High Prevalence of<i>Rickettsia raoultii</i>and Associated Pathogens in Canine Ticks, South Korea

Abstract

T icks are responsible for mechanical damage to animal blood vessels and skin and are known to transmit a wide range of bacteria, viruses, and protozoa, causing severe infections in animals and humans (1). Most defined Rickettsiales are considered zoonotic emerging or reemerging pathogens; some can cause severe human illnesses, including anaplasmosis, rickettsioses, scrub typhus, and ehrlichiosis (2). Determining the ecology of local tick species and recognizing the tickborne pathogens they carry are of paramount public health importance. Our study assessed risk factors for and the prevalence and coinfectivity of several tickborne pathogens in ticks collected from dogs in South Korea.

Topics & Concepts