Ticks (Acari: Ixodida: Ixodidae) collected from nest soil and litter of Synthliboramphus antiquus on Chilbal Island, Jeollanam Province, Republic of Korea, with the first Korean record of Ixodes uriae White

2017 ◽  
Vol 22 (7) ◽  
pp. 962 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heung-chul Kim ◽  
Chang-uk Park ◽  
Miran Kim ◽  
Yang-mo Kim ◽  
Sook-young Cho ◽  
...  

The 65th Medical Brigade and Medical Department Activity-Korea, in collaboration with the Migratory Birds Research Center, National Park Research Institute, conducted a migratory bird tick-borne disease surveillance program on Chilbal Island during 2016. Chilbal Island is a small, remote, uninhabited government-protected island in southwestern Jeollanam Province, Republic of Korea (ROK). Ticks were collected from nest soil and litter of the Ancient Murrelet, Synthliboramphus antiquus, using Tullgren funnels. A total of 4 Ixodes ticks (3 male Ixodes uriae and 1 female Ixodes signatus) were collected. The principal hosts of I. uriae are pelagic birds that have a largely circumpolar distribution. Ixodes signatus parasitizes other migratory birds in coastal areas of western North America and eastern Asia. This is the first report of I. uriae from the ROK.

2016 ◽  
Vol 21 (10) ◽  
pp. 1641
Author(s):  
Heung-Chul Kim ◽  
Young-Soo Kwon ◽  
Mi-Ran Kim ◽  
Chang-Uk Park ◽  
Seok-Min Yun ◽  
...  

The 65th Medical Brigade and Public Health Command District-Korea, in collaboration with the Migratory Birds Center, National Park Research Institute, conducted a migratory bird tick-borne disease surveillance program on Chilbal Island, a small, remote, uninhabited island in southwestern Jeollanam Province, Republic of Korea (ROK), during 2014–2015. Ticks were collected by dragging vegetation and from nest soil and litter of the Ancient Murrelet, Synthliboramphus antiquus, and Swinhoe’s Storm Petrel, Hydrobates monorhis, using Tullgren funnels. A total of 115 ticks belonging to three genera and three species were collected. Ornithodoros sawaii (98.3%, 113 ticks) was the most frequently collected tick species, followed by Ixodes signatus (0.9%, 1 nymph) collected from nest soil and litter, and Haemaphysalis flava (0.9%, 1 male) collected by tick drag. 


2017 ◽  
Vol 22 (11) ◽  
pp. 1899 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heung-Chul Kim ◽  
Miran Kim ◽  
Young-Soo Kwon ◽  
Mi-Jin Hong ◽  
Chang-Uk Park ◽  
...  

The 65th Medical Brigade and Medical Department Activity-Korea, in collaboration with the Migratory Birds Research Center, National Park Research Institute, conducted a migratory bird tick-borne disease surveillance program during 2014–2015 on two small, remote, uninhabited islands, Hong (Gull) Island, southern Gyeongnam Province, and Nan Island, western Chungnam Province, Republic of Korea (ROK). Argasid ticks were collected from Black-tailed Gull (Larus crassirostris) nestlings that had recently died and associated nest soil/litter, and all tick life history stages were identified morphologically. Because morphological keys are unreliable for the identification of adult and nymphal argasid ticks, identifications were confirmed by genotyping using polymerase chain reaction techniques. A total of 29 Ornithodoros capensis larvae and 2 Ornithodoros sawaii larvae were collected from 4 of 7 (57.1%) Black-tailed Gull nestlings that had recently died. An additional five O. capensis (2 males, 1 nymph, and 2 larvae) were collected from nest soil/litter. Only O. sawaii larvae (2/41, 4.9%) were collected from dead Black-tailed Gull nestlings on Nan Island. This is the first report of O. capensis from these seabird breeding islands.


2018 ◽  
Vol 23 (8) ◽  
pp. 1519
Author(s):  
Heung-Chul Kim ◽  
Jong-Gil Park ◽  
Young-Soo Kwon ◽  
Miran Kim ◽  
Chang-Uk Park ◽  
...  

The 65th Medical Brigade (MED BDE)/Medical Department Activity-Korea (MEDDAC-K), in collaboration with the Migratory Birds Research Center, National Park Research Institute, conducted migratory bird tick-borne disease surveillance at six small, remote, uninhabited islands near the western (Nan Island), southwestern (Chilbal, Gugul, Gaerin, Hong, and Sogugul islands) and southeastern (Hong Island) coastal areas of the Republic of Korea (ROK) during 2009 and from 2014–2017. Ticks were collected from nest soil/litter of the Ancient Murrelet (Synthliboramphus antiquus), Japanese Murrelet (Synthliboramphus wumizusume), Swinhoe’s Storm Petrel (Hydrobates monorhis), Black-tailed Gull (Larus crassirostris), Pacific Swift (Apus pacificus), and Streaked Shearwater (Calonectris leucomelas) using Tullgren funnels. Ticks also were collected from recently dead nestlings of Swinhoe’s Storm Petrel and Black-tailed Gull at Gugul, Sogugul, Gaerin, Nan, and Hong islands, and single ticks were collected from vegetation (tick drag) and a human bitten on Chilbal Island. A total of 1,578 ticks (61 females, 122 males, 290 nymphs, and 1,105 larvae), belonging to four genera and six species, were collected. Ornithodoros capensis (73.00%; 1,152) was the most commonly collected tick on migratory seabirds, followed by Ornithodoros sawaii (26.55%; 420), Ixodes uriae (0.19%; 3), and Ixodes signatus (0.13%, 2). One (0.06%) Haemaphysalis flava was collected by tick drag and one (0.06%) Amblyomma testudinarium was collected while biting one of the survey members. Ornithodoros species were identified morphologically and confirmed using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) techniques. This is the first record of O. sawaii collected from nest soil/litter during the 2017 nesting season of the Pacific Swift and Streaked Shearwater in the ROK.


2017 ◽  
Vol 22 (11) ◽  
pp. 1959
Author(s):  
Heung-Chul Kim ◽  
Chang-Uk Park ◽  
Miran Kim ◽  
Yang-Mo Kim ◽  
Juhan Yeo ◽  
...  

The 65th Medical Brigade and Medical Department Activity-Korea, in collaboration with the Migratory Birds Research Center, National Park Research Institute, conducted a migratory bird tick-borne disease surveillance program on Gugul and Sogugul Islands, two small, remote, uninhabited islands in southwestern Jeollanam Province, Republic of Korea (ROK) from 2015–2016. Ticks were collected from nest soil/litter of the Ancient Murrelet, Synthliboramphus antiquus, Japanese Murrelet, Synthliboramphus wumizusume, and Swinhoe’s Storm Petrel, Hydrobates monorhis, using Tullgren funnels. A total of 100 Ornithodoros sawaii (25 females, 56 males, 17 nymphs, and 2 larvae) were collected from 2/33 (6.1%) Ancient Murrelet, 3/11 (27.3%) Japanese Murrelet, and 23/94 (24.5%) Swinhoe’s Storm Petrel nest sites. In addition, 3 larvae were collected from Swinhoe’s Storm Petrel nestlings. Ticks were identified morphologically and species determination was confirmed using polymerase chain reaction techniques. This is the first record of O. sawaii collected from nest soil/litter of the Japanese Murrelet during this bird’s nesting season in the ROK.


2018 ◽  
Vol 23 (11) ◽  
pp. 2214 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sung-Tae Chong ◽  
Heung Chul Kim ◽  
Jong-Gil Park ◽  
Chang-Yong Choi ◽  
Chang-Uk Park ◽  
...  

Migratory birds were captured, examined, banded and then released in accordance with a bird banding protocol of the Bird Research Center, National Park Research Institute, Korea National Park Service, from January-December 2010–2011 on Hong and Heuksan Islands, Jeollanam (Jeonnam) Province, in the Republic of Korea (ROK). Concurrently, ticks were collected from captured birds as part of a tick-borne disease surveillance program. A total of 381 ticks belonging to three genera and eight species – Ixodes turdus (297 ticks), Ixodes nipponensis (16), Haemaphysalis flava (46), Haemaphysalis longicornis (9), Haemaphysalis formosensis (5), Haemaphysalis ornithophila (6), Haemaphysalis concinna (1), and Amblyomma testudinarium (1)—were collected from 32 bird species belonging to 3 families. This is the first host report of A. testudinarium (1 nymph) collected from White’s Thrush, Zoothera aurea (Aves: Passeriformes: Turdidae), in the ROK. Most ticks were collected from birds during the months of April (44.1%) and November (54.2%).


2017 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 271 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jaree L. Johnson ◽  
Heung-chul Kim ◽  
Jordan M. Coburn ◽  
Sung-tae Chong ◽  
Nicholas W. Chang ◽  
...  

Tick-borne disease surveillance was conducted from March–October 2014 in two southeastern provinces, including three metropolitan areas, in the Republic of Korea (ROK). Three general habitats were surveyed: Grasses (grasses and herbaceous and crawling vegetation), Forests (pine, larch, deciduous, and mixed), and Forests+Grasses. A total of 40,048 ticks (1,480 adults; 24,201 nymphs; 14,367 larvae) belonging to three genera and six species were collected. Haemaphysalis longicornis (84.25%; 33,741) was the most commonly collected tick, followed by Haemaphysalis flava (14.52%; 5,816), Ixodes nipponensis (1.09%; 436), Amblyomma testudinarium (0.07%; 27), Haemaphysalis phasiana (0.06%; 23), and Ixodes turdus (0.01%; 5). Overall, adult ticks accounted for only 3.70% of all ticks collected, while nymphs and larvae accounted for 60.43% and 35.87%, respectively. The proportion of H. longicornis nymphs was highest beginning in March (99.51%), slowly declined through July (82.01%) and then rapidly declined to a low in October (6.45%). Large increases in the proportion of H. longicornis larvae were observed in August (42.05%), September (84.19%) and October (93.55%) following increased numbers of adults collected in June (4.20%), July (17.99%) and August (9.79%). Haemaphysalis flava adults and nymphs were commonly collected from April–May and October, while larvae were first collected from July, with peak numbers collected in August and low numbers collected during September–October. The proportion of I. nipponensis adults was highest in March (75.34%), declined to a low in July (0%), and then increased in September (60.00%) and October (90.32%). Larvae were collected only in August–September and accounted for 64.29% and 20.00% of all I. nipponensis collected during those months. Similar proportions of males and females of H. flava (51.47% and 48.53%, respectively) were collected from all habitats, while significantly more I. nipponensis males (62.20%) were collected than females (37.80%). Conversely, the proportion of H. longicornis females (80.00%) collected was significantly higher than for males (20.00%). Overall, the mean number of ticks collected/hr of collection for all habitats was 156.06/hr of collection. Similar numbers were collected/hr for Forests (172.61) and Grasses (168.64), while lower numbers were collected/hr for Forests+Grasses (128.12). 


2020 ◽  
Vol 25 (11) ◽  
pp. 1994-2002
Author(s):  
Sung-Tae Chong ◽  
Heung-Chul Kim ◽  
Sang-Jae Suh ◽  
Terry A. Klein ◽  
Richard G. Robbins

Tick-borne disease surveillance was conducted by tick drag among uncut grasses/herbaceous vegetation and mixed forest habitats from 2018–2020 at US Army Garrison Humphreys, Pyeongtaek, the Republic of Korea (ROK). While identifying ticks collected in the spring of 2020, teratological anomalies were observed in nymphs of Haemaphysalis longicornis (in one specimen, partial twinning of the posterior idiosoma, resulting in 2 anuses; in a second, asymmetry of the idiosoma) and Ixodes nipponensis (7 legs). These teratological observations in H. longicornis and I. nipponensis are reported for the first time in the ROK.


2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 173
Author(s):  
Janet L. H. Sperling ◽  
Daniel Fitzgerald ◽  
Felix A. H. Sperling ◽  
Katharine E. Magor

Lyme disease-causing Borrelia burgdorferi has been reported in 10–19% of Ixodes ticks from Alberta, Canada, where the tick vector Ixodes scapularis is at the northwestern edge of its range. However, the presence of Borrelia has not been verified independently, and the bacterial microbiome of these ticks has not been described. We performed 16S rRNA bacterial surveys on female I. scapularis from Alberta that were previously qPCR-tested in a Lyme disease surveillance program. Both 16S and qPCR methods were concordant for the presence of Borrelia. The 16S studies also provided a profile of associated bacteria that showed the microbiome of I. scapularis in Alberta was similar to other areas of North America. Ticks that were qPCR-positive for Borrelia had significantly greater bacterial diversity than Borrelia-negative ticks, on the basis of generalized linear model testing. This study adds value to ongoing tick surveillance and is a foundation for deeper understanding of tick microbial ecology and disease transmission in a region where I. scapularis range expansion, induced by climate and land use changes, is likely to have increasing public health implications.


Birds ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 261-274
Author(s):  
Heather L. Bateman ◽  
Sidney B. Riddle ◽  
Erin S. Cubley

Passive acoustic recorders have been used successfully as automated survey tools to detect terrestrial wildlife. However, few studies have monitored Neotropical migratory bird use of riparian forest habitat using this technology. Within dryland ecosystems, the forests along rivers support high bird diversity. Many bird species of conservation concern require these floodplain forest habitats for foraging, migration stop-overs, and breeding. Few studies have explored the use of acoustic records in riverine systems designated for conservation for their natural resource value via the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act in the USA. Using acoustic recorders, we document vocal activity of four riparian-obligate species (Bell’s Vireo, Vireo bellii; Summer Tanager, Piranga rubra; Yellow Warbler, Setophaga petechial; and Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Coccyzus americanus) to determine species occurrence along a Wild and Scenic River. We established three study reaches along the perennial Lower Verde River, in the Sonoran Desert of central Arizona, USA. Nine acoustic recorders were used over the period of 80–120 days during the summer of 2018. We measured vegetation composition and structure in 100 m2 plots paired with acoustic recorders. Visualizing vocal activity showed that three species were calling and singing at each reach; whereas, one species, the cuckoo, had fewer recordings and occurred later in the summer. We demonstrate the utility of acoustic monitoring even when applied to rare birds in complex riparian habitats. This information is important for land management and conservation efforts concerning these species of interest and identifying important habitat features in Southwestern US riparian woodlands.


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