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Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever: the virus's transmission mechanism deciphered
March 31, 2026
Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever is an emerging disease with a high epidemic potential that has prompted increased vigilance in France since 2023. Scientists from the CNRS and Inserm have just identified a key mechanism that allows the virus causing the disease to spread within its human host. This discovery paves the way for the repurposing of drugs targeting the metabolism involved, while also highlighting the need to develop specific treatments to anticipate a possible epidemic. This study was published in the journal Emerging Microbes & Infections on March 30, 2026.
Using virological and molecular biology approaches, scientists have identified that the virus hijacks liver mechanisms related to lipid transport to assemble and disseminate new viral particles. In humans, the infection begins with flu-like symptoms and can then progress to severe hemorrhagic forms, fatal in approximately 30% of cases.
Previously observed mainly in Africa, Asia, and parts of Europe, the virus has recently been detected in Hyalomma 2 ticks in southern France, as the range of these ticks expands northward across the country due to climate change. While not currently a specific treatment, some medications used to treat lipid disorders such as hypercholesterolemia show promising antiviral activity.
Notes
Bibliography
The Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus hijacks the liver lipid metabolic pathway for virion production. Anupriya Gautam, Li Zhong, Eva Ogire, Serguei Bodoirat, Ilary Riedmiller, Willem J Sander, Bertrand Boson, Apoorv Gandhi, Julien Burlaud-Gaillard, Fouzia Amirache, Vincent Legros, Philippe Roingeard, Vincent Lotteau, Cyrille Mathieu, Francois-Loïc Cosset, Solene Denolly. Emerging Microbes & Infections, March 30, 2026.
DOI: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full...1.2026.2645855
Contact
François-Loïc Cosset
CNRS Researcher
flcosset@ens-lyon.fr
Solène Denolly
Inserm Researcher
solene.denolly@inserm.fr
Augustin Baudier
CNRS Press Officer
+33 1 44 96 51 26
augustin.baudier@cnrs.fr
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Research Article
The Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever virus hijacks the liver lipid metabolic pathway for virion production
Anupriya Gautam
,
Li Zhong
,
Eva Ogire
,
Sergueï Bodoirat
,
Ilary Riedmiller
,
Willem J. Sander
, show all
Article: 2645855 | Received 12 Nov 2025, Accepted 12 Mar 2026, Published online: 30 Mar 2026In this article
ABSTRACT
The Crimean-Congo Haemorrhagic Fever Virus (CCHFV), a tri-segmented negative-strand virus that belongs to the Orthonairovirus genus, is highly pathogenic in humans but not in other host species. Following infection in humans, CCHFV disseminates widely but replicates most strongly in hepatocytes, indicating a preferential liver tropism. As hepatocytes are the primary site for production and secretion of lipids, here we sought to characterize the interplay between CCHFV and lipoprotein metabolism in hepatocytes. First, we found that CCHFV particles display a heterogeneous profile of density, suggesting various virion compositions. Next, we showed that several lipoprotein components are associated with viral particles. Additionally, we found that pharmacological inhibition or down-regulation of the host factors involved in lipoprotein biogenesis and lipid metabolism could impair CCHFV infection. Our results, therefore, by revealing a close interplay between liver lipid metabolism and CCHFV, highlight the potential of repurposing existing lipid-modulating drugs and allow designing new interventions to curb CCHFV infections.
...
Press area
Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever: the virus's transmission mechanism deciphered
March 31, 2026
Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever is an emerging disease with a high epidemic potential that has prompted increased vigilance in France since 2023. Scientists from the CNRS and Inserm have just identified a key mechanism that allows the virus causing the disease to spread within its human host. This discovery paves the way for the repurposing of drugs targeting the metabolism involved, while also highlighting the need to develop specific treatments to anticipate a possible epidemic. This study was published in the journal Emerging Microbes & Infections on March 30, 2026.
Using virological and molecular biology approaches, scientists have identified that the virus hijacks liver mechanisms related to lipid transport to assemble and disseminate new viral particles. In humans, the infection begins with flu-like symptoms and can then progress to severe hemorrhagic forms, fatal in approximately 30% of cases.
Previously observed mainly in Africa, Asia, and parts of Europe, the virus has recently been detected in Hyalomma 2 ticks in southern France, as the range of these ticks expands northward across the country due to climate change. While not currently a specific treatment, some medications used to treat lipid disorders such as hypercholesterolemia show promising antiviral activity.
Notes
- Working at the International Centre for Research in Infectiology (CNRS/ENS de Lyon/Inserm/Lyon 1 University) and at the Cancer Research Centre of Lyon ( Léon Bérard Cancer Centre /CNRS/Inserm/ Lyon 1 University).
- Hyalomma ticks are large, heat-sensitive ticks that can parasitize livestock and transmit viruses to humans, such as Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever .
Bibliography
The Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus hijacks the liver lipid metabolic pathway for virion production. Anupriya Gautam, Li Zhong, Eva Ogire, Serguei Bodoirat, Ilary Riedmiller, Willem J Sander, Bertrand Boson, Apoorv Gandhi, Julien Burlaud-Gaillard, Fouzia Amirache, Vincent Legros, Philippe Roingeard, Vincent Lotteau, Cyrille Mathieu, Francois-Loïc Cosset, Solene Denolly. Emerging Microbes & Infections, March 30, 2026.
DOI: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full...1.2026.2645855
Contact
François-Loïc Cosset
CNRS Researcher
flcosset@ens-lyon.fr
Solène Denolly
Inserm Researcher
solene.denolly@inserm.fr
Augustin Baudier
CNRS Press Officer
+33 1 44 96 51 26
augustin.baudier@cnrs.fr
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Research Article
The Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever virus hijacks the liver lipid metabolic pathway for virion production
Anupriya Gautam
,Li Zhong
,Eva Ogire
,Sergueï Bodoirat
,Ilary Riedmiller
,Willem J. Sander
, show allArticle: 2645855 | Received 12 Nov 2025, Accepted 12 Mar 2026, Published online: 30 Mar 2026In this article
- ABSTRACT
- Introduction
- Materials and methods
- Results
- Discussion
- Supplemental material
- Acknowledgements
- Disclosure statement
- Additional information
- References
- Full Article
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- References
- Supplemental
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ABSTRACT
The Crimean-Congo Haemorrhagic Fever Virus (CCHFV), a tri-segmented negative-strand virus that belongs to the Orthonairovirus genus, is highly pathogenic in humans but not in other host species. Following infection in humans, CCHFV disseminates widely but replicates most strongly in hepatocytes, indicating a preferential liver tropism. As hepatocytes are the primary site for production and secretion of lipids, here we sought to characterize the interplay between CCHFV and lipoprotein metabolism in hepatocytes. First, we found that CCHFV particles display a heterogeneous profile of density, suggesting various virion compositions. Next, we showed that several lipoprotein components are associated with viral particles. Additionally, we found that pharmacological inhibition or down-regulation of the host factors involved in lipoprotein biogenesis and lipid metabolism could impair CCHFV infection. Our results, therefore, by revealing a close interplay between liver lipid metabolism and CCHFV, highlight the potential of repurposing existing lipid-modulating drugs and allow designing new interventions to curb CCHFV infections.
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