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"chiggers"

Original Article
Prevalence of chigger mites and Orientia tsutsugamushi strains in northern regions of Gangwon-do, Korea
Soojin Kim, In Yong Lee, Sezim Monoldorova, Jiro Kim, Jang Hoon Seo, Tai-Soon Yong, Bo Young Jeon
Parasites Hosts Dis 2023;61(3):263-271.
Published online August 21, 2023
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3347/PHD.22148
The present study aimed to survey the prevalence of chigger mites and Orientia tsutsugamushi (O. tsutsugamushi) infection in the northern regions of Gangwon-do, Korea. From early February to early June 2015, a total of 17,050 chiggers were collected from striped field mice, Apodemus agrarius, in Cheorwon-gun, Hwacheon-gun, Yanggu-gun, and Goseong-gun, which are well-known endemic areas of scrub typhus in Korea. The chiggers were analyzed using molecular genomic methods, as previously described. Among the 7,964 identified chiggers, the predominant species was Leptotrombidium pallidum (76.9%), followed by L. zetum (16.4%), L. orientale (4.3%), L. palpale (0.3%), L. tectum (0.2%), and Neotrombicula tamiyai (1.8%). The chigger index (CI) was highest in Hwacheon (115.58), followed by Cheorwon (97.02), Yanggu (76.88), and Goseong (54.68). Out of the 79 O. tsutsugamushi-positive chigger pools, 67 (84.8%) were identified as the Boryong strain, 10 (12.7%) as the Youngworl strain, and only 2 were the Jecheon strain. Based on the high infestation of chiggers in striped field rodents and the high rate of O. tsutsugamushi infection in chigger mites, Hwacheon-gun and Cheorwon-gun are presumed to be high-risk areas for scrub typhus. Furthermore, L. pallidum, a major vector of scrub typhus, and the dominant O. tsutsugamushi serotype, the Boryong strain, were found in the northern regions of Gangwon-do, Korea.

Citations

Citations to this article as recorded by  Crossref logo
  • Geographic distribution of Orientia tsutsugamushi strains on chigger mites in the Republic of Korea (2021–2023)
    Hyeon Seung Lee, Byung-Eon Noh, Hyunwoo Kim, Heeil Lee
    Parasites & Vectors.2025;[Epub]     CrossRef
  • Surveillance of Vector‐Borne Zoonotic Diseases in South Korea: Uncovering Novel Pathogen Carriers Among Rodents and Mites Nationwide
    Beoul Kim, You-Jeong Lee, Hee Il Lee, Dongmi Kwak, Min-Goo Seo, Nan-hua Chen
    Transboundary and Emerging Diseases.2024;[Epub]     CrossRef
  • 2022년 쯔쯔가무시증 매개 털진드기 감시 현황
    세훈 조, 태규 김, 현우 김, 정원 주, 희일 이
    Public Health Weekly Report.2023; 16(46): 1563.     CrossRef
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