Kadam virus (or KAD, strain MP6640) is a

tick Ticks are parasitic arachnids of the order Ixodida. They are part of the mite superorder Parasitiformes. Adult ticks are approximately 3 to 5 mm in length depending on age, sex, and species, but can become larger when engorged. Ticks a ...

-borne flavivirus belonging to the genus ''

Orthoflavivirus ''Flavivirus'', renamed ''Orthoflavivirus'' in 2023, is a genus of positive-strand RNA viruses in the family ''Flaviviridae''. The genus includes the West Nile virus, dengue virus, tick-borne encephalitis virus, yellow fever virus, Zika virus ...

''. __TOC__

Located

The virus was first isolated by the

Uganda Virus Research Institute The Uganda Virus Research Institute (UVRI) is a medical research institute owned by the Uganda government that carries out research on communicable diseases in man and animals, with emphasis on viral transmitted infections. UVRI is a component o ...

Entebbe Entebbe is a city in Central Region, Uganda, Central Uganda which is located on Lake Victoria peninsula, approximately southwest of the Ugandan capital city, Kampala. Entebbe was once the seat of government for the Protectorate of Uganda pri ...

Uganda Uganda, officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered to the east by Kenya, to the north by South Sudan, to the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to the south-west by Rwanda, and to the ...

, after samples were taken from cattle in Karamoja in 1967. The viruses were usually only found from '' Rhipicephalus'' and''

Amblyomma ''Amblyomma'' is a genus of hard ticks. Some are disease vectors, for example the Rocky Mountain spotted fever in United States or ehrlichiosis in Brazil. This genus is the third largest in the family Ixodidae, with its species primarily ...

'' ticks around Kenya and Uganda infecting cattle and humans.

Spread

In the early 1980s, Kadam virus was found to be spread in Saudi Arabia by ''

Hyalomma ''Hyalomma'' is a genus of hard-bodied ticks common in Asia, Europe, and North Africa. They are also found in Southern Africa. The name is derived from Greek: Hyalos (ὕαλος) crystal, glass; and omma (oμμα) eye. The genus is believed t ...

'' ticks when found on a dead camel at Wadi Thamamah in

Riyadh Riyadh is the capital and largest city of Saudi Arabia. It is also the capital of the Riyadh Province and the centre of the Riyadh Governorate. Located on the eastern bank of Wadi Hanifa, the current form of the metropolis largely emerged in th ...

References

Flaviviruses {{Virus-stub