Detection and Identification of the Spotted Fever Group Rickettsial Agents from Haemaphysalis Ticks in Jeju Island, Korea.
10.4167/jbv.2009.39.4.317
- Author:
Bong Chun MOON
1
;
Jae Hee JEONG
;
Yeon Joo CHOI
;
Jung Eun KIM
;
Hyun Ji SEO
;
E Hyun SHIN
;
Bong Gu SONG
;
Hee Il LEE
;
Seung Hyun LEE
;
Kyung Hee PARK
;
Won Jong JANG
Author Information
1. Institute of Environmental Resource Research of Jeju Special Self-Governing Province, Jeju, Korea.
- Publication Type:Original Article
- Keywords:
Rickettsial agents;
Tick;
Polymerase chain reaction;
gltA;
ompB;
17-kDa gene
- MeSH:
Base Sequence;
Bites and Stings;
Citrate (si)-Synthase;
Fever;
Korea;
Membrane Proteins;
Nucleic Acids;
Polymerase Chain Reaction;
Receptors, Fc;
Rickettsia;
Ticks
- From:Journal of Bacteriology and Virology
2009;39(4):317-327
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:Korean
-
Abstract:
This study investigated the presence of nucleic acids of various Rickettsial agents in ticks collected in Jeju Island, Korea from June 2007 to August 2008, through the nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and sequencing analysis of partial citrate synthase (gltA), Rickettsial outer membrane protein B (ompB), and 17-kDa genes. Examination of the 1,584 ticks showed that the subspecies distribution of Haemaphysalis longicornis was 99.81% (n=1,581) and H. flava was 0.19% (n=3). A total 224 out of 250 pools from one to 15 ticks were found to be positive in ompB-PCR assay (minimal infection rate 141 ticks/1,000 tested). From the positive samples, 26 were analyzed by gltA- and 17-kDa-PCR assays. The nucleotide sequences of the ompB- and gltA-PCR products showed a high degree of similarity with those of the Rickettsia japonica (98.7~99.2% and 98.7~99.3%, n=25) and R. monacensis (99% and 99.7%, n=1). However, analysis of the nucleotide sequences of the 17-kDa-PCR amplicons showed that the sequences of the 25 PCR amplicons were more close to R. marmionii (99.4~100%) than R. japonica (98.6~99.1%). These findings suggest that various rickettsial diseases could be transmitted via the bite of tick vectors in Jeju Island, Korea.
