title: Detection of Bartonella species from ticks, mites and small mammals in Korea.
abstract: We investigated the prevalence of Bartonella infections in ticks, mites and small mammals (rodents, insectivores and weasels) collected during 2001 through 2004, from various military installations and training sites in Korea, using PCR and sequence analysis of 16S rRNA, 23S rRNA and groEL heat shock protein genes. The prevalence of Bartonella spp. was 5.2% (n = 1,305 sample pools) in ticks, 19.1% (n = 21) in mesostigmatid mites and 13.7% (n = 424 individuals) in small mammals. The prevalence within the family Ixodidae was, 4.4% (n = 1,173) in Haemaphysalis longicornis (scrub tick), 2.7% (n = 74) in H. flava, 5.0% (n = 20) in Ixodes nipponensis, 11.1% (n = 9) in I. turdus, 33.3% (n = 3) in I. persulcatus and 42.3% (n = 26) in Ixodes spp. ticks. In rodents, the prevalence rate was, 6.7% (n = 373) in Apodemus agrarius (striped field mouse) and 11.1% (n = 9) in Eothenomys regulus (Korean red-backed vole) and in an insectivore,Crocidura lasiura, 12.1% (n = 33). Neither of the two weasels were positive for Bartonella spp. Phylogenetic analysis based on amino acid sequence of a portion of the groEL gene amplified from one A. agrarius spleen was identical to B. elizabethae species. We demonstrated the presence of Bartonella DNA in H. longicornis, H. flava and I. nipponensis ticks, indicating that these ticks should be added to the growing list of potential tick vectors and warrants further detailed investigations to disclose their possible roles in Bartonella infection cycles.
authors.affiliation: Bio-Safety Research Institute and College of Veterinary Medicine, Chonbuk National University, Jeonju 561-756, Korea.
authors.forename: Chul-Min
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Ji-Young
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Ying-Hua
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Yi
authors.forename: Mi-Jin
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Mae-rim
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Cho
authors.forename: Devendra H
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Shah
authors.forename: Terry A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Klein
authors.forename: Heung-Chul
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Jin-Won
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Song
authors.forename: Sung-Tae
authors.initials: ST
authors.lastname: Chong
authors.forename: Monica L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: O'Guinn
authors.forename: John S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: In-Yong
authors.initials: IY
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Jin-Ho
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Joon-Seok
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Chae
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001473:Bartonella / Q000145:classification / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D018834:Chaperonin 60 / Q000235:genetics; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000302:isolation & purification; D004199:Disease Vectors; D008322:Mammals / Q000382:microbiology*; D008925:Mites / Q000382:microbiology*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / Q000235:genetics; D012338:RNA, Ribosomal, 23S / Q000235:genetics; D013987:Ticks / Q000382:microbiology*
chemical_list: D018834:Chaperonin 60; D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S; D012338:RNA, Ribosomal, 23S