20.500.12556/RUL-186676 Side-by-side evaluation of two Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus isolates in IFNAR-/-[sup] mice Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus (CCHFV) is the causative agent of a severe hemorrhagic fever in humans, associated with case fatality rates up to 40%. Due to the lack of approved vaccines or specific antiviral treatments, CCHFV is classified as a biosafety level 4 (BSL4) pathogen in most countries and designated a priority pathogen by the World Health Organization. To facilitate the preclinical assessment of medical countermeasures, we have established a murine model using C57BL/6J IFNAR-/- mice, which lack the IFNα/β receptor, infected with the phylogenetically distinct CCHFV strains Afghanistan09-2990 (Afg09) and Kosovo Hoti (Hoti). Infection with both CCHFV strains in IFNAR-/- mice resulted in significant weight loss, with Afg09 infection leading to more severe clinical disease. Quantitative analysis of viral RNA revealed widespread viral dissemination across multiple organs. Detection of infectious virus varied by organ and strain. These results independently validate previously reported disease phenotypes while providing new insight into strain-specific differences in CCHFV pathogenesis in IFNAR-/- mice. Thereby, these CCHFV models represent valuable tools for the evaluation of antiviral therapeutics and vaccine candidates, enabling the investigation of cross-lineage protection against genetically diverse CCHFV isolates. Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus hemorrhagic fever Crimean mice inbred lines disease models animal virus krimsko-kongoške hemoragične mrzlice krimsko-kongoška hemoragična mrzlica miši linije živalski modeli bolezni true false true Angleški jezik Slovenski jezik Članek v reviji 2026-09-04 07:55:15 2026-09-04 07:55:20 2026-09-05 04:33:55 0000-00-00 00:00:00 2026 0 0 8 art. 35 Vol. 4 2026 0000-00-00 Zaloznikova Objavljeno NiDoloceno 0000-00-00 0000-00-00 0000-00-00 616.9 2948-1767 10.1038/s44298-026-00216-2 289670915 RAZ_Rohde_Cornelius_2026.pdf RAZ_Rohde_Cornelius_2026.pdf 1 9114BB72AD72B58633B597DE8AE1B3D0 f1cc761cd0b4e760cbc71beab107d967641d079559be6f5f16239f5ce351e418 dd2a07e3-a825-11f1-8bc5-0050569b8976 https://repozitorij.uni-lj.si/Dokument.php?lang=slv&id=245997 https://www.nature.com/articles/s44298-026-00216-2 1 38658ade-a825-11f1-8bc5-0050569b8976 https://repozitorij.uni-lj.si/Dokument.php?lang=slv&id=245995 Medicinska fakulteta 0 0 0