Investigation of tick-borne pathogens in Heilongjiang border area

Objective To understand the situation of ticks carrying pathogens in border areas of Heilongjiang province. Methods From 2009 to 2018, tick specimens were collected in Yichun, Daxing′anling area and Jiamusi in Heilongjiang province. A total of 2 530 ticks were studied, including 800 Ixodes persulcatus and 1 730 Dermacentor silvarum. Tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV), severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus (SFTSV), omsk hemorrhagic fever virus (OHFV), langat virus (LGTV), powassan virus (POWV) were detected by real-time RT-PCR. Spotted fever group rickettsia (SFGR) and Borrelia burgdorferi sensulato (B.b.s.l) were detected by PCR in ticks collected from Jiamusi area. Results All tick speciments collected were negative for TBEV, SFTSV, OHFV, LGTV and POWV. Tick specimens from Jiamusi carried SFGR and B. b.s.l.with positive rates of 59.5% and 8.9%. Conclusions The ticks in border areas of Heilongjiang province carry spotted fever group rickettsia and Borrelia burgdorferi, and the carrying rate of spotted fever group rickettsia is high. The monitoring and control of ticks and tick-borne diseases should be strengthened. Key words: Tick; Virus; Sensulato; Rickettsia