Crimean-Congo Fever: molecular mechanism of infection discovered

The Crimean-Congo Haemorrhagic Fever virus (CCHFV), first described in 1944, is also spreading rapidly in Europe due to global warming and is included in the WHO list of infectious agents with epidemic or pandemic potential as a top priority. There are currently no therapeutic or preventative measures available against the disease, which is mainly transmitted by ticks and is fatal in 40 per cent of cases. A study led by Josef Penninger (MedUni Vienna) and Ali Mirazimi (Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm) has now decoded the key receptor of the infection, opening up a new avenue for the development of a therapy. The results were recently published in the top journal "Nature Microbiology". Against the background of the global threat posed by the CCHFV, the infectious disease is the focus of intensive research worldwide. However, the development of the disease, particularly at the molecular level, has not yet been clarified. The study led by Josef Penninger (MedUni Vienna, IMBA, Vienna, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Braunschweig, University of British Columbia, Vancouver) and Ali Mirazimi (Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm) has achieved a breakthrough: The international research team has discovered the receptor (LDLR = Low Density Lipoprotein Receptor) in the mouse model that plays a decisive role in the cell entry of CCHFV and thus in the infection.