• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.60 no.1
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• pp.57-63
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• 2022

When free-ranging birds are accidentally killed or die, there may be greater potential for their associated ticks to detach, seek alternate hosts, and become established. We examined 711 carcasses of 95 avian species for ticks at a stopover island of migratory birds in the Republic of Korea where only Ixodes nipponensis and I. persulcatus were previously reported from local mammals and vegetation. A total of 16 ticks, I. turdus and Haemaphysalis flava, were collected from 8 fresh carcasses belonging to 5 avian species. Despite their known abundance on migratory birds and mainland Korea, these species had not colonized the isolated insular ecosystem possibly due to the low abundance and diversity of local hosts. The results imply that increasing human impact, such as the anthropogenic mortality of migratory birds and the introduction of non-native mammalian hosts, will increase the potential invasion and colonization risk of ticks. This finding also suggests that tick surveillance consisting of fresh carcasses of dead migratory birds may provide additional information, often ignored in surveillance of ticks on live birds, for the potential introduction of non-native ticks and associated pathogens affecting animal and human health.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.59 no.3
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• pp.281-289
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• 2021

This study aimed to characterize the seasonal abundance of hard ticks that transmit severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus from April to November 2019 and 2020 on Ganghwa-do, Incheon Metropolitan City, Korea. The ticks were collected at grassland, grave site, copse and mountain road using a collection trap method. The ixodid hard ticks comprising three species (Haemaphysalis longicornis, H. flava, and Ixodes nipponensis) collected were 6,622 in 2019 and 3,811 in 2020. H. longicornis was the most frequent (97.9% in 2019 and 96.0% in 2020), followed by H. flava (2.0% and 3.0% in 2019 and 2020, respectively) and I. nipponensis (less than 0.1%). Our study demonstrated that seasonal patterns of the tick populations examined for two years were totally unsimilar. The hard ticks tested using RT-qPCR were all negative for severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.59 no.1
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• pp.103-108
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• 2021

To date, there is no report on the genetic diversity of ticks in these regions. A total of 370 representative ticks from the south and east regions of Kazakhstan (SERK) and Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (XUAR) were selected for molecular comparison. A fragment of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (cox1) gene, ranging from 631 bp to 889 bp, was used to analyze genetic diversity among these ticks. Phylogenetic analyses indicated 7 tick species including Hyalomma asiaticum, Hyalomma detritum, Hyalomma anatolicum, Dermacentor marginatus, Rhipicephalus sanguineus, Rhipicephalus turanicus and Haemaphysalis erinacei from the SERK clustered together with conspecific ticks from the XUAR. The network diagram of haplotypes showed that i) Hy. asiaticum from Almaty and Kyzylorda Oblasts together with that from Yuli County of XUAR constituted haplogroup H-2, and the lineage from Chimkent City of South Kazakhstan was newly evolved; and ii) the R. turanicus ticks sampled in Israel, Almaty, South Kazakhstan, Usu City, Ulugqat and Baicheng Counties of XUAR were derivated from an old lineage in Alataw City of XUAR. These findings indicate that: i) Hy. asiaticum, R. turanicus and Ha. erinacei shared genetic similarities between the SERK and XUAR; and ii) Hy. marginatum and D. reticulatus show differences in their evolution.

• Journal of Veterinary Clinics
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.204-210
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• 2011

The presence of the tick-borne pathogens Ehrlichia and Borrelia in German Shepherd dogs in Korea was determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and polymerase chain reaction (PCR). A total of 291 dogs were randomly selected from five Korean provinces from October 2005 through September 2006. The seroprevalence of antibodies to canine Ehrlichia and Borrelia agents detected by ELISA (Snap$^{(R)}$ 3Dx$^{(R)}$ Test, IDEXX Laboratories) was 7.56% (22 dogs) and 1.72% (5 dogs) respectively, throughout the country. Positive antibodies against both pathogens were detected in two dogs (0.69%). The provincial distribution of seroprevalence against Ehrlichia was 1.28% (1 of 78) in Gyeonggi-do, 12.64% (11 of 87) in Gangwon-do, 9.76% (4 of 41) in Chungcheong-do, 8.93% (5 of 56) in Gyeongsang-do, and 3.45% (1 of 29) in Jeolla-do. According to PCR analysis, Ehrlichia chaffeensis target DNA was amplified in 3.09% (9 of 291 dogs) of blood samples, 2.41% (7 of 291) from Gangwon-do and 0.69% (2 of 291) from Chungcheong-do. The oligonucleotide sequences (SNU-EC3 and SNU-EC5) from the PCR fragment examined in Korea were closely related to E. chaffeensis isolated from the tick Haemaphysalis longicornis, in China and the state of Arkansas in the US. Based on these results, the presence of E. chaffeensis infection was identified in German Shepherds being bred in Korea. These results bring to light the importance of paying close attention to tick-borne infections such as Lyme disease during clinical diagnosis. This infectious disease should be included as a differential diagnosis for patients who participate in outdoor activity from spring to fall or who have thrombocytopenia or leucopenia.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.65-72
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• 1981

Amblyomma testudinarium Koch', 1844, previousely known to occur in India, Sri Lanka, Burma, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Indochina, the Philipines, Taiwan and Japan, is here firstly discovered and recorded in Korea. A male specimen was collected from grazing Frisian cattle of the Dae Weon Farm on Jeju Island by a local veterinary official on the 28th June in 1981. The specimen was examined at the institute of Veterinary Research in Anyang and was identified as A. testudinarium. The morphological characteristics of the male specimen were redescribed. A tota1 of 18 species of ticks belonging to 7 genera, such as, Argas, Amblyomma, Boophilus, Dermaccntor, Haemaphysalis, Hyalomma and Ixodes, has now been recorded to occur in Korea.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.57 no.6
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• pp.691-698
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• 2019

The seasonal abundance of hard ticks that transmit severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus was monitored with a collection trap method every April to November during 2015-2018 and with a flagging method every July and August during 2015-2018 in Ganghwa-do (island) of Incheon Metropolitan City, Republic of Korea. This monitoring was performed in a copse, a short grass field, coniferous forest and broad-leaved forest. A total of 17,457 ticks (8,277 larvae, 4,137 nymphs, 3,389 females, and 1,654 males) of the ixodid ticks comprising 3 species (Haemaphysalis longicornis, H. flava, and Ixodes nipponensis) were collected with collection traps. Of the identified ticks, H. longicornis was the most frequently collected ticks (except larval ticks) (94.26%, 8,653/9,180 ticks (nymphs and adults)), followed by H. flava (5.71%, 524/9,180) and Ix. nipponensis (less than 0.04%, 3/9,180). The ticks collected with collecting traps were pooled and assayed for the presence of SFTS virus with negative results. In addition, for monitoring the prevalence of hard ticks, a total of 7,461 ticks (5,529 larvae, 1,272 nymphs, 469 females, and 191 males) of the ixodid ticks comprising 3 species (H. longicornis, H. flava, and Ix. nipponensis) were collected with flagging method. H. longicornis was the highest collected ticks (except larval ticks) (99.53%, 1,908/1,917 ticks (nymphs and adults)), followed by H. flava (1.15%, 22/1,917).

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Service
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• v.44 no.2
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• pp.93-102
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• 2021

In this study, a total of 9,449 hard ticks were collected once a month from April to October 2020 from a neighborhood park in Daejeon by flagging & dragging method and CO₂ manned trap method. The collected ticks were classified according to the Yamagutsi search table using a stereoscopic microscope and molecular biological analysis of four pathogens (SFTSV, Anaplasma spp., Ehrlichia spp., Borrellia spp.). As a result of the study, Haemaphysalis longicornis were collected the most in all areas of the five boroughs at a rate of 82 to 96 percent, while adults were collected the most in May to July, nymphs were collected the most in April to June, and larvae from August to October at a rate of 78 percent to 98 percent. In pathogens, three cases of SFTSV were detected, showing a minimum infection rate (MIR) of 0.46%, while Anaplasma spp. and Ehrlichia spp. were detected one each, with 0.15% and Borrelia spp. with a minimum infection rate of 0.46%. The detected SFTSV showed 99.9% homogeneity with the KF781490 detected in Cheongwon-gun, Chungbuk Province, Anaplasma spp. showed 99.0% homogeneity with JN990105 detected in China, and Erhlichia spp. showed 98.9% genetic similarity with U96436 separated from the U.S. In this study, the distribution status and pathogen infection rate of the hard ticks in the Daejeon area are analyzed and provided as basic data for the prevention of the hard tick-borne infectious disease.