title: Geographical distribution and relative abundance of vectors of scrub typhus in the Republic of Korea.
abstract: A survey to determine the geographical distribution and relative abundance of potential vectors of scrub typhus was conducted from October to November 2006 at 13 localities throughout the Republic of Korea. Apodemus agrarius accounted for 97.6% (80/82) of all rodents, while only 2 Myodes regulus (2/82) were collected. A total of 10,860 chiggers were collected from A. agrarius belonging to 4 genera and 8 species, while only Walchia fragilis (40) was collected from Myodes regulus. Leptotrombidium pallidum (8,137; 74.9%), a vector of scrub typhus, was the predominant species collected from A. agrarius followed by Leptotrombidium scutellare (2,057, 18.9%), Leptotrombidium palpale (279; 2.7%), Leptotrombidium orientale (232; 2.1%), and Leptotrombidium zetum (79; 0.7%), Neotrombicula tamiyai (58; 0.5%), Euschoengastica koreaensis (16; 0.1%), and Cheladonta ikaoensis (2; < 0.1%). L. pallidum was the predominant chigger collected at collection sites in Gangwon (100%), Gyeonggi (87.2%), Chungnam (100%), Chungbuk (100%), Jeonbuk (73.9%), Jeonnam (77.0%), and Gyeongbuk (66.1%) provinces, whereas L. scutellare was the predominant chigger collected in Gyeongnam province (77.9%) and Jeju Island (62.3%). Data suggest a correlation between chigger population abundance and human cases of scrub typhus in Korea.
authors: Department of Environmental Medical Biology, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul 120-752, Korea.
authors: In Yong
authors: IY
authors: Lee
authors: Heung Chul
authors: HC
authors: Kim
authors: Young-Sun
authors: YS
authors: Lee
authors: Jang Hoon
authors: JH
authors: Seo
authors: Jae Won
authors: JW
authors: Lim
authors: Tae Soon
authors: TS
authors: Yong
authors: Terry A
authors: TA
authors: Klein
authors: Won Ja
authors: WJ
authors: Lee
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003411:Arvicolinae / Q000469:parasitology*; D004199:Disease Vectors; D005843:Geography; D008925:Mites / Q000382:microbiology*; D051189:Murinae / Q000469:parasitology*; D012285:Orientia tsutsugamushi / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D056910:Republic of Korea; D012612:Scrub Typhus / Q000635:transmission