Abstract
Ticks are important vectors of various pathogens that result in clinical illnesses in humans and domestic and wild animals. Information regarding tick infestations and pathogens transmitted by ticks is important for the identification and prevention of disease. This study was a large-scale investigation of ticks collected from dogs and their associated environments in the Republic of Korea (ROK). It included detecting six prevalent tick-borne pathogens (Anaplasma spp., A. platys, Borrelia spp., Babesia gibsoni, Ehrlichia canis, and E. chaffeensis). A total of 2293 ticks (1110 pools) were collected. Haemaphysalis longicornis (98.60%) was the most frequently collected tick species, followed by Ixodes nipponensis (0.96%) and H. flava (0.44%). Anaplasma spp. (24/1110 tick pools; 2.16%) and Borrelia spp. (4/1110 tick pools; 0.36%) were detected. The phylogenetic analyses using 16S rRNA genes revealed that the Anaplasma spp. detected in this study were closely associated with A. phagocytophilum reported in humans and rodents in the ROK. Borrelia spp. showed phylogenetic relationships with B. theileri and B. miyamotoi in ticks and humans in Mali and Russia. These results demonstrate the importance of tick-borne disease surveillance and control in dogs in the ROK.
Highlights
Ticks are obligate blood-feeding parasites that transmit zoonotic tick-borne pathogens, including protozoa, viruses, and bacteria, to animal and human hosts [1,2]
Some tick species are known vectors of one or several tick-borne diseases (TBDs), such as borreliosis (Lyme disease and Borrelia relapsing fever and other Borrelia spp. transmitted by Ixodes ticks), babesiosis (Babesia spp. transmitted by Haemaphysalis spp., Rhipicephalus spp., and Dermacentor spp.), ehrlichiosis (Ehrlichia canis genogroup transmitted by Rhipicephalus spp., Amblyomma americanum [4,5,6], Ixodes persulcatus, I. ovatus, and I. silvarum), and anaplasmosis (Anaplasma phagocytophilum transmitted by I. scapularis and I. pacificus [7])
H. longicornis, which is commonly associated with grass/herbaceous vegetation habitats, was the most commonly collected species
Summary
Ticks are obligate blood-feeding parasites that transmit zoonotic tick-borne pathogens, including protozoa, viruses, and bacteria, to animal and human hosts [1,2]. An understanding of the specific tick hosts and associated pathogens is important to identify the risks of TBDs for domestic animals and humans. Ticks are common parasites of domestic animals, including dogs, and have a high risk of transmitting tick-borne pathogens [8,9,10]. Dogs are reservoirs of some tick-borne pathogens [6] They are the most common animal bred for various purposes, including pets and military dogs. Identifying the prevalence of dog ticks and associated pathogens provides an understanding of the distribution of tick-borne pathogens. It raises awareness of TBDs among pet owners and other people who contact dogs [15]
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