Parasites, Hosts and Diseases

The Korea Society for Parasitology and Tropical Medicine (대한기생충학·열대의학회)
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Geographical Distribution and Relative Abundance of Vectors of Scrub Typhus in the Republic of Korea

  • Lee, In-Yong (Department of Environmental Medical Biology, Yonsei University College of Medicine) ;
  • Kim, Heung-Chul (5th Medical Detachment, 168th Multifunctional Medical Battalion, 65th Medical Brigade) ;
  • Lee, Young-Sun (Suncheon-si Health Service Center) ;
  • Seo, Jang-Hoon (Department of Clinical Pathology, Shinheung College) ;
  • Lim, Jae-Won (National Institute of Biological Resources) ;
  • Yong, Tae-Soon (Department of Environmental Medical Biology, Yonsei University College of Medicine) ;
  • Klein, Terry A. (Force Health Protection and Preventive Medicine, 65th Medical Brigade/US Army MEDDAC-Korea) ;
  • Lee, Won-Ja (Division of Medical Entomology, Korea Center for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute of Health)
  • Published : 2009.12.31
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Abstract

A survey to determine the geographical distribution and relative abundance of potential vectors of scrub typhus was conducted from October to November 2006 at 13 localities throughout the Republic of Korea. Apodemus agrarius accounted for 97.6% (80/82) of all rodents, while only 2 Myodes regulus (2/82) were collected. A total of 10,860 chiggers were collected from A. agrarius belonging to 4 genera and 8 species, while only Walehia fragilis (40) was collected from Myodes regulus. Leptotrombidium pallidum (8,137; 74.9%), a vector of scrub typhus, was the predominant species collected from A. agrarius followed by Leptotrombidium scutellare (2,057, 18.9%), Leptotrombidium palpale (279; 2.7%), Leptotrombidium orientale (232; 2.1%), and Leptotrombidium zetum (79; 0.7%), Neotrombicula tamiyai (58; 0.5%), Euschoengastica koreaensis (16; 0.1%), and Cheladonta ikaoensis (2; < 0.1 %). L. pallidum was the predominant chigger collected at collection sites in Gangwon (100%), Gyeonggi (87.2%), Chungnam (100%), Chungbuk (100%), Jeonbuk (73.9%), Jeonnam (77.0%), and Gyeongbuk (66.1%) provinces, whereas L. scutellare was the predominant chigger collected in Gyeongnam province (77.9%) and Jeju Island (62.3%). Data suggest a correlation between chigger population abundance and human cases of scrub typhus in Korea.

Keywords

References

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