title: Molecular detection of severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome and tick-borne encephalitis viruses in ixodid ticks collected from vegetation, Republic of Korea, 2014.
abstract: Ticks play an important role in transmission of arboviruses responsible for emerging infectious diseases, and have a significant impact on human, veterinary, and wildlife health. In the Republic of Korea (ROK), little is known about information regarding the presence of tick-borne viruses and their vectors. A total of 21,158 ticks belonging to 3 genera and 6 species collected at 6 provinces and 4 metropolitan areas in the ROK from March to October 2014 were assayed for selected tick-borne pathogens. Haemaphysalis longicornis (n=17,570) was the most numerously collected, followed by Haemaphysalis flava (n=3317), Ixodes nipponensis (n=249), Amblyomma testudinarium (n=11), Haemaphysalis phasiana (n=8), and Ixodes turdus (n=3). Ticks were pooled (adults 1-5, nymphs 1-30, and larvae 1-50) and tested by one-step reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) or nested RT-PCR for the detection of severe fever with thrombocytopenia virus (SFTSV), tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV), Powassan virus (POWV), Omsk hemorrhagic fever virus (OHFV), and Langat virus (LGTV). The overall maximum likelihood estimation (MLE) [estimated numbers of viral RNA positive ticks/1000 ticks] for SFTSV and TBEV was 0.95 and 0.43, respectively, while, all pools were negative for POWV, OHFV, and LGTV. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of SFTSV, TBEV, POWV, OHFV, and LGTV in ixodid ticks collected from vegetation in the ROK to aid our understanding of the epidemiology of tick-borne viral diseases. Results from this study emphasize the need for continuous tick-based arbovirus surveillance to monitor the emergence of tick-borne diseases in the ROK.
authors.affiliation: Division of Arboviruses, National Institute of Health, Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Cheongju-si, Chungcheongbuk-do (Province), 28159, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Seok-Min
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Yun
authors.affiliation: Division of Arboviruses, National Institute of Health, Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Cheongju-si, Chungcheongbuk-do (Province), 28159, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Ye-Ji
authors.initials: YJ
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Division of Arboviruses, National Institute of Health, Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Cheongju-si, Chungcheongbuk-do (Province), 28159, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: WooYoung
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.affiliation: 5th Medical Detachment, 168th Multifunctional Medical Battalion, 65th Medical Brigade, Unit 15247, APO AP, 96205-5247, USA.
authors.forename: Heung-Chul
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: 5th Medical Detachment, 168th Multifunctional Medical Battalion, 65th Medical Brigade, Unit 15247, APO AP, 96205-5247, USA.
authors.forename: Sung-Tae
authors.initials: ST
authors.lastname: Chong
authors.affiliation: Division of Medical Entomology, National Institute of Health, Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Cheongju-si, Chungcheongbuk-do (Province), 28159, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Kyu-Sik
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.affiliation: Carl R. Darnall Army Medical Center, Department of Preventive Medicine, 76022 Crockett Street, Ft Hood, TX 76544, USA.
authors.forename: Jordan M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Coburn
authors.affiliation: Public Health Command District-Korea (Provisional), 65th Medical Brigade, Unit 15281, APO AP, 96205-5281, USA.
authors.forename: Terry A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Klein
authors.affiliation: Division of Arboviruses, National Institute of Health, Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Cheongju-si, Chungcheongbuk-do (Province), 28159, Republic of Korea. Electronic address: leewonja@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Won-Ja
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Lee
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001096:Arachnid Vectors / Q000821:virology*; D004669:Encephalitis Viruses, Tick-Borne / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D004675:Encephalitis, Tick-Borne / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000821:virology; D065928:Forests; D006482:Hemorrhagic Fevers, Viral / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000635:transmission / Q000821:virology; D018884:Ixodes / Q000821:virology*; D007814:Larva / Q000821:virology; D016013:Likelihood Functions; D009758:Nymph / Q000821:virology; D016856:Phlebovirus / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D010802:Phylogeny; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000235:genetics; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D013577:Syndrome; D013921:Thrombocytopenia / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000821:virology; D017282:Tick-Borne Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000635:transmission / Q000821:virology
chemical_list: D012367:RNA, Viral
keywords: Republic of Korea; SFTS virus; TBE virus; Tick-borne pathogens