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Toxoplasma gondii and Rickettsia spp. in ticks collected from migratory birds in the Republic of Korea

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
Source :
Scientific Reports, Vol 12, Iss 1, Pp 1-9 (2022)
Publication Year :
2022
Publisher :
Nature Portfolio, 2022.

Abstract

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.

Subjects

Subjects :
Medicine
Science

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
20452322
Volume :
12
Issue :
1
Database :
Directory of Open Access Journals
Journal :
Scientific Reports
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
edsdoj.b5a0097e09f645ada20834dd03e8601c
Document Type :
article
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-16785-0