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Distribution Survey of Babesia and Assessment of Tick-borne Diseases in Jeju, Republic of Korea
Korean J Clin Lab Sci 2024;56:189-197  
Published on September 30, 2024
Copyright © 2024 Korean Society for Clinical Laboratory Science.

Jiro KIM1,2 and YoungMin YUN2

1Department of Clinical Laboratory Science, Cheju Halla University, Jeju, Korea
2College of Veterinary Medicine and Veterinary Medical Research Institute, Jeju National University, Jeju, Korea
Correspondence to: YoungMin YUN
College of Veterinary Medicine and Veterinary Medical Research Institute, Jeju National University, 102 Jejudaehak-ro, Jeju 63243, Korea
E-mail: dvmyun@jejunu.ac.kr
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0695-0843
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Abstract
From March to November 2021, a study conducted in Jeju used the dry ice trap method to collect 17,855 ticks across six regions, examining their distribution and potential as disease vectors. The ticks were identified and categorized by species and growth stage. In addition, the study focused on Babesia, a disease transmitted by hard ticks. Of 17,641 ticks from which DNA had been extracted, 581 pools underwent polymerase chain reaction testing. Of these, 43 pools tested positive for Babesia, with the highest positivity found in Western Seogwipo (23 pools, 53.5%), followed by eastern Seogwipo and central Jeju. The peak times for positive results were April and July. This study highlights an increased risk of tick bites linked to the rising number of abandoned pets in Jeju, necessitating ongoing environmental management and monitoring. These findings provide fundamental data for formulating strategies to prevent and manage tick-borne diseases in Jeju. This involves reducing the disease incidence through targeted preventive measures and detailed epidemiological research. These results underscore the necessity for continued vigilance and proactive intervention to address the health challenges ticks pose in the region.
Keywords : Babesia, Disease vectors, Polymerase chain reaction, Public health, Tick-borne diseases

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