Alkhurma Virus: Another Flavivirus Causing Human Infection

Human infections in Saudi Arabia were associated with animal and tick exposures; two cases occurred in Italy in travelers returning from Egypt.

Alkhurma virus (ALKV), a flavivirus, was first identified in 1995, from a butcher who died of hemorrhagic fever after slaughtering a sheep from Alkhurma, Saudi Arabia. Sporadic cases have been observed since then, with case fatality rates as high as 25%. Two studies have just been published on this infection.

To better understand risk factors associated with the illness, Alzahrani and colleagues conducted a case-control study in Najran, southern Saudi Arabia, where residents commonly raise domestic animals in their backyards. From 2006 through 2009, the investigators conducted laboratory testing for ALKV (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay; reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction [PCR]) on individuals with suspected infection. Twenty-…

Reviewing Author

Mary E. Wilson, MD

Disclosures

Consultant/Advisory BoardOneHealthTrust (formerly Center for Disease Dynamics, Economics, and Policy); Global Health Institute, University of Wisconsin

RoyaltiesUpToDate

Editorial BoardsJournal of Travel Medicine

Mary E. Wilson, MD

Disclosures

Consultant/Advisory BoardOneHealthTrust (formerly Center for Disease Dynamics, Economics, and Policy); Global Health Institute, University of Wisconsin

RoyaltiesUpToDate

Editorial BoardsJournal of Travel Medicine