Molecular Detection of Anaplasma , Ehrlichia and Rickettsia Pathogens in Ticks Collected from Humans in the Republic of Korea, 2021

Tick-borne pathogens (TBPs), transmitted by the bites of ticks, are of great medical and veterinary importance. They include bacteria, viruses, and protozoan parasites. To provide fundamental data on the risk of tick contact and public health strategies, we aimed to perform a molecular investigation on four tick-borne bacterial pathogens in ticks collected from humans across the Republic of Korea (ROK) in 2021. In total, 117 ticks were collected, including (56.4%), (26.5%), (8.5%), (5.1%), and (0.9%). Among the ticks, 20.5% (24/117) contained tick-borne bacterial pathogens, with infection rates of 17.9% for ( Rickettsia jingxinensis, , , and Rickettsia tarasevichiae), 2.5% for ( , , and ), and 0.9% for ( sp.). Additionally, the co-detection rate for and was 0.9%. To our knowledge, this is the first report of and detection in ticks collected from humans in the ROK. This study contributes to the understanding of the potential risk of tick contact and provides fundamental data for establishing a public health strategy for tick-borne disease management in the ROK.