• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.67-69
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• 1989

A human case of tick bite on the scalp was found at a local hospital on June, 1984. The patient, 63-year old female, was attacked by a tick while working in a farm forest which located in the suburbs of Seoul. The clinical complaint was a (worm) mass on the scalp which she thought as a tumor. On admission the patient complained of facial edema and general malaise. After removal of the mass (tick), small bleeding and discoloration were observed around the biting site. The tick was morphologically examined and identified as Ixodes nipponensis. This is the 4th human case of tick bite reported in the literature of Korea.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.55 no.2
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• pp.193-196
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• 2017

This study investigated the development characteristics of Dermacentor everestianus under laboratory conditions. The time taken for D. everestianus to complete the whole life cycle was 110.2 days on average, and the average developmental durations of larvae and nymphs were 17.1 days and 29.5 days, respectively. The summation of the prefeeding, feeding, and preoviposition periods of females was 17.8 days, and the oviposition and egg incubation lasted for 18.1 days and 27.7 days, respectively. A highly positive correlation was observed between the weight of engorged female and the number of egg mass laid (r=0.947). The reproductive efficiency index and the reproductive fitness index were 7.1 and 6.1, respectively.

• Animal Systematics, Evolution and Diversity
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.87-100
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• 1995

Fauna of medically important arthropods in Chindo Island was studied in July 1994. Among eight speices of mosquitoes (Diptera : Culicidae), Culex tritenirohyunchus was predomiant (46.5% of the total0, and Anopheles sinensis the next. Seven specimens of the unidentified Culex sp. which seemed to be new were also collected. Total 23 species of non-biting midges(Diptera : Chiornomidae) were found in Chindo Is. Of them , Chironomus kiiensis was the predominant species (67.3%) , and Ch.flaviplumus the next (15.6%). Three species, Cladopelma viridula, Dicrotendipes septemmaculatus and Harnischia urtilamellata are reported for the first time in Korea, and they are fully re-described with illustrations. Among five species of biting midges (Diptera : Ceraopogenidae) collected, Culicoides punctatus was predominant (88.7%). A species of Foreipomia was also collected, and this genus is not recorded in Korean fauna. Only two species of domiciliary cockroaches, Periplaneta japonica and P.americana were collected in small numbers and Blatella germanica which is known as the most predominant speices in Korea was not found. The predominant speices of field rodents was Apodemus agrarius and thier ectoparasites were Leptotrombidium orientale (Acarina : Tromicibulidae), Lxodes nipponensis (Acarina : Ixodidae) ; Laelaps jettmani and Eulaelaps stabularis (Acarina : Laelapidae).

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.53 no.6
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• pp.789-793
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• 2015

In order to explore tick proteins as potential targets for further developing vaccine against ticks, the total proteins of unfed female Dermacentor silvarum were screened with anti-D. silvarum serum produced from rabbits. The results of western blot showed that 3 antigenic proteins of about 100, 68, and 52 kDa were detected by polyclonal antibodies, which means that they probably have immunogenicity. Then, unfed female tick proteins were separated by 12% SDS-PAGE, and target proteins (100, 68, and 52 kDa) were cut and analyzed by LC-MS/MS, respectively. The comparative results of peptide sequences showed that they might be vitellogenin (Vg), heat shock protein 60 (Hsp60), and fructose-1, 6-bisphosphate aldolase (FBA), respectively. These data will lay the foundation for the further validation of antigenic proteins to prevent infestation and diseases transmitted by D. silvarum.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.213-226
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• 1984

Scanning electron microscope (Model; SEM ISI-DS-130) was used to observe the fine surface structures of the predominant cattle tick Haemaphysalis longicornis Neumann 1901 (Acarina: Ixodidae) in Korea and some SEM microphotographs were presented in this pictorial monograph. Brief descriptions of the main contents are consisted of followings; L Mean body size is 2.43mm in unfed males and 2. 58mm in unfed females, the eyes are absent. 2. The scutums are inornated but there are some short-setae on the surface of the body. 3. The festoons on the dorso-marginal part of the body are present and segmented with 11 sectors. 4. The cornua is well-developed and the bypostome dentition is usually 5/5 in both sexes but rarely 4/4 also seen. 5. There is no dorsal projection on the anteriointernal margin of the palpal article 2, howevever, there are well developed dorso-internal setae with setal fossa on it. 6. The joints of the legs (Coxatrochanter and trochanter coxa, etc) are well developed.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.43 no.4
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• pp.427-437
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• 2019

Background: Climate change is believed to be continuously affecting ticks by influencing their habitat suitability. However, we attempted to model the climate change-induced impacts on future genus Rhipicephalus distribution considering the major environmental factors that would influence the tick. Therefore, 50 tick occuance points were taken to model the potential distribution using maximum entropy (MaxEnt) software and 19 climatic variables, taking into account the ability for future climatic change under representative concentration pathways (RCPs) 4.5 and 8.5, were used. Results: MaxEnt model performance was tested and found with the AUC value of 0.99 which indicates excellent goodness-of-fit and predictive accuracy. Current models predict increased temperatures, both in the mid and end terms together with possible changes of other climatic factors like precipitation which may lead to higher tick-borne disease risks associated with expansion of the range of the targeted tick distribution. Distribution maps were constructed for the current, 2050, and 2070 for the two greenhouse gas scenarios and the most dramatic scenario; RCP 8.5 produced the highest increase probable distribution range. Conclusions: The future potential distribution of the genus Rhipicephalus show potential expansion to the new areas due to the future climatic suitability increase. These results indicate that the genus population of the targeted tick could emerge in areas in which they are currently lacking; increased incidence of tick-borne diseases poses further risk which can affect cattle production and productivity, thereby affecting the livelihood of smallholding farmers. Therefore, it is recommended to implement climate change adaptation practices to minimize the impacts.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.59 no.1
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• pp.103-108
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• 2021

To date, there is no report on the genetic diversity of ticks in these regions. A total of 370 representative ticks from the south and east regions of Kazakhstan (SERK) and Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (XUAR) were selected for molecular comparison. A fragment of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (cox1) gene, ranging from 631 bp to 889 bp, was used to analyze genetic diversity among these ticks. Phylogenetic analyses indicated 7 tick species including Hyalomma asiaticum, Hyalomma detritum, Hyalomma anatolicum, Dermacentor marginatus, Rhipicephalus sanguineus, Rhipicephalus turanicus and Haemaphysalis erinacei from the SERK clustered together with conspecific ticks from the XUAR. The network diagram of haplotypes showed that i) Hy. asiaticum from Almaty and Kyzylorda Oblasts together with that from Yuli County of XUAR constituted haplogroup H-2, and the lineage from Chimkent City of South Kazakhstan was newly evolved; and ii) the R. turanicus ticks sampled in Israel, Almaty, South Kazakhstan, Usu City, Ulugqat and Baicheng Counties of XUAR were derivated from an old lineage in Alataw City of XUAR. These findings indicate that: i) Hy. asiaticum, R. turanicus and Ha. erinacei shared genetic similarities between the SERK and XUAR; and ii) Hy. marginatum and D. reticulatus show differences in their evolution.

• Journal of Veterinary Science
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.43.1-43.13
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• 2024

Importance: Haemaphysalis longicornis is an obligate blood-sucking ectoparasite that has gained attention due its role of transmitting medically and veterinary significant pathogens and it is the most common tick species in Republic of Korea. The preferred strategy for controlling ticks is a multi-antigenic vaccination. Testing the efficiency of a combination antigen is a promising method for creating a tick vaccine. Objective: The aim of the current research was to analyze the role of subolesin and enolase in feeding and reproduction of H. longicornis by gene silencing. Methods: In this study, we used RNA interference to silence salivary enolase and subolesin in H. longicornis. Unfed female ticks injected with double-stranded RNA targeting subolesin and enolase were attached and fed normally on the rabbit's ear. Real-time polymerase chain reaction was used to confirm the extent of knockdown. Results: Ticks in the subolesin or enolase dsRNA groups showed knockdown rates of 80% and 60% respectively. Ticks in the combination dsRNA (subolesin and enolase) group showed an 80% knockdown. Knockdown of subolesin and enolase resulted in significant depletion in feeding, blood engorgement weight, attachment rate, and egg laying. Silencing of both resulted in a significant (p < 0.05) reduction in tick engorgement, egg laying, egg hatching (15%), and reproduction. Conclusions and Relevance: Our results suggest that subolesin and enolase are an exciting target for future tick control strategies.

• Korean journal of applied entomology
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• v.59 no.3
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• pp.233-241
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• 2020

Several hard tick species in Ixodidae are medically important pests that transmit infectious disease including severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS). In Korea, the number of SFTS patients continues to steadily increase since its first report in 2013, and Gyeongsangbuk-do (province) is the second most frequent area of SFTS patient occurrence. In order to investigate the distribution of ticks in Sangju city, we collected ticks using the flagging method from 26 sites comprising urban green area, vulnerable area of management, and rural area, and examined SFTS virus from the collected ticks in 2019. Based on Collection Index (CI = tick number / 1 h / 2 people), CI 143 ticks, including Haemaphysalis longicornis, Haemaphysalis flava, and Ixodes nipponensis, were collected; the most abundant species among the three tick species was H. longicornis (CI 138, 96.5%). Ninety two percent (CI 131) of ticks were collected in vulnerable area of management, where people cannot easily enter and are not managed by city hall, whereas only 8.4% (CI 12) were collected in the urban green area and rural area. Regarding SFTS virus detection, virus was not investigated from 26 pools containing CI 143 ticks. The results of this study are expected to be used as a recommendation for ensuring the safety of local residents from tick-borne diseases.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.135-143
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• 1981

진드기의 흡혈(吸血)에 대對하여 경험(經驗)이 없는 가토(家兎)를 실험숙주(實驗宿主)로하여 Haemaphysalis longicornis 진드기를 부착(附着) 흡혈(吸血)시켰을때 형성(形成)된 교상(咬傷)에 대(對)한 조직병리학적(組織病理學的) 변화(變化)를 관찰(觀察)하고, 진드기의 흡혈(吸血)에 경험(經驗)이 있는 감작(感作)된 가토(家兎)에 1개월(個月) 간격(間隔)으로 제2차(第二次) 흡혈(吸血)까지 시도(試圖)하여 가토체내(家兎體內)의 획득면역(獲得免疫)의 형성(形成)과 그에 따른 조직병리학적(組織病理學的) 변화(變化)를 비교관찰(比較觀察)하여 다음과 같은 결론(結論)을 얻었다. 1. H. longicornis 진드기는 구기(口器)를 사용(使用)하여 가토(家兎) 이부위(耳部位)의 피용(皮庸)를 천자(穿刺)하므로서 교상(咬傷)을 일으키며, 흔히 진드기의 구기주변(口器週邊)에는 진드기의 안전(安全)한 부착(附着)을 기도(企圖)하는 편평원추상(扁平圓錐狀)의 시멘트 물질(物質)이 형성(形成)되었다. 2. 진드기 교상(咬傷)에 대(對)한 주요(主要)한 조직병리학적(組織病理學的) 변화(變化)는 국소부위(局所部位)의 출혈성(出血性) 염증성(炎症性) 반응(反應), 광범위(廣範圍)한 부종(浮腫), 백혈구(白血球) 침윤(浸潤), 그리고 세포조직(細胞組織)의 괴사(壞死)로 대징(待徵)지워졌다. 3. 진드기 기생(寄生)의 초기(初期)에 형성(形成)된 병변(病變) 또는 진드기 흡혈(吸血)에 대(對)하여 경험(經驗)이 없는 가토(家兎)의 병변(病變)에서는 호중구(好中球)를 흔히 볼 수 있었으며, 진드기 기생말기(寄生末期) 또는 진드기 흡혈(吸血)에 대(對)하여 경험(經驗)이 있는 감작(感作)된 가토(家兎)의 병변(病變)에서는 호산구(好酸球)가 많이 관찰(觀察)되었다. 4. 진드기의 구기(口器)가 창상내(創傷內)에 잔존(殘存)하는 한, 치유(治癒)은 단시일내(短時日內)에 이루어 지지 않았으며, 증상(症狀)이 진행(進行)됨에 따라 괴사성(壞死性) 염증성(炎症性) 반응(反應)은 더욱 확대(擴大) 되었는데, 이러한 소견(所見)은 감작(感作)되어 있는 숙주(宿主)에서 더욱 확실(確實)히 관찰(觀察)되었다. 5. 최초(最初)(1차(一次)) 흡혈(吸血) 시도후(試圖後) 감작(感作)된 가토(家兎)에 2차적(二次的)으로 부가흡혈(附加吸血)을 시도(試圖)하였을때 볼수 있는 진드기의 흡혈성취도(吸血成就度)의 저하현상(低下現象)은 숙주체내(宿主體內)의 교상병변(咬傷病變)에서 일어나는 조직병리학적(組織病理學的) 소견(所見)과 획득면역(獲得免役)에 깊이 관련(關聯)되어 있는 것으로 사료(思料)된다.