Surveillance for ticks, the vector of Severe Fever with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome(SFTS)Virus in Incheon, South Korea, 2017

초록

Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome(SFTS) is a newly discovered emerging infectious disease that has recently become epidemic in Asia. SFTS virus is transmitted to humans by tick bites. Ixodid ticks were collected at various environmental sites, such as grassland, conifer, broadleaf, copse in Incheon. For tick surveillance at the level of population was carried out by dry ice-based trap from April through November. For monitoring of species distribution was carried out by using flagging method in July and August. A total of 6,196 ticks, including 2,066 Haemaphysalis longicornis (33.3%), 216 H. flava (3.5%), 1 Ixodes nipponensis (0.02%) and 148 Haemaphysalis spp. larvae (63.2%) were collected. Ticks were pooled (3,133 ticks in 262 pools) and tested by RT-PCR and nested PCR. The SFTS virus was detected in 6 pools and the overall minimum field infection rate was 0.097%.