Researchers identify migratory birds as potential carriers of tick-borne hemorrhagic fever virus

Traces of Alkhurma hemorrhagic fever virus have been found in ticks embedded in birds migrating from Africa to Europe, providing new insights about how the virus spreads to new regions, according to a recent study led by researchers at Uppsala University.

First identified in Saudi Arabia in the 1990s, symptoms of Alkhurma resemble those of Ebola and other hemorrhagic fever viruses. Earlier research revealed that Alkhurma could be transmitted through contact with infected ticks, cattle or camels, but not through contact with infected humans.

“Our findings of the Alkhurma virus in ticks collected in Turkey and Greece are the first in the tick species Hyalomma rufipes, which is common in large parts of Africa and on the Arabian Peninsula,” Tove Hoffman, the leader of the study and doctoral student at the Department of Medical Sciences and the Zoonosis Science Center at Uppsala University, said. “These findings mean that we have identified one more tick species that have carried RNA from this virus and shows that there is a risk of spread of the virus to new geographical areas.”

Researchers discovered Alkhurma RNA in thousands of ticks collected from migratory birds in the Mediterranean basin. Alkhurma has only been identified in the Arabian Peninsula and Egypt, but the findings underscore the need for continued surveillance in the Mediterranean basin.

“We see that infectious diseases can spread to new geographical areas and that is why it is necessary to understand the role of different animal species in the dynamics of these diseases,” Hoffman said.