Laboratory of Veterinary Internal Medicine, BK21 FOUR Future Veterinary Medicine Leading Education and Research Center, Research Institute for Veterinary Science and College of Veterinary Medicine, Seoul National University, Seoul, 08826, Republic of Korea.
Korea Zoonosis Research Institute, Jeonbuk National University, Iksan 54531, Republic of Korea.
Ticks Tick Borne Dis. 2021 Jul;12(4):101689. doi: 10.1016/j.ttbdis.2021.101689. Epub 2021 Feb 19.
Ticks are considered important vectors among arthropods and are linked to serious medical and veterinary health problems. In this study, we investigated tick-borne pathogens (TBPs) of Ornithodoros (Carios) sawaii and a newly identified Ornithodoros species from migratory bird nests in the uninhabited islands of the Republic of Korea (ROK). Ticks were collected from seabird nests with soil using a Tullgren funnel. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was performed using specific primer sets targeting genes of Borrelia spp., Rickettsia sp., Anaplasma phagocytophilum, Anaplasma bovis, and Bartonella spp. for molecular identification of TBPs, and two pathogens, Borrelia sp. and Rickettsia sp. were detected via PCR. Sequence data were analyzed and a phylogenetic analysis was conducted using the maximum-likelihood method in MEGA v.7. The detection rate of Borrelia sp. in O.(C.) sawaii was 6.8 % (5/74), and that of Rickettsia sp. in O. sawaii and the newly identified Ornithodoros species. was 36.5 % (27/74). Sequencing analysis revealed that the 16S ribosomal (r) RNA and flagellin genes of Borrelia sp., and the citrate synthase (gltA) and 17-kDa antigen gene of Rickettsia sp. were closely phylogenetically related to those of Borrelia turicatae and Rickettsia asembonensis. This is the first report identifying Borrelia sp. and Rickettsia sp. from O. sawaii, and Rickettsia sp. from the newly identified Ornithodoros species in the ROK, and these results imply that soft ticks (O. sawaii, and the newly identified Ornithodoros species) may function as pathogen carriers with important implications for public health throughout their distribution areas in Asia.
蜱虫被认为是节肢动物中的重要传播媒介，与严重的医学和兽医健康问题有关。在这项研究中，我们调查了韩国（ROK）无人居住岛屿上候鸟巢中的 Ornithodoros (Carios) sawaii 和一种新鉴定的 Ornithodoros 物种携带的蜱传病原体（TBPs）。使用 Tullgren 漏斗从海鸟巢和土壤中收集蜱虫。使用针对 Borrelia spp.、Rickettsia sp.、Anaplasma phagocytophilum、Anaplasma bovis 和 Bartonella spp. 基因的特异性引物组进行聚合酶链反应（PCR），用于 TBPs 的分子鉴定，并且通过 PCR 检测到两种病原体，Borrelia sp. 和 Rickettsia sp.。对序列数据进行分析，并使用 MEGA v.7 中的最大似然法进行系统发育分析。Borrelia sp. 在 O.(C.) sawaii 中的检出率为 6.8%（5/74），而 Rickettsia sp. 在 O. sawaii 和新鉴定的 Ornithodoros 物种中的检出率为 36.5%（27/74）。测序分析表明，Borrelia sp. 的 16S 核糖体（r）RNA 和鞭毛蛋白基因，以及 Rickettsia sp. 的柠檬酸合酶（gltA）和 17-kDa 抗原基因与 Borrelia turicatae 和 Rickettsia asembonensis 的基因密切相关。这是首次从 O. sawaii 中鉴定出 Borrelia sp. 和 Rickettsia sp.，以及 ROK 中新鉴定的 Ornithodoros 物种中的 Rickettsia sp.，这些结果表明软蜱（O. sawaii 和新鉴定的 Ornithodoros 物种）可能作为病原体携带者发挥作用，这对它们在亚洲分布区域内的公共卫生具有重要意义。
