Pathogens like bacteria and protozoa, which affect human and animal health worldwide, can be transmitted by vectors like ticks. To investigate the epidemiology and genetic diversity of bacteria and protozoans carried by ticks in Chengmai county of Hainan province, China, 285 adult hard ticks belonging to two species [
Anaplasmataceae/isolation & purification* ; Animals ; Chaperonin 60/genetics* ; China ; Citrate (si)-Synthase/genetics* ; Coccidia/isolation & purification* ; Coxiellaceae/isolation & purification* ; Insect Vectors/microbiology* ; Islands ; Ixodidae/microbiology* ; Phylogeny ; Piroplasmia/isolation & purification* ; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S/genetics* ; RNA, Ribosomal, 18S/genetics*

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

This study aimed to investigate the tick species and give background for tick-borne investigations in Korea. Ticks were collected from the area within 2 km radius of the 4 domestic animal farms, where they were located in mountainous areas and raising animals on pasture, and from animal bodies in 2014 and 2015. In total, 7,973 nymphal and adult ticks were collected from the farms
Adult ; Agriculture ; Animals ; Animals, Domestic ; Cattle ; Ecosystem ; Goats ; Humans ; Ixodes ; Korea ; Radius ; Sus scrofa ; Ticks

A 58-year-old female complained earfullness and otalgia and came to the clinic. Dark gray colored cystic mass obstructing the left ear canal was observed during the endoscopic exam. Contrast enhanced CT image showed an oval shape soft tissue lesion in the mid part of the external auditory canal with a homogenous increased contrast uptake. The mass was removed under microscopic view at outpatient clinic. While dissecting the mass in the ear canal, a pod like structure was visualized. The external organism was densely adherent to the skin and turned out to be an engorged hard tick. Considering the final diagnosis, contrast uptake observed in the CT scan implicates the patient communication of blood between host and parasite. This unique image finding differs from a benign mass lesion in the ear canal was one of the differential diagnosis points for the lesion. This article is reporting the case of tick bite in the ear canal with a rare CT scan finding.
Ambulatory Care Facilities ; Diagnosis ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Ear Canal ; Ear, External ; Earache ; Female ; Humans ; Ixodidae ; Middle Aged ; Parasites ; Skin ; Tick Bites ; Ticks ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

This study was aimed to disclose the prevalence rate of tick-borne pathogens from ticks collected from cattle and wild animals in Tanzania in 2012. Ticks were collected from slaughtered cattle and dead wild animals from November 5 to December 23, 2012 and identified. PCR for detecting Anaplasmataceae, Piroplamidae, Rickettsiaceae, Borrelia spp., and Coxiella spp. were done. Among those tested, Rickettsiaceae, Piroplasmidae, and Anaplasmataceae, were detected in ticks from the 2 regions. Rickettsiaceae represented the major tick-borne pathogens of the 2 regions. Ticks from animals in Maswa were associated with a higher pathogen detection rate compared to that in ticks from Iringa. In addition, a higher pathogen detection rate was observed in ticks infesting cattle than in ticks infesting wild animals. All examined ticks of the genus Amblyomma were infected with diverse pathogens. Ticks of the genera Rhipicephalus and Hyalomma were infected with 1 or 2 pathogens. Collectively, this study provides important information regarding differences in pathogen status among various regions, hosts, and tick species in Tanzania. Results in this study will affect the programs to prevent tick-borne diseases (TBD) of humans and livestock in Tanzania.
Anaplasmataceae ; Animals ; Animals, Wild ; Borrelia ; Cattle ; Coxiella ; Humans ; Livestock ; Piroplasmida ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Prevalence ; Rhipicephalus ; Rickettsiaceae ; Tanzania ; Tick-Borne Diseases ; Ticks

Ticks are the vectors of various pathogens, threatening human health and animal production across the globe. Here, for the first time we detected Ricketssia spp., Borrelia spp. and protozoan in ticks from Poyang Lake region in Jiangxi Province of eastern China. In 3 habitat categories and on 12 host species, 311 ticks from 11 species were collected. Haemaphysalis longicornis was the predominant species, accounting for 55.63%, followed by Rhipicephalus microplus, Haemaphysalis flava and Ixodes granulatus. Of the collected ticks, 7.07% were positive for tick-borne pathogens, and H. longicornis and H. flava were found to be co-infected with Ricketssia spp. and protozoan. H. flava was the most detected positive for tick-borne pathogens, whereas H. longicornis had the lowest infection rate, and the difference in infection rates between tick species was significant (χ²=61.24, P < 0.001). Furthermore, adult ticks demonstrated remarkably greater infection rate than immature ticks (χ²=10.12, P=0.018), meanwhile ticks on Erinaceidae showed significantly higher positivity than ticks collected on other host species (χ²=108.44, P < 0.001). Genetic fragment sequencing and analyses showed at least 4 pathogen species presence in ticks, namely Borrelia yangtzensis, Rickettsia slovaca or Rickettsia raoultii related genospecies, Babesia vogeli and Hepatozoon canis or Hepatozoon felis related genospecies. The finding indicates that the abundant ticks can carry diverse pathogens in Poyang Lake region, and pathogen infection is highly related to species, vertebrate hosts and life stages of ticks.
Adult ; Animals ; Babesia ; Borrelia ; Cats ; China ; Ecosystem ; Epidemiology ; Felis ; Hedgehogs ; Humans ; Ixodes ; Lakes ; Rhipicephalus ; Rickettsia ; Risk Factors ; Ticks ; Vertebrates

Although widely studied, the natural diversity of the hard tick is not well known. In this study, we collected 194 sequences from 67 species, covering 7 genera of hard tick. The 5′ region of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 region (586 bp) has been used to investigate intra- and inter-species variation and the phylogenetic tree of neighbor joining method has been used for assessment. As a result, by comparing the K2P-distance of intra- and interspecies, 30 samples (15.2%) shown that interspecies distance was larger than the minimum interspecfic distance. From the phylogenetic analysis, 86.8% (49) of the species were identified correctly at the genus level. On deeper analysis on these species suggested the possibility of presence cryptic species. Therefore, further work is required to delineate species boundaries and to develop a more complete understanding of hard tick diversity over larger scale.
Cytochromes c ; Cytochromes ; Electron Transport Complex IV ; Ixodidae ; Methods ; Trees

Ticks are obligate parasites on animals and sometimes humans. They usually suck the blood of the hosts and can carry various infectious diseases as a vector. Otoacariasis is the presence of ticks and mites within the ear canal and relatively common in domestic and wild animals. However, tick infestations of human ear canals are rarely reported in the scientific literature and hardly occur in developed countries. Herein, we report a rare case of otoaracariasis involving Haemaphysalis longicornis . A 9-year-old girl living in a suburb presented with otalgia of left ear for 1 day. Otoscopic examination revealed a huge insect occluding the tympanic membrane. Tick removal and washing of external auditory canal was done successfully. The causative tick was identified as the H. longicornis. To our knowledge, this is the first reported case of human otoacariasis by a H. longicornis in Korea.
Animals ; Animals, Wild ; Child ; Communicable Diseases ; Developed Countries ; Ear ; Ear Canal ; Earache ; Female ; Humans* ; Insects ; Ixodidae ; Korea ; Mites ; Parasites ; Tick Bites ; Tick Infestations ; Ticks ; Tympanic Membrane

Lyme borreliosis (LB) is the most common tick-borne infectious disease in North America, and it was designated as a national notifiable infectious disease in Korea in December 2010. While no cases in Jeju-do were recorded from 2012 to 2016, a recent survey reported that the seroprevalence of Borrelia burgdorferi using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays in horses in Jeju-do was 19.0% (95% confidence interval, 12.0 to 28.3%). This fact suggests that horses may be a potential reservoir of LB in Jeju-do and that individuals in close contact with horses may be a high-risk group. Thus, a serological study in this high-risk group is urgently needed.
Borrelia burgdorferi ; Communicable Diseases ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Horses* ; Ixodes ; Jeju-do* ; Korea* ; Lyme Disease* ; North America ; Seroepidemiologic Studies ; Ticks

Tick-induced mammalian meat allergy has become an emergent allergy world-wide after van Nunen et al. first described the association between tick bites and the development of mammalian meat allergy in 2007. Cases of mammalian meat allergy have now been reported on all 6 continents where humans are bitten by ticks, in 17 countries
Africa ; Americas ; Anaphylaxis ; Asia ; Australia ; Belgium ; Central America ; Europe ; Germany ; Great Britain ; Humans ; Hypersensitivity ; Italy ; Ixodes ; Meat ; Public Health ; South America ; Spain ; Sweden ; Switzerland ; Tick Bites ; Ticks ; United States