circulating in Iran and Turkey: possibilities for transborder transmission.

Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) is an important zoonotic viral disease that is asymptomatic in infected livestock, but poses a serious threat to humans. The high fatality rate may be due to phylogenetic variations in the virus, transmission routes, and a lack of an efficient surveillance system for the disease. The geographical features of the eastern and southeastern borders of Turkey may facilitate transmission of viruses between countries of the region. Therefore in this study we focused on the genetic relationship between Turkish and Iranian CCHF viruses based on their S-segment sequences. The research was performed on a total of 104 blood samples from small ruminants reared in southwest Iran. The results of phylogenetic analysis showed that Iranian CCHF virus isolates were closely related to human-originating Turkish Group II viruses from a European lineage reported previously.

Characterization of the partial VP2 gene region of canine parvoviruses in domestic cats from Turkey.

Canine parvoviruses (CPVs) is a category comprising three closely related viruses, CPV, feline panleukopenia virus (FPLV), and mink enteritis virus, all of which cause serious diseases, especially in young cats. In this study, molecular detection and genetic analysis of a partial VP2 gene region of CPVs from domestic cats living in Turkey between 2006 and 2010 was performed by PCR amplification and sequence analysis. The results indicated that CPV-2a, CPV-2c, and FPLV were circulating in vaccinated and unvaccinated cats. This is the first description of molecular characterization of CPVs in domestic cats from Turkey.