Korean J Parasitol.  2019 Dec;57(6):691-698. 10.3347/kjp.2019.57.6.691.

Four Year Surveillance of the Vector Hard Ticks for SFTS, Ganghwa-do, Republic of Korea

Affiliations
  • 1Department of Infectious Diseases Diagnosis, Incheon Metropolitan City Institute of Public Health and Environment, Incheon 22320, Korea.
  • 2Department of Tropical Medicine, Inha University College of Medicine, Incheon 22212, Korea. tongsookim@inha.ac.kr
  • 3Division of Vectors and Parasitic Diseases, Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Osong 28159, Korea.
  • 4Department of Biotechnology, College of Biomedical and Health Science, Konkuk University, Chungju 27478, Korea. bahk12@empal.com

Abstract

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).

Keyword

Hard tick; severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS); SFTS virus; Ganghwa-do; climate change

MeSH Terms

Climate Change
Coniferophyta
Female
Fever
Forests
Humans
Incheon
Ixodes
Ixodidae*
Larva
Methods
Nymph
Poaceae
Prevalence
Republic of Korea*
Seasons
Thrombocytopenia
Ticks
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