Modeling the Spread of Crimean Congo Hemorrhagic Fever with Tick Co-feeding.
16 affiliations
- 1Department of Mathematics, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996, USA. [email protected].
- 2Department of Mathematics, Spelman College 350 Spelman Ln SW, Atlanta, GA, 30314, USA.
- 3National Animal Disease Diagnostics and Epidemiology Center, Entebbe, Uganda.
- 4The Viral Pathogens Theme: MRC/UVRI & LSHTM, Uganda Research Unit, Entebbe, Uganda.
- 5Uganda Virus Research Institute, Entebbe, Uganda.
- 6Department of Preclinical Studies, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Namibia, Windhoek, Namibia.
- 7Department of Mathematics and Applied Mathematics, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, South Africa.
- 8Department of Biology, University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, ND, 58202, USA.
- 9Department of Biological Sciences, Auburn University, Auburn, AL, 36849, USA.
- 10Department of Mathematics, Scripps College, Claremont, CA, 91711, USA.
- 11National Livestock Resources Research Institute (NaLIRRI), National Agricultural Research Organization, Kampala, Uganda.
- 12Center for Climate Physics, Institute for Basic Science, Busan, South Korea.
- 13Department of Mathematical Sciences, University of Burundi, Bujumbura, Burundi.
- 14Michael Washington Consultancy, Pretoria, South Africa.
- 15Department of Biological Sciences, Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA, 23529, USA.
- 16Department of Mathematics, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996, USA.
Abstract
Crimean Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) is a viral disease in animals and humans. Ticks transmit the virus that causes this disease to susceptible hosts by feeding on them, and ticks can acquire the virus by feeding on an infected host. The tick species most commonly associated with CCHF feed on different hosts at different stages in their life cycle: larvae and nymphs feed on small mammals, while adults feed on large mammals, like humans and cattle. An additional transmission pathway, co-feeding, occurs when infected and susceptible ticks feed in close proximity on the same host, allowing viral transmission between ticks even if the host remains uninfected. In this work, we developed the first system of ordinary differential equations capturing CCHF transmission that includes co-feeding dynamics, seasonal variation in tick populations, and all three feeding life stages of ticks with their subsequent hosts. We adapted the model to Uganda's Cattle Corridor, a region with frequent human-cattle interactions and reported CCHF activity. Simulations explored both baseline and immigration event scenarios, capturing realistic ecological and epidemiological dynamics. By varying the co-feeding transmission, we found notable effects on the hosts and ticks, including a shift in timing of seasonal infection peaks and changes to the number of human infections from ticks or cattle. The inclusion of additional tick life stages demonstrates how co-feeding strengthens viral circulation within ticks and increases host infectivity. These results highlight the importance of including ecological complexity in models of CCHF transmission and to illustrate the effects of co-feeding.
Related
- A Rapidly Progressive Case of Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever in Pregnancy Presenting with HELLP-Like Features and Resulting in Maternal and Fetal Death
- Systematic review and meta-regression analysis of the prevalence of Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever in humans, ticks and animals in Sub-Saharan Africa from 1980 to 2025
- Genomic characterization of Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus in Hyalomma ticks from Cameroon highlights circulation of the Africa 3 lineage.
- Epidemiological trends of Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever in South Asia: a systematic review
- Non-neutralizing antibody responses control acute Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus infection in naïve mice
BibTeX
@article{kingsley2026modeling,
title = {{Modeling the Spread of Crimean Congo Hemorrhagic Fever with Tick Co-feeding.}},
author = {Jessica L Kingsley and Amber A Young and Stella A Atim and Stephen Balinandi and Simbarashe Chitanga and Faraimunashe Chirove and Hannah E Correia and F Stephen Dobson and Christina J Edholm and Paul D Kasiaja and Praise-God Madueme and Kelly Joëlle Gatore Sinigirira and Michael L Washington and Holly Gaff and Suzanne Lenhart},
journal = {Bulletin of mathematical biology},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1007/s11538-026-01777-2},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42955148},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Modeling the Spread of Crimean Congo Hemorrhagic Fever with Tick Co-feeding.
AU - Jessica L Kingsley
AU - Amber A Young
AU - Stella A Atim
AU - Stephen Balinandi
AU - Simbarashe Chitanga
AU - Faraimunashe Chirove
AU - Hannah E Correia
AU - F Stephen Dobson
AU - Christina J Edholm
AU - Paul D Kasiaja
AU - Praise-God Madueme
AU - Kelly Joëlle Gatore Sinigirira
AU - Michael L Washington
AU - Holly Gaff
AU - Suzanne Lenhart
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/28
JO - Bulletin of mathematical biology
DO - 10.1007/s11538-026-01777-2
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42955148
AB - Crimean Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) is a viral disease in animals and humans. Ticks transmit the virus that causes this disease to susceptible hosts by feeding on them, and ticks can acquire the virus by feeding on an infected host. The tick species most commonly associated with CCHF feed on different hosts at different stages in their life cycle: larvae and nymphs feed on small mammals, while adults feed on large mammals, like humans and cattle. An additional transmission pathway, co-feeding, occurs when infected and susceptible ticks feed in close proximity on the same host, allowing viral transmission between ticks even if the host remains uninfected. In this work, we developed the first system of ordinary differential equations capturing CCHF transmission that includes co-feeding dynamics, seasonal variation in tick populations, and all three feeding life stages of ticks with their subsequent hosts. We adapted the model to Uganda's Cattle Corridor, a region with frequent human-cattle interactions and reported CCHF activity. Simulations explored both baseline and immigration event scenarios, capturing realistic ecological and epidemiological dynamics. By varying the co-feeding transmission, we found notable effects on the hosts and ticks, including a shift in timing of seasonal infection peaks and changes to the number of human infections from ticks or cattle. The inclusion of additional tick life stages demonstrates how co-feeding strengthens viral circulation within ticks and increases host infectivity. These results highlight the importance of including ecological complexity in models of CCHF transmission and to illustrate the effects of co-feeding.
SN - 0092-8240
SN - 1522-9602
ER -