Toxoplasma Gondii and Rickettsia Spp. in Ticks Collected from Migratory Birds in the Republic of Korea

Overview

Journal Sci Rep

Specialty Science

Date 2022 Jul 25

PMID 35879387

Authors

A-Tai Truong

Mi-Sun Yoo

Subin Min

Ji-Yeon Lim

Hyun-Ji Seo

Heung-Chul Kim

Sung-Tae Chong

Terry A Klein

Chang-Uk Park

Sook-Young Cho

Chang-Yong Choi

Young-Soo Kwon

Miran Kim

Soon-Seek Yoon

Yun Sang Cho

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Migratory birds disperse ticks and associated tick-borne pathogens along their migratory routes. Four selected pathogens of medical importance (Coxiella burnetii, Rickettsia spp., Francisella tularensis, and Toxoplasma gondii) were targeted for detection in 804 ticks (365 pools) collected from migratory birds at Hong and Heuksan Islands in the Republic of Korea (ROK) from 2010 to 2011 and 2016. Toxoplasma gondii and Rickettsia spp., were detected in 1/365 (0.27%) and 34/365 (9.32%) pools of ticks, respectively. T. gondii and five rickettsial species were recorded in ticks collected from migratory birds for the first time in ROK. The five rickettsial species (R. monacensis, Candidatus Rickettsia longicornii, R. japonica, R. raoultii, and R. tamurae) were identified using sequence and phylogenetic analysis using ompA and gltA gene fragments. Rickettsia spp. are important pathogens that cause rickettsiosis in humans, with cases recorded in the ROK. These results provide important evidence for the potential role of migratory birds in the introduction and dispersal of T. gondii and Rickettsia spp. along their migratory routes and raise awareness of potential transmission of zoonotic tick-borne pathogens associated with migratory birds in the ROK.

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