Training school and workshop
Training School about CCHFV Epidemics and Collecting, Identifying and Analyzing of Hyalomma Ticks
Place: Sivas/Türkiye
Local organizers: Ömer Orkun and Zati Vatansever
Concept Note: Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever Virus (CCHFV) continues to pose a serious public health threat in many parts of the world, including Türkiye, where the virus is endemic in several regions. Anatolia is not only home to widespread populations of Hyalomma ticks—known vectors of CCHFV—but also represents one of the most significant natural foci of the disease globally. In fact, the largest known outbreak of CCHFV worldwide has occurred in Anatolia and continues to persist today, making the region critically important for research, surveillance, and control efforts.
Understanding the ecology, distribution, and identification of Hyalomma ticks is crucial for improving surveillance, response, and control strategies against the disease. This training school and workshop, to be held in Sivas—a province situated in one of the most affected regions—aims to equip participants with both theoretical knowledge and practical skills related to the collection, identification, and analysis of Hyalomma ticks. The program will include sessions on field sampling techniques, morphological and molecular identification methods, and the epidemiology of CCHFV. A fieldwork component will also allow participants to directly observe and practice tick collection in an endemic area.
Aim of the workshop and training school:
By the end of the event, participants will be able to:
- Understand the transmission cycle and epidemiology of CCHFV
- Conduct standardized field collection of Hyalomma ticks
- Perform morphological identification using taxonomic keys
- Apply basic molecular tools for pathogen detection
- Discuss surveillance strategies and data sharing mechanisms
Expected outcomes:
- A reference manual on Hyalomma tick collection and identification in endemic areas
- A shared tick sample and data repository initiated during the workshop
- Strengthened collaboration among researchers, entomologists, and public health professionals
- A workshop report summarizing lessons learned and recommendations for future surveillance efforts
AGENDA PRAGMATICK
Training School & Workshop Türkiye
Training School about CCHFV Epidemics and Collecting, Identifying and Analyzing of Hyalomma Ticks
11, 12 & 13 June 2025
Day 1 (11 June 2025)
09:00-09:15 Welcome by local organizers
09:15-09:30 PRAGMATICK COST Action: the network’s past, present and future, Gábor Földvári
09:30-10:00 Ticks of Türkiye, Zati Vatansever
10:00-10:30 Tick-borne pathogens detected in ticks of Türkiye, Ömer Orkun
10.30-10.45 Coffee break
10:45-11:00 Bioecological features of Hyalomma marginatum, Zati Vatansever
11:00-11:15 Collection methods of Hyalomma ticks, Ömer Orkun
11:15-11:30 Tick prevention, intervention and control measures: Hyalomma marginatum, Münir Aktaş
11:30-11:45 Hyalomma introduction to northern areas and the challenges and preparations for CCHF, Georg Duscher
11:45-12:00: Introduction of an ongoing TÜBİTAK COST2515 project “Phylogeographic investigation on different Hyalomma species in natural foci of Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever virus: Revealing the virus-vector relationship at the level of population genetics in natural foci where Hyalomma marginatum, Hyalomma excavatum, Hyalomma asiaticum and Hyalomma aegyptium are dominant or sympatric (224O312)”, Ömer Orkun
12:15-12:30 Introduction of an ongoing HE project “Prepare-TID, Gábor Földvári
13:00 Transfer to the University Campus
13:30-14:45 Lunch break
15:00-15:30 Clinical outcomes and treatment in CCHF, Nazif Elaldı
15:30-17:00 Visit to Sivas Cumhuriyet University Hospital’s Infectious Diseases Clinic (in groups)
Day 2 (12 June 2025)
08:00-20:00 Field trip for Hyalomma collection, Ömer Orkun, Zati Vatansever, and Münir Aktaş
Day 3 (13 June 2025)
09.00-10.30 Morphological identification of the collected tick samples, Ömer Orkun and Zati Vatansever
10.30-11.00 Coffee break
11.00-12.30 Applying basic molecular tools for pathogen detection in tick samples,
12:30 -13:30 Lunch break
13.30-14.30 Discussion and closing ceremony
