Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases最新文献

{"title":"Borrelia burgdorferi s.l. and its genetic variability in five European countries","authors":"Michal Chvostáč ,&nbsp;Sabrina Hepner ,&nbsp;Gabriele Margos ,&nbsp;Yuliya M. Didyk ,&nbsp;Michal Stanko ,&nbsp;Bronislava Víchová ,&nbsp;Barbara Mangová ,&nbsp;Veronika Rusňáková Tarageľová ,&nbsp;Andreas Sing ,&nbsp;Volker Fingerle ,&nbsp;Markéta Derdáková","doi":"10.1016/j.ttbdis.2026.102605","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ttbdis.2026.102605","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The <em>Borrelia burgdorferi</em> s.l. complex is known for its complex genome and significant genetic variability. We used multilocus sequence typing (MLST) to study the genetic variability of <em>Borrelia</em> in five European countries: Slovakia, Croatia, Ukraine, Finland and Bulgaria. We compared the prevalence, genospecies spectrum and genetic variability of <em>Borrelia</em> in 4013 questing <em>Ixodes ricinus</em> ticks. The highest prevalence of <em>Borrelia</em> was found in Slovakia (26.7 %) and Ukraine (22 %), while in Finland and Bulgaria the prevalence was found to be 12.4 % and 7.2 %, respectively. Genospecies diversity was the highest in Croatia with seven identified genospecies. This was in contrast to Finland and Bulgaria where only three species were detected. In phylogenetic trees <em>Borrelia</em> species clustered according to species designation. <em>Borrelia afzelii</em> and <em>Borrelia garinii</em> were the most prevalent amongst the <em>Borrelia</em> species and were found in all collection regions. <em>Borrelia garinii</em> but also <em>B. afzelii</em> isolates did not show a phylogeographic pattern in minimum spanning trees. Based on MLST<em>, Borrelia lusitaniae</em> isolates from Slovakia, Croatia, Ukraine and Bulgaria belonged to the “northern European” clade, which differs genetically from <em>B. lusitaniae</em> isolates found in southern Portugal and northern Africa. <em>Borrelia bavariensis</em> from the Slovak Republic and Ukraine firmly clustered with Western European isolates. Besides questing ticks, Edible dormice (<em>Glis glis</em>) earlobe biopsies were analyzed as <em>B. afzelii</em> clustering with other European isolates of this species. In this study we report the first evidence of <em>Borrelia</em> genospecies in the following countries: <em>Borrelia spielmanii, B. bavariensis</em> and <em>B. lusitaniae</em> in Ukraine; <em>B. spielmanii</em> in Bulgaria; <em>Borrelia burgdorferi</em> s.s<em>., B. spielmanii, B. lusitaniae</em> and <em>B. bavariensis</em> in Croatia.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49320,"journal":{"name":"Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases","volume":"17 1","pages":"Article 102605"},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145999342","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Disentangling complex disease ecology networks: Using structural equation modelling to quantify the direct and indirect effects of deer on Lyme borreliosis hazard","authors":"Sara L. Gandy ,&nbsp;Fernanda Sánchez-Rodríguez ,&nbsp;William McLellan ,&nbsp;Fanny Olsthoorn ,&nbsp;Marianne C. James ,&nbsp;Paul C.D. Johnson ,&nbsp;Roman Biek ,&nbsp;Hein Sprong ,&nbsp;Manoj Fonville ,&nbsp;Caroline Millins ,&nbsp;Ken J. Forbes ,&nbsp;Alan S. Bowman ,&nbsp;Jaboury Ghazoul ,&nbsp;Lucy Gilbert","doi":"10.1016/j.ttbdis.2025.102595","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ttbdis.2025.102595","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Quantifying the strengths of interactions in complex vector-borne disease ecological systems is challenging. Yet, overcoming this challenge is fundamental for understanding the ecological mechanisms shaping disease hazard. Here we quantified the strengths of the hypothesised direct and indirect mechanistic pathways through which deer affect ticks and one of the Lyme borreliosis pathogens, <em>Borrelia afzelii,</em> by conducting a combined analysis of three previously published datasets from 39 sites across Scotland. Structural equation modelling revealed that, as predicted, deer had a strong positive overall effect (direct and indirect pathways combined) on questing <em>Ixodes ricinus</em> nymph density and a weak, non-significant, negative overall effect on <em>B. afzelii</em> prevalence. This resulted in an overall weak, non-significant, positive effect of deer on <em>B. afzelii</em> hazard (the density of infected nymphs)<em>,</em> indicating that their negative effect on <em>B. afzelii</em> prevalence was weaker than their positive effect on questing nymph density<em>.</em> A key novelty of this study was being able to tease apart the direct and indirect pathways for each of these overall effects and demonstrating that they were primarily driven by direct mechanisms, such as deer driving nymph density. Although deer negatively affected rodent abundance, the hypothesised indirect pathways from deer to ticks and pathogen, acting through vegetation and/or rodents, were weak. This could result from low densities of rodents relative to deer in Scotland, consistent with Scotland having among the lowest nymphal Lyme borreliosis pathogen prevalences in Europe. Applying the methodological framework used in this study would be useful for teasing apart complex interactions in other vector-borne disease systems.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49320,"journal":{"name":"Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases","volume":"17 1","pages":"Article 102595"},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145913738","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Invasive wineberry influences tick-borne disease dynamics across spatial scales","authors":"Payton M. Phillips ,&nbsp;Jocelyn E. Behm","doi":"10.1016/j.ttbdis.2025.102598","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ttbdis.2025.102598","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In recent decades, increased incidences of tick-borne diseases, including Lyme disease (<em>Borrelia burgdorferi</em>), Anaplasmosis (<em>Anaplasma phagocytophilum</em>), and Babesiosis (<em>Babesia microti)</em> have occurred in urban areas. The prevalence of the pathogens causing these diseases relies on a complex set of interactions between the tick vector (<em>Ixodes scapularis</em>) and its prominent hosts, white-tailed deer (<em>Odocoileus virginianus</em>) and white-footed mice (<em>Peromyscus leucopus</em>). Additionally, predators of small mammal hosts, such as red fox (<em>vulpes</em>) may influence host-tick interactions. While urbanization alters these interactions at the landscape scale, localized factors such as invasive vegetation may have additional impacts within forest plots and at the microhabitat scale. In this study, we sought to understand the impacts of urbanization and the presence and structure of the invasive understory shrub, wineberry (<em>Rubus phoenicolasius</em>), on tick-borne disease dynamics in southeastern Pennsylvania. We employed a hierarchical field study at three scales to understand the scale at which urbanization and wineberry presence, or the dense vegetation structure it creates, impacts hosts, ticks, and pathogens. At the microhabitat scale, we found increased small mammal activity, which likely played an indirect role in increasing <em>B. microti</em> and <em>A. phagocytophilum</em> prevalence at the same scale. However, tick abundance and general pathogen prevalence were not concentrated at the micro-habitat scale, but instead were higher in invaded plots as a whole. Our results suggest that invasive shrubs aggregate ticks and tick hosts, leading to increased pathogen prevalence, but that pathogen risk may vary across scales. These findings have important implications for invasive vegetation and tick-borne disease management.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49320,"journal":{"name":"Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases","volume":"17 1","pages":"Article 102598"},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145913796","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"In vitro assessment of entomopathogenic potential of Clonostachys rosea (Ascomycota: Hypocreales) against Ixodes scapularis (Acari: Ixodidae) and Dermacentor variabilis (Acari: Ixodidae) ticks","authors":"Luis Adriano Anholeto ,&nbsp;Creighton Malkiah Jarvis ,&nbsp;Laura Ferguson ,&nbsp;Nicoletta Faraone","doi":"10.1016/j.ttbdis.2025.102599","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ttbdis.2025.102599","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study isolated and identified a <em>Clonostachys rosea</em> strain from field-collected tick samples in Nova Scotia, Canada, and investigated its entomopathogenic potential against <em>Ixodes scapularis</em> and <em>Dermacentor variabilis</em>. Ticks were collected from April to June 2023 through drag sampling and the fungus was isolated from dead or mycotic tick specimens. The isolate obtained from <em>D. variabili</em>s was subcultured from a single colony to obtain pure cultures. The fungus species was characterized through morphological and molecular analysis. The efficacy of <em>C. rosea</em> conidia was evaluated against lab-reared <em>I. scapularis</em> and <em>D. variabilis</em> unfed female adults using the adult immersion test. The <em>C. rosea</em> conidia (1 × 10⁸ conidia/mL) caused approximately 70 % of mortality in <em>I. scapularis</em> and 30 % in <em>D. variabilis</em> female adults after 14 days post-infection. Conidia-exposed ticks showed physical damage, including claw and leg detachment, and loss of cuticle integrity. Our findings indicate that <em>C. rosea</em> is an entomopathogenic fungus that may be used for tick control. Because <em>C. rosea</em> naturally occurs in Nova Scotia, it is a promising candidate for biological control in regions with similar climate and environmental conditions, as well as a high prevalence of ticks and tick-borne diseases, such as the northeastern U.S. and Canada.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49320,"journal":{"name":"Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases","volume":"17 1","pages":"Article 102599"},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145913817","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"An insight into the ovary and midgut transcriptome of Dermacentor nitens tick","authors":"Stephen Lu ,&nbsp;Christopher F. Bosio ,&nbsp;Vinicius Andrade-Silva ,&nbsp;Ially de Almeida Moura ,&nbsp;Giancarlo Bomfim Ribeiro ,&nbsp;Markus Berger ,&nbsp;Wendell Marcelo De Souza Perinotto ,&nbsp;Itabajara da Silva Vaz Junior ,&nbsp;Lucas Tirloni","doi":"10.1016/j.ttbdis.2025.102600","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ttbdis.2025.102600","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The tropical horse tick, <em>Dermacentor nitens</em>, is a one-host hard tick widely distributed across tropical and subtropical regions of the Americas, where it primarily parasitizes horses and occasionally cattle and other livestock. This species is of veterinary importance due to its role as a vector of <em>Babesia caballi</em>, the causative agent of equine piroplasmosis. Despite its significance, genomic resources for <em>D. nitens</em> remain scarce, limiting molecular and functional studies. Here, we present the most comprehensive transcriptome assembly of <em>D. nitens</em> to date, encompassing midgut and ovary transcriptomes during the rapid phase of blood feeding. Using deep sequencing approaches, we identified and annotated a large repertoire of transcripts expressed during blood feeding and reproduction, processes central to tick survival and pathogen transmission. To further facilitate gene discovery in <em>D. nitens</em>, we conducted orthology searches against annotated transcripts from the genomes of <em>Dermacentor albipictus, Dermacentor andersoni, Dermacentor silvarum, Dermacentor variabilis, Hyaloma asiaticum, Haemaphysalis longicornis, Ixodes scapularis, Ixodes persulcatus, Rhipicephalus microplus,</em> and <em>Rhipicephalus sanguineus</em>. Our dataset provides new insights into midgut and ovary physiology, including genes associated with blood meal digestion and oogenesis, which are critical for reproduction and life cycle progression. These findings expand the molecular toolkit available for <em>D. nitens</em>, enabling future studies on tick physiology, evolution, and vector competence. Moreover, this resource offers a framework for comparative analyses with other <em>Dermacentor</em> species of medical relevance, thereby advancing our understanding of conserved biological mechanisms underlying feeding, reproduction, and pathogen transmission.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49320,"journal":{"name":"Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases","volume":"17 1","pages":"Article 102600"},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145913751","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Borrelia circulating in soft ticks infesting colonial breeding seabirds along the Portuguese coast","authors":"Ana Cláudia Norte ,&nbsp;Maria Sofia Núncio ,&nbsp;Maria Teresa Luz ,&nbsp;Paulo Parreira ,&nbsp;Jorge Pereira ,&nbsp;Adriana Sofia Domingues ,&nbsp;Maria Inês Laranjeiro ,&nbsp;Sara Veríssimo ,&nbsp;Ivo dos Santos ,&nbsp;Catarina Santos Lopes ,&nbsp;Filipe Rafael Ceia ,&nbsp;Vítor Hugo Paiva ,&nbsp;Jaime Albino Ramos ,&nbsp;Isabel Lopes de Carvalho","doi":"10.1016/j.ttbdis.2025.102591","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ttbdis.2025.102591","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Seabirds are hosts of several tick species, but there is little information on their infestation by soft ticks and pathogens they harbour is available. In this study, we evaluated soft tick infestation in gull chicks from two breeding colonies in Portugal and assessed the prevalence of anti-Borrelia antibody in adults gull and shearwaters from these colonies, as well as from two additional urban colonies. The prevalence of infestation by <em>Ornithodorus maritimus</em> ticks in gull chicks varied between (17.6 %) in three yellow legged gull (<em>Larus michahellis</em>) and 84.8 % in the Audouin’s gull (<em>Ichthyaetus audouinii</em>), with a mean infestation intensity of 4.50 ticks per infested yellow-legged gull chick and 5.59 ticks per infested Audouin’s gull chick. All ticks, except one, were at the larval stage. Infestation prevalence was significantly higher at Deserta Island (south Portugal) compared to Berlenga Island. Of the 133 ticks screened, only two tested positive for <em>Borrelia</em>: one for <em>Borrelia turdi</em> (from a yellow legged gull) and one <em>Borrelia mayonii</em> from a Audouin’s gull. However, only one gene could be sequenced for each. No relapsing fever Borrelia species were detected. Although differences among colonies were only marginally significant, Deserta Island exhibited higher anti-<em>Borrelia</em> antibody prevalence than Berlenga Island. No significant differences were observed between bird species. These findings highlights the need for further investigation into Borrelia- soft tick- seabird interactions, and the potential infection risks associated with gull breeding habitats, particularly in areas of human-wildlife contact.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49320,"journal":{"name":"Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases","volume":"17 1","pages":"Article 102591"},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145913761","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Comparison and complete mitogenomes of two morphologically similar but ecologically different tick species, Ixodes arboricola and Ixodes lividus (subgenus Pholeoixodes)","authors":"Sándor Hornok ,&nbsp;Paulina Lesiczka ,&nbsp;Tim Warbroek ,&nbsp;Tijs J.M. van den Bosch ,&nbsp;Andor Pitó ,&nbsp;Gergő Keve ,&nbsp;Nóra Takács ,&nbsp;Jenő Kontschán ,&nbsp;Attila D. Sándor","doi":"10.1016/j.ttbdis.2025.102589","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ttbdis.2025.102589","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div><em>Ixodes arboricola</em> and <em>Ixodes lividus</em> are ornithophilic tick species. The former is typically associated with tree-hole dwelling birds, while the latter is a host-specific parasite of sand martins (<em>Riparia riparia</em>). These two tick species share important morphological characters that make them difficult to identify when they are collected from atypical hosts, such as birds of prey. Despite this, high resolution digital pictures have not been reported to compare <em>I. arboricola</em> and <em>I. lividus</em>, nor was their complete mitogenome reported. The aim of this study was to compensate for this lack of illustrations and sequence data. Nymphs and females of <em>I. arboricola</em> and <em>I. lividus</em> were used for morphological comparison, and one specimen of each species to generate mitogenome sequences.</div><div>The results showed that females of these two species are different in the shape of their scutum, porose areas, the length of basis capituli, palps, coxae, genital pore, anal groove and tarsus I. On the other hand, nymphs of <em>I. arboricola</em> and <em>I. lividus</em> can be distinguished according to their cervical grooves, cornuae, auricular ridges and spiracular plates. The mitochondrial genome size was 14,539 and 14,536 bp, for <em>I. arboricola</em> and <em>I. lividus</em>, respectively. The mitogenome sequences of <em>I. arboricola</em> and <em>I. lividus</em> were 91.1% identical to each other. Phylogenetic analysis of <em>Ixodes</em> species showed that <em>I. arboricola</em> and <em>I. lividus</em> are sister species, and cluster together with <em>Ixodes crenulatus</em>/<em>canisuga</em> under strong support.</div><div>In conclusion, results of this study confirmed that the front of the basis capituli is crucial in distinguishing <em>Ixodes</em> species, especially in the subgenus <em>Pholeoixodes</em> where these two species are phylogenetically closest related to <em>I. canisuga</em>. Another phylogenetically relevant morphological character is the scutal surface which is wrinkled (rugose) as a common feature of <em>Pholeoixodes</em> species in the clade of <em>I. arboricola</em> and <em>I. lividus</em> (including <em>I. canisuga, I. rugicollis</em> and <em>I. ariadnae</em>). Although the host ranges of <em>I. arboricola</em> and <em>I. lividus</em> do not substantially overlap, they may transmit some of the shared pathogens. Relevant data indicate that the eco-epidemiological significance of the two ornithophilic tick species studied here may in part be similar and they may play a role in the transmission of rickettsiae, borreliae and viruses of which birds act as reservoirs.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49320,"journal":{"name":"Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases","volume":"17 1","pages":"Article 102589"},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145939355","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Comparative transcriptomic insights into ticks infected by alongshan and tick-borne encephalitis viruses","authors":"Cara Leonie Ebert ,&nbsp;Paula Hornauer ,&nbsp;Klaus Jung ,&nbsp;Julia Metzger ,&nbsp;Stefanie C. Becker","doi":"10.1016/j.ttbdis.2025.102592","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ttbdis.2025.102592","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Ticks are hematophagous ectoparasites and key vectors of a wide range of pathogens, including viruses, bacteria, and protozoa. Climate change and environmental shifts have contributed to the expansion of tick populations and the pathogens they harbor. Ticks rely solely on their innate immune system to combat infections, utilizing mechanisms such as RNA interference, phagocytosis, and antimicrobial peptide expression. However, pathogens have evolved strategies to evade or manipulate these defenses to facilitate their replication and transmission. This study compares the infection dynamics of two tick-borne viruses: <em>Orthoflavivirus encephalitidis</em> (TBEV) and Alongshan virus (ALSV). TBEV, a well-adapted arbovirus, requires both tick and vertebrate hosts for its life cycle and is a major cause of human meningitis and encephalitis across Europe and Asia. In contrast, ALSV appears to be primarily restricted to ticks, with its dependence on vertebrate hosts still unclear. Transcriptomic analyses of <em>Ixodes ricinus</em> ticks revealed distinct gene expression patterns in response to these viruses. TBEV infection primarily regulated genes related to immunity, defense, and digestion—reflecting its adaptation to dual-host environments and acquisition via blood feeding. ALSV infection, however, influenced signaling and infection-related pathways, suggesting a more specialized adaptation to ticks. These findings underscore the differences in immune modulation and metabolic responses between TBEV and ALSV, highlighting the need for further genomic and proteomic studies to enhance our understanding of virus-vector interactions. Such insights could inform strategies for controlling tick-borne diseases and tracking pathogen evolution.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49320,"journal":{"name":"Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases","volume":"17 1","pages":"Article 102592"},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145913753","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Response letter to Rebuttal to Zimmermann et al. (2025) critique of TerL-based PCR","authors":"Manja Zimmermann ,&nbsp;Gabriele Margos ,&nbsp;Christine Hartberger ,&nbsp;Reto Lienhard ,&nbsp;Anna J. Henningsson ,&nbsp;Malin Lager ,&nbsp;Mateusz Markowicz ,&nbsp;Anna-Margarita Schötta ,&nbsp;Andreas Sing ,&nbsp;Benoit Jaulhac ,&nbsp;Per-Eric Lindgren ,&nbsp;Alje P. van Dam ,&nbsp;Joppe W.R. Hovius ,&nbsp;Volker Fingerle","doi":"10.1016/j.ttbdis.2025.102594","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ttbdis.2025.102594","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":49320,"journal":{"name":"Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases","volume":"17 1","pages":"Article 102594"},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145913814","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Nationwide seroprevalence of severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus in South Korea: Regional patterns and public health implications","authors":"Jongyoun Yi ,&nbsp;Chang-Ki Kim ,&nbsp;Ahreum Kim ,&nbsp;Changhoon Kim ,&nbsp;Maengseok Noh ,&nbsp;Mee Kyung Ko ,&nbsp;Hyun Jin Son ,&nbsp;Kye-Hyung Kim","doi":"10.1016/j.ttbdis.2025.102601","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ttbdis.2025.102601","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Objectives</h3><div>Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) is a tick-borne viral disease with a high fatality rate and is endemic to East Asia. This study aimed to estimate the seroprevalence of SFTS virus (SFTSV) antibodies in South Korea and analyze regional and demographic variations to guide public health strategies.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>We conducted a cross-sectional study using 12,684 residual serum samples from clinics in 17 administrative regions (July 2019–June 2020) using a double-antigen sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Crude and standardized seroprevalence was calculated, and trends were assessed using generalized additive mixed models.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>The overall crude seroprevalence was 1.63 % and was higher among older adults, particularly those aged 80–99 years (3.03 %). Jeju (2.99 %) and Gangwon (2.28 %) Provinces had the highest standardized seroprevalence. SFTSV seroprevalence did not differ significantly by sex or urban-rural status but was higher in agricultural regions, suggesting occupational exposure as a risk factor.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>This nationwide estimate of SFTSV seroprevalence highlights high-risk groups, particularly older adults. These findings provide a baseline for surveillance and targeted interventions to mitigate SFTS risk and inform public health strategies in East Asia.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49320,"journal":{"name":"Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases","volume":"17 1","pages":"Article 102601"},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146013091","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}