<sec>
<b>Objectives</b>
<p>The importance of tick-borne diseases is increasing because of climate change, with a lack of long-term studies on tick-borne pathogens in South Korea. To understand the epidemiological characteristics of tick-borne diseases, the monthly distribution of field ticks throughout the year was studied in South Korea between May 2014 and April 2018 in a cross sectional study.</p></sec>
<sec>
<b>Methods</b>
<p>The presence of various tick-borne pathogens (<italic>Rickettsia</italic> species, <italic>Borrelia</italic> species, <italic>Anaplasma phagocytophilum</italic>) was confirmed by using polymerase chain reaction, to provide information for a prevention strategy against tick-borne pathogenic infections, through increased understanding of the relationship between seasonal variation and risk of infection with <italic>Rickettsia</italic> species. This was performed using logistic regression analysis (SPSS 20, IBM, USA) of the data obtained from the study.</p></sec>
<sec>
<b>Results</b>
<p>During the study period there were 11,717 ticks collected and 4 species identified. <italic>Haemapysalis longicornis</italic> was the most common species (<italic>n</italic> = 10,904, 93.1%), followed by <italic>Haemapysalis flava</italic> (<italic>n</italic> = 656, 5.6%), <italic>Ixodes nipponensis</italic> (<italic>n</italic> = 151, 1.3%), and <italic>Amblyomma testudinarium</italic> (<italic>n</italic> = 6, 0.05%) The results of this cross-sectional study showed that <italic>Haemapysalis flava</italic> carried a higher risk of transmission of <italic>Rickettsia</italic> species than other tick species (<italic>p</italic> < 0.05).</p></sec>
<sec>
<b>Conclusion</b>
<p>In conclusion, due attention should be paid to preventing tick-borne infections in humans whilst engaged in outdoor activities in Spring and Autumn, particularly in places where there is a high prevalence of ticks.</p></sec>
Citations
Citations to this article as recorded by
Distribution and pathogen prevalence of field-collected ticks from south-western Korea: a study from 2019 to 2022 Kwang gon Kim, Da jeong Hwang, Jung wook Park, Mi geum Ryu, Yujin Kim, So-Jin Yang, Ji-Eun Lee, Gi seong Lee, Ju Hye Lee, Ji sun Park, Jung mi Seo, Sun-hee Kim Scientific Reports.2024;[Epub] CrossRef
Molecular Identification of Spotted Fever Group Rickettsiae in Ticks in the Republic of Korea Ji-Ye Seo, Jin-Seo Park, Hee-Il Lee, Jung-Won Ju Pathogens.2024; 13(7): 575. CrossRef
Whole genome sequence and comparative genomic analysis of novel Rickettsia koreansis strain CNH17-7 isolated from human Taeuk Kang, Yeon-Joo Choi, Jeoungyeon Kim, Hye-Jin Park, Won-Jong Jang European Journal of Clinical Microbiology & Infect.2024; 43(10): 1909. CrossRef
Effective Methods of Estimation of Pathogen Prevalence in Pooled Ticks Gerardo Fracasso, Marika Grillini, Laura Grassi, Francesco Gradoni, Graziana da Rold, Michela Bertola Pathogens.2023; 12(4): 557. CrossRef
Applying next generation sequencing to detect tick-pathogens in Dermacentor nuttalli, Ixodes persulcatus, and Hyalomma asiaticum collected from Mongolia Graham A. Matulis, Jira Sakolvaree, Bazartseren Boldbaatar, Nora Cleary, Ratree Takhampunya, B. Katherine Poole-Smith, Abigail A. Lilak, Doniddemberel Altantogtokh, Nyamdorj Tsogbadrakh, Nitima Chanarat, Nittayaphon Youngdech, Erica J. Lindroth, Jodi M. F Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases.2023; 14(5): 102203. CrossRef
Molecular Detection of Anaplasma phagocytophilum and Ehrlichia Species in Ticks Removed from Humans in the Republic of Korea Yu-Jung Kim, Ji Ye Seo, Seong Yoon Kim, Hee Il Lee Microorganisms.2022; 10(6): 1224. CrossRef
Molecular Detection and Phylogeny of Tick-Borne Pathogens in Ticks Collected from Dogs in the Republic of Korea A-Tai Truong, Jinhyeong Noh, Yeojin Park, Hyun-Ji Seo, Keun-Ho Kim, Subin Min, Jiyeon Lim, Mi-Sun Yoo, Heung-Chul Kim, Terry A. Klein, Hyunkyoung Lee, Soon-Seek Yoon, Yun Sang Cho Pathogens.2021; 10(5): 613. CrossRef
iSeq 100 for metagenomic pathogen screening in ticks Ju Yeong Kim, Myung-hee Yi, Alghurabi Areej Sabri Mahdi, Tai-Soon Yong Parasites & Vectors.2021;[Epub] CrossRef
Molecular Identification of Borrelia spp. from Ticks in Pastures Nearby Livestock Farms in Korea Haeseung Lee, Seung-Hun Lee, SungShik Shin, Dongmi Kwak Insects.2021; 12(11): 1011. CrossRef