First Molecular Detection of Human Pathogen Rickettsia Raoultii in Ticks from Republic of Korea

Background: Rickettsial diseases, associated with the spotted fever group (SFG), constitute a growing number of newly identified rickettsia pathogens and their tick vectors, in various parts of the world. At least 15 distinct tick species owing to six genera have shown the presence of Rickettsia raoultii. Here, we report the detection of R. raoultii in ticks from the Republic of Korea (ROK).Methods: A total of 35 ticks, collected from patients of tick bites in Gwangju Metropolitan City, Jeollanam Province, ROK. The ticks were were identified through their molecular, morphological, and taxonomic characteristics. All samples were screened by nested polymerase chain reactions of their outer membrane protein (ompA) and citrate synthase (gltA) genes. The amplified products were sequenced and their phylogenetic analyses were carried out.Results: Sequencing data showed that the DNA sequences of R. raoultii found in the three H. longicornis ticks. All 3 tick samples were 99.4-100% analogous to the previously reported partial sequences of ompA of R. raoultii strains CP019435 and MF002523, forming a single clade with the reference strains.Conclusions: Present study provides the first description and molecular identification of R. raoultii detected in H. longicornis ticks in ROK. This observation extends the geographical distribution of R. raoultii. Screening of human samples for this pathogen will provide information about the prevalence of rickettsial infection in this region.

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