Identification and evaluation of multi-antigenic epitopes of immunodominant protein from the selected Crimean–Congo hemorrhagic fever virus genome towards the development of diagnostic and vaccine candidates by reverse vaccinology approach

Crimean–Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) is a severe zoonotic disease caused by the CCHF virus (CCHFV) belonging to the family of Bunyaviridae. It spreads through tick bites or direct contact with infected animals, affecting both humans and animals. Despite its high mortality rate, there is currently no vaccine available for the treatment of CCHF. To address this gap, we focused on the antigenic glycoprotein precursor (GPC) of CCHFV. This present study aims to identify potential T-cell epitopes that could serve as vaccine candidates. Using bioinformatics tools, epitopes were predicted for both major histocompatibility complex (MHC) classes relevant to the Indian population. These predicted epitopes were then evaluated for antigenicity, immunogenicity, toxicity, and conservancy. Ten epitopes with the highest binding scores were selected and modeled. These epitopes were subsequently docked with their respective HLA allele proteins. Notably, two epitopes—KLPPEIITL (MHC-1) and CKVIFYLLIIFGTLG (MHC-2)—demonstrated significant binding affinity with HLA alleles HLA-A*24:02 and HLA-DRB1*15:01, respectively. Furthermore, molecular dynamics simulations revealed that both epitopes exhibited higher stability when interacting with their respective HLA allele proteins. These findings suggest that these epitopes are promising candidates for developing an epitope-based vaccine against Crimean–Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF).