Ixodid ticks from wild and domestic animals in East and Central Asian flyways

This study aimed to develop an international network for surveillance of disease, collection of sufficient tick samples, and overall identification of the geographical distribution of host and ticks in Asian regions, especially in 11 countries on East Asian and Central Asian flyways. Ticks were collected from wild animals, domestic animals, and vegetation to identify the differences between Ixodid ticks and understand tick distribution. We collected a total 6,624 of ticks from 11 collaborating Asian countries, the Republic of Korea (ROK), Japan, Thailand, Philippines, Indonesia, Cambodia, Vietnam, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Mongolia and Pakistan. We identified 17 host animals and 47 species of both residential and migratory birds. Ticks from birds collected from four countries (ROK, Japan, Hong Kong and Mongolia) belonged to two genera, Haemaphysalis and Ixodes, including Haemaphysalis (H.) longicornis, H. flava, H. concinna, H. hystricis, H, formosensis, Ixodes (I.) nipponensis and I. persulcatus. The potential of migratory birds to cross ecological barriers with ticks and tick-borne diseases indicated the need for further investigations to understand the migration of birds as potential vectors and the new influx of zoonotic diseases along migratory bird flyways. This study suggests the potential risk of spreading tick-borne diseases through birds, thus highlighting the importance of international cooperative networking.PMID:38065376 | DOI:10.1016/j.actatropica.2023.107091
Source: Acta Tropica - Category: Infectious Diseases Authors: Source Type: research