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

The purpose of this study was to assess tick-borne pathogenic infections in 42 wild Korean water deer (KWD) and 26 farmed elk in the Gyeongbuk and Gangwon Provinces of Korea. Among the 42 wild KWD tested, the eighteen (42.9%) and five (11.9%) samples tested positive for Anaplasma phagocytophilum and A. bovis, respectively, by PCR and DNA sequencing. All positive samples were only from wild KWD. All samples were negative for other tick-borne pathogens tested. Detected 16S rRNA sequences of A. phagocytophilum and A. bovis showed 98.6–99.8% and 94.4–100% identity to those of sequences in GenBank, respectively. Because few studies have examined tick-borne pathogens in wild animals, appropriate control programs and studies are needed to prevent pathogen transmission.