Identification of Tick Species Collected from Wild Boars and Habitats of Wild Boars and Domestic Pigs in the Republic of Korea

Tick is one of the most important arthropods in the transmission of vector-borne diseases. In this study, we investigated the abundance and species of ticks associated with swine and their habitats to assess the risk of spread of tick-borne diseases in host species, such as wild boars. Ticks were collected from 24 grazing or traditionally reared domestic pig farms and 8 habitats of wild boars in 8 provinces and 1 city in the Republic of Korea, by using the dragging and flagging methods. Ticks were also collected directly from 49 wild boars by using fine forceps. A total of 9,846 hard ticks were collected, including 4,977 Haemaphysalis longicornis, 4,313 Haemaphysalis flava, 508 Ixodes nipponensis, 1 Ixodes turdus, and 47 Amblyomma testudinarium. A total of 240 hard ticks were collected from 49 wild boars, including 109 H. flava, 84 H. longicornis, and 47 A. testudinarium. A total of 578 hard ticks were collected from areas around domestic pig farms. Only 2 hard tick species, 546 H. longicornis and 32 H. flava, were collected from these areas. A total of 9,028 hard ticks were collected from wild boars of 8 habitats, including 4,347 H. longicornis, 4,172 H. flava, 508 I. nipponensis, and 1 I. turdus. A. testudinarium was collected only from wild boars, and I. nipponensis and I. turdus were collected only from the habitats of wild boars.

Ticks Collected from Selected Mammalian Hosts Surveyed in the Republic of Korea During 2008-2009

A tick survey was conducted to determine the relative abundance and distribution of ticks associated with selected mammals in the Republic of Korea (ROK) during 2008-2009. A total of 918 ticks were collected from 76 mammals (6 families, 9 species) captured at 6 provinces and 3 Metropolitan Cities in ROK. Haemaphysalis longicornis (54.4%) was the most frequently collected tick, followed by Haemaphysalis flava (28.5%), Ixodes nipponensis (7.6%), Ixodes pomerantzevi (4.8%), Ixodes persulcatus (4.6%), and Haemaphysalis japonica (0.1%). Adults (57.0%) and nymphs (28.7%) of Ixodes and Haemaphysalis spp. were collected most frequently from medium or large mammals in this survey, while few larvae (14.3%) were collected. Hydropotes inermis was the most frequently captured mammal (52.6%), with a 16.4 tick index and 5 of 6 species of ticks collected during this survey. H. longicornis (69.7%) was the predominant tick collected from H. inermis, followed by H. flava (22.2%), I. persulcatus (6.1%), I. nipponensis (1.8%), and H. japonica (0.2%).

Genetic Heterogeneity of Borrelia burgdorferi Sensu Lato Isolated in Chungju, Korea, by ospC Gene Sequence Analysis

Eight Borrelia burgdorferi strains, which had been isolated from Ixodes nipponensis and Apodemus agrarius captured in the Chungju area of Korea, were characterized by ospC gene sequence analysis. Nucleotide sequence similarity among the Chungju strains ranged from 83.6 to 100%. Deduced amino acid sequence similarity of the Chungju strains ranged from 75.4 to 100%. In a molecular phylogenetic analysis, the Chungju strains were separated from B. burgdorferi and B. garinii reference strains, and formed a cluster with B. afzelii reference strains. Three (KK2, KM4, and KK5), two (CJ2 and CJ21), and one (CJ3) Chungju strains formed clusters with OspC serotype 5, OspC serotype 8, and OspC serotype 7 reference strains, respectively. However, two Chungju strains (KK1 and KM10) formed a distinctive cluster that was separated from other strains of B. afzelii reference strains. These results suggest that Chungju strains are very heterogeneous in clonality.

Tick bite: Report of a Case and Review of Korean Cases / 대한피부과학회지

We report a case of a tick bite by Ixodes nipponensis found on the neck of a 75-year-old female. The tick was thought to be in the lesion for 10 days. Till now 31 cases of tick bites were reported in Korea including the present case. The review of the Korean cases revealed that the ratio of female/male was 1.3 : 1, its age distribution was from 1st to 8th decade, sites of the invasion were trunk, head and neck, extremities, and anogenital area in order of frequency. Its prevalent season was spring and summer and the most common species(17/31) was Ixodes nipponensis.

A Case of Tick Infestation in Chest Wall by Ixodes Nipponensis / 감염

We report herein an unusual case of tick bite. A 56 year old woman complained of erythematous nodular skin lesion on the left upper chest. An excision biopsy specimen of the lesion showed darkish-red nodule, in which there was a tick. It was identified as an adult female of Ixodes nipponensis by the scanning electron microscopic examination.

A Case of Tick Bite Caused by Ixodes nipponensis / 대한피부과학회지

A 53-year-old woman developed a psinful erythematous papular skin eruption around the biting site by a tick on the left lower abdomen. A excision biopsy specimen from the skin lesion showed perivsscular infiltration of inflammatory cells composed mainly of neutrophiles, lymphocytes, and a few eosinophiles and histiocytes throughout the dermis. Some of the vessels were dilated with protruding and proliferated endothelial cells. The tick was identified as an adult female of Ixodes nipponensis by the scanning electron microscopic examination.