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Experimental infection of ostriches with Crimean–Congo haemorrhagic fever virus

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 October 1998

R. SWANEPOEL ,
P. A. LEMAN ,
F. J. BURT ,
J. JARDINE ,
D. J. VERWOERD ,
I. CAPUA ,
G. K. BRÜCKNER  and
W. P. BURGER
R. SWANEPOEL
Affiliation:
National Institute for Virology and Department of Virology, University of the Witwatersrand, Private Bag X4, Sandringham 2131, South Africa
P. A. LEMAN
Affiliation:
National Institute for Virology and Department of Virology, University of the Witwatersrand, Private Bag X4, Sandringham 2131, South Africa
F. J. BURT
Affiliation:
National Institute for Virology and Department of Virology, University of the Witwatersrand, Private Bag X4, Sandringham 2131, South Africa
J. JARDINE
Affiliation:
National Institute for Virology and Department of Virology, University of the Witwatersrand, Private Bag X4, Sandringham 2131, South Africa
D. J. VERWOERD
Affiliation:
Onderstepoort Veterinary Institute, Onderstepoort 0110, South Africa
I. CAPUA
Affiliation:
Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale, Teramo, Italy
G. K. BRÜCKNER
Affiliation:
Directorate of Veterinary Public Health, Pretoria 0001, South Africa
W. P. BURGER
Affiliation:
Klein Karoo Co-operative Ltd, Oudtshoorn 6620, South Africa
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Abstract

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Following the occurrence of an outbreak of Crimean–Congo haemorrhagic fever (CCHF) among workers at an ostrich abattoir in South Africa in 1996, 9 susceptible young ostriches were infected subcutaneously with the virus in order to study the nature of the infection which they undergo. The ostriches developed viraemia which was demonstrable on days 1–4 following infection, with a maximum intensity of 4·0 log10 mouse intracerebral LD50/ml being recorded on day 2 in 1 of the birds. Virus was detectable in visceral organs such as spleen, liver and kidney up to day 5 post-inoculation, 1 day after it could no longer be found in blood. No infective virus was detected in samples of muscle, but viral nucleic acid was detected by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction in muscle from a bird sacrificed on day 3 following infection. It was concluded that the occurrence of infection in ostriches at abattoirs could be prevented by keeping the birds free of ticks for 14 days before slaughter.

Type
Research Article
Information
Epidemiology & Infection , Volume 121 , Issue 2 , October 1998 , pp. 427 - 432
Copyright
© 1998 Cambridge University Press