High Prevalence of Rickettsia raoultii and Associated Pathogens in Canine Ticks, South Korea

Abstract

We studied the prevalence of tickborne pathogens in canine ticks, South Korea, during 2010–2015. Results revealed a high prevalence of the emerging pathogen Rickettsia raoultii. Dog ticks may be maintenance hosts for tickborne pathogens, suggesting the need to continually evaluate the potential public health threat posed by R. raoultii–infected ticks.

Keywords

• ticks
• phylogeny
• Ehrlichia
• Rickettsia
• Theileria
• vector-borne infections