Elsevier

Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases

Volume 5, Issue 5, September 2014, Pages 457-465
Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases

Review Article
Tick-borne viruses: A review from the perspective of therapeutic approaches

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ttbdis.2014.04.001Get rights and content

Abstract

Several important human diseases worldwide are caused by tick-borne viruses. These diseases have become important public health concerns in recent years. The tick-borne viruses that cause diseases in humans mainly belong to 3 families: Bunyaviridae, Flaviviridae, and Reoviridae. In this review, we focus on therapeutic approaches for several of the more important tick-borne viruses from these 3 families. These viruses are Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus (CCHF) and the newly discovered tick-borne phleboviruses, known as thrombocytopenia syndromevirus (SFTSV), Heartland virus and Bhanja virus from the family Bunyaviridae, tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV), Powassan virus (POWV), Louping-ill virus (LIV), Omsk hemorrhagic fever virus (OHFV), Kyasanur Forest disease virus (KFDV), and Alkhurma hemorrhagic fever virus (AHFV) from the Flaviviridae family. To date, there is no effective antiviral drug available against most of these tick-borne viruses. Although there is common usage of antiviral drugs such as ribavirin for CCHF treatment in some countries, there are concerns that ribavirin may not be as effective as once thought against CCHF. Herein, we discuss also the availability of vaccines for the control of these viral infections. The lack of treatment and prevention approaches for these viruses is highlighted, and we hope that this review may increase public health awareness with regard to the threat posed by this group of viruses.

Introduction

Tick-borne viruses are a group of viruses with significant worldwide importance in public health and as such a global concern. Currently, there is no effective therapeutic agent or vaccine for most of these viruses. Novel viral mutants and different variants can emerge and may potentially become a public health threat. These new emerging viruses could also pose a biosecurity threat. The aim of this review is to increase the public awareness of this group of viruses, particularly with regard to the possible treatment approaches and antiviral drugs for the management, control, and prevention of the diseases caused by these viruses. Generally, the therapeutic strategies comprise of (i) vaccination; (ii) administration of high-titer antibodies; and (iii) treatment with antiviral drugs. In this review, we have focused on tick-borne viruses that are of public health importance and the antiviral drug perspective for the treatment of the diseases caused by them.

Section snippets

Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus

Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus (CCHFV; genus: Nairovirus; family: Bunyaviridae) was first identified in 1944 in the Crimean Peninsula (Chumakov et al., 1963, Mourya et al., 2012), and it was then isolated from a patient in Kisangani, Congo, in 1956 (Simpson et al., 1967, Mourya et al., 2012). This virus, which is maintained in nature by ixodid species (Labuda and Nuttall, 2004) and is transmitted by Hyalomma ticks (Tekin et al., 2010), has been associated in a series of outbreaks with a

Tick-borne encephalitis virus

Tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) is a member of the Flavivirus genus. TBEV is a neurotropic virus endemic in central, eastern, and northern Europe, and north-eastern Asia (Gritsun et al., 2003b, Heinz et al., 2007, Toporkova et al., 2008, Süss et al., 2008, Lu et al., 2008, Takashima et al., 1997). Russia is reported as being the country with the highest incidence with 3721 clinical cases during 1990–2009 (Süss, 2011). The principal vectors for this virus are Ixodes ricinus for the European

Colorado tick fever virus

Colorado tick fever virus (CTFV) is a virus of the genus Coltivirus. It was isolated from infected human blood in 1944 (Cimolai et al., 1988). The mountain wood tick, Dermacentor andersoni, is the vector of CTFV, and the prevalence of the disease is directly dependent on the seasonal activity and geographical distribution of the ticks (Meagher and Decker, 2012, Rust, 2012, Cimolai et al., 1988). As a result, CTF is mainly prevalent from May to July, and it is mostly localized in the mountainous

Conclusion

According to the aforementioned discussion, it can be concluded that tick-borne viruses are important viruses with many obscure aspects. They are zoonotic agents that pose a serious threat to public health. Therefore, finding and establishing efficient therapeutic strategies is crucial due to the lack of availability of approved antiviral drugs and licensed vaccines. We hope this review will improve the public perception of this menacing viral group and will lead to new insights for future

Acknowledgement

We thank University of Malaya for University Malaya Research Grants #RG383-11HTM and #RP013-2012.

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