Detection of Tick-Borne Pathogens in the Korean Water Deer (<i>Hydropotes inermis argyropus</i>) from Jeonbuk Province, Korea

Abstract

The objective of this study was to investigate the prevalence of tick-borne pathogens in the Korean water deer (Hydropotes inermis argyropus). Pathogens were identified using PCR which included Anaplasma, Ehrlichia, Rickettsia, and Theileria. Rickettsia was not detected, whereas Anaplasma, Ehrlichia, and Theileria infections were detected in 4, 2, and 8 animals, respectively. The most prevalent pathogen was Theileria. Of the 8 Theileria-positive animals, 2 were mixed-infected with 3 pathogens (Anaplasma, Ehrlichia, and Theileria) and another 2 animals showed mixed-infection with 2 pathogens (Anaplasma and Theileria). Sequencing analysis was used to verify the PCR results. The pathogens found in this study were identified as Anaplasma phagocytophilum, Ehrlichia canis, and Theileria sp. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report identifying these 3 pathogens in the Korean water deer. Our results suggest that the Korean water deer may serve as a major reservoir for these tick-borne pathogens, leading to spread of tick-borne diseases to domestic animals, livestock, and humans. Further studies are needed to investigate their roles in this respect.

Identification of Zoonotic Tick-Borne Pathogens from Korean Water Deer (Hydropotes inermis argyropus)

“…The most important concern with regard to Korean water deer is that these animals are frequently exposed to ticks in mountainous regions and are naturally infected with TBPs and are thereby more likely to transmit TBDs not only to humans but also to livestock in the ROK. To date, several studies have shown that Korean water deer have become infected with various TBPs, and most of which were zoonotic pathogens (Seong et al 2015, Han et al 2017, Amer et al 2019). This study revealed that A. phagocytophilum, A. capra, B. capreoli, and C. burnetii were detected in Korean water deer, indicating that Korean water deer are reservoir hosts for zoonotic TBPs.…”

“…K orean water deer (Hydropotes inermis argyropus) are widespread and are the most commonly rescued wild animals in the Republic of Korea (ROK) (Seong et al 2015). The Korean water deer has been classified as a vulnerable species and is included in the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources Red List worldwide, except the ROK.…”

“…Anaplasma is transmitted by ticks and has a wide range of hosts infecting animals and humans. Among the several Anaplasma species, Anaplasma phagocytophilum and Anaplasma bovis infections have been mainly reported among wild ruminants in the ROK (Lee et al 2009, Kang et al 2011, Seong et al 2015; recently, Anaplasma capra has been identified in Korean water deer (Amer et al 2019). Mostly, A. phagocytophilum is considered to have the highest zoonotic potential and is the causative agent for tickborne fever in domestic ruminants.…”

Novel variants of the newly emerged Anaplasma capra from Korean water deer (Hydropotes inermis argyropus) in South Korea

“…Frozen blood samples were thawed at room temperature and genomic DNA was extracted from 200 µl of blood using a Magpurix ® Blood Kit and Magpurix ® 12s automated nucleic acid purification system (Zinexts Life Science Corp., Taipei, Taiwan), according to the manufacturer's recommendations. DNA preparations were tested for the presence of Anaplasma species by PCR/ sequence analysis of 429 bp of the 16S rRNA gene as described previously [30]. Anaplasma capra-positive isolates were genetically profiled by the amplification of a longer fragment of 16S rRNA (rrs) gene as well as partial sequences of citrate synthase (gltA), heat-shock protein (groEL), major surface protein 2 (msp2) and major surface protein 4 (msp4) genes as described previously (Table 1).…”

Molecular detection and phylogenetic analysis of tick-borne pathogens in wild Korean water deer and farmed elk in Gyeongbuk and Gangwon Provinces of Korea

“…In previous studies, several Anaplasma spp. were detected in cervids from Korea such as A. phagocytophilum (89/266 pools, 24.5%) and A. bovis (20/266 pools, 5.5%) in ticks collected from KWD [ 15 ]; A. phagocytophilum (42/66, 63.6%) and A. bovis (23/66, 34.8%) in KWD from Chungbuk, Gangwon, Gyeonggi, Jeonnam and Ulsan Provinces [ 16 ]; A. phagocytophilum (4/10, 40%) in KWD from Jeonbuk Province [ 30 ] and A. bovis in one Korean spotted deer ( Cervus nippon ) from Joenbuk Province [ 21 ]. This is the first molecular detection of Anaplasma spp.…”