Molecular Identification of Borrelia afzelii from Ticks Parasitizing Domestic and Wild Animals in South Korea.

Min-Goo Seo,Dongmi Kwak,Oh-Deog Kwon

doi:10.3390/microorganisms8050649

Min-Goo Seo, Dongmi Kwak + Show 1 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms8050649

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Abstract

Lyme borreliosis is one of the most prevalent tick-borne infectious zoonotic diseases caused by spirochetes of the Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato group. The present study assessed the risk factors and prevalence of Lyme borreliosis in ticks parasitizing domestic and wild animals. A total of 589 ticks (329 tick pools) collected from animals were identified as Haemaphysalis longicornis, (85.7%), H. flava (10.0%), and Ixodes nipponensis (4.3%) using morphological and molecular methods in South Korea. In this study, the 5S–23S gene sequences of B. afzelii (6/329, 1.8%) were detected in ticks taken from mammals, including ticks from horses (2/147 pools, 1.4%), wild boar (1/19 pools, 5.3%), native Korean goats (NKG, 2/34 pools, 5.9%), and Korean water deer (1/129 pools, 0.8%). Unfortunately, ospA, pyrG, and flagellin genes were not able to be amplified in the present study. To our knowledge, our results are the first inclusive data available for B. afzelii circulation in several tick species taken from NKG, horses, and wild boar in South Korea. We believe that the current findings extend our knowledge of the distribution and possible vector spectrum of Borrelia spp. We recommend continuous evaluation of the potential public health threat posed by Borrelia infected ticks.

Highlights

Numerous emergent tick-borne pathogens (TBPs) had been circulating in ticks and animals long before their identification as causes of clinical diseases [1]
CH. longicornis was distributed throughout the country including mainland Korea and Jeju Island, whereas H. flava and I. nipponensis were distributed in the central and southern areas
The ticks positive for B. afzelii were collected from different areas, including one H. longicornis from NKG in the southern area, two H. longicornis from horses in Jeju Island, one H. flava from a wild boar in the southern area, one I. nipponensis from NKG in the southern area, and one I. nipponensis from KWD in the central area

Summary

Introduction

Numerous emergent tick-borne pathogens (TBPs) had been circulating in ticks and animals long before their identification as causes of clinical diseases [1]. Lyme borreliosis is one of the most prevalent tick-borne infectious zoonotic diseases caused by spirochetes of the Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato group. It is transmitted through the bite of infected Ixodes ticks, and mainly occurs in North America, Europe, and Asia. Three species (B. burgdorferi sensu stricto, Borrelia bissettii, and Borrelia andersonii) have been recognized in North America, five species (B. burgdorferi s.s., Borrelia valaisiana, Borrelia garinii, Borrelia lusitaniae, and Borrelia afzelii) have been identified in Europe, and seven species (Borrelia japonica, B. garinii, B. valaisiana, Borrelia tanukii, B. afzelii, Borrelia turdi, and Borrelia sinica) have been recognized in Asia. Other species are not pathogenic to humans, such as the America-specific B. andersonii [8], the Japan-specific B. japonica [9], B. tanukii and B. turdi [10], and the China-specific B. sinica [11]

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