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«IZVESTIYA IRKUTSKOGO GOSUDARSTVENNOGO UNIVERSITETA». SERIYA «BIOLOGIYA. ECOLOGIYA»
«THE BULLETIN OF IRKUTSK STATE UNIVERSITY». SERIES «BIOLOGY. ECOLOGY»
ISSN 2073-3372 (Print)

List of issues > Series «Biology. Ecology». 2025. Vol 52

Ixodid Ticks Infectious Agents Profile from Japan Sea Islands and the Mainland in the South of Primorsky Territory

Author(s)

K. V. Lopatovskaya1, A. Ya. Nikitin1, Yu. A. Verzhutskaya1, T. V. Zvereva2, V. Yu. Kolesnikova1, A. V. Liapunov1, N. S. Gordeyko2, V. A. Babash1, E. I. Andaev1 

1 Irkutsk Research Anti-Plague Institute of Siberia and Far East by Rospotrebnadzor, Irkutsk, Russian Federation 

2 Primorskaya Anti-Plague station by Rospotrebnadzor, Ussuriysk, Russian Federation

Abstract
The profile of infectious agents was studied in individual examination of ticks collected in the south of Primorsky Territory: on the islands of Petra Velikogo Bay in the Sea of Japan (Askold, Popova, Reineke, Rikorda, Russky) and the adjacent mainland territory (Botanical Garden FEB RAS in Vladivostok City). Ticks were collected from vegetation using a flag. On the mainland near the Botanical Garden in 2023–2024, three species of ixodid ticks (Ixodes persulcatus, I. pavlovskyi and Haemaphysalis japonica) were identified, with I. persulcatus predominating. We have shown that, compared to data from the first twenty years of the 20th century, the proportion of I. pavlovskyi in this area has increased from 3 % to 11 %. Five species of ticks were recorded on the islands studied: I. persulcatus, I. pavlovskyi, H. japonica, H. concinna, H. longicornis. Ticks of the genus Ixodes are dominant on Russky and Popov Islands, and Haemaphysalis on Askold Island. In all cases, tick communities are bidominant. Few ixodid ticks were collected due to poor weather on Reyneke and Rikord Islands, preventing a description of the community structure. This study of infectious agents profile in 460 speciments using individual PCR assay from five species (I. persulcatus, I. pavlovskyi, H. japonica, H. concinna, H. longicornis) of ixodid ticks collected in the south region of Primorsky Krai during 2023-2024. Infection with tick-borne encephalitis virus (0,8 %), Borrelia (20,8 %), Ehrlichia (0,4 %), and Anaplasma (1,9 %) was shown. Moreover, сo-infection of individual ticks with two pathogens simultaneously in 0,9 % cases was identified. In addition, tick-borne encephalitis virus and ixodid tick-borne borreliosis pathogens is higher in tick samples from Russky Island in contrast of another Island and on the mainland. Two tick-borne encephalitis virus isolates corresponding to Siberian subtype from ticks of the genus Ixodes that was collected on the Russky Island. One tick-borne encephalitis virus isolates from the I. pavlovskyi tick in Island Ricorda. On the territory of the Botanical Garden and Russian Island three types of pathogenic Borrelia have been identified: the group Borrelia burgdorferi s.l. (B. afzelii and B. garinii) and B. miyamotoi Two species of Rickettsia was identified: Candidatus R. tarasevichiae from I. persulcatus and Candidatus R. principis from the tick H. japonica.
About the Authors

Lopatovskaya Kristina Viktorovna, Research Scientist Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute of Siberia and Far East by Rospotrebnadzor 78, Trilisser st., Irkutsk, 664047, Russian Federation e-mail: krislopatovskaya@mail.ru

Nikitin Aleksey Yakovlevich, Doctor of Sciences (Biology), Senior Research Scientist Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute of Siberia and Far East by Rospotrebnadzor 78, Trilisser st., Irkutsk, 664047, Russian Federation e-mail: nikitin_irk@mail.ru

Verzhutskaya Yulia Alekseevna, Candidate of Sciences (Biology), Research Scientist Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute of Siberia and Far East by Rospotrebnadzor 78, Trilisser st., Irkutsk, 664047, Russian Federation e-mail: linika@mail.ru

Zvereva Tatyana Viktorovna, Zoologist Primorskaya Anti-Plague Station by Rospotrebnadzor 46, Dzerzhinsky st., Ussuriysk, 692512, Russian Federation e-mail: ppchsadm@mail.ru

Kolesnikova Valentina Yurievna, Research Scientist Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute of Siberia and Far East by Rospotrebnadzor 78, Trilisser st., Irkutsk, 664047, Russian Federation e-mail: valyusha.kolesnikova.92@mail.ru

Liapunov Aleksandr Valeryevich, Candidate of Sciences (Biology), Senior Research Scientist Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute of Siberia and Far East by Rospotrebnadzor 78, Trilisser st., Irkutsk, 664047, Russian Federation e-mail: liapunov.asp@mail.ru

Gordeyko Natalya Stanislavovna, Candidate of Sciences (Biology), Director Primorskaya Anti-Plague station by Rospotrebnadzor 46, Dzerzhinsky st., Ussuriysk, 692512, Russian Federation e-mail: ppchsadm@mail.ru

Babash Valeriya Aleksandrovna, Junior Research Scientist Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute of Siberia and Far East by Rospotrebnadzor 78, Trilisser st., Irkutsk, 664047, Russian Federation e-mail: babach2014@yandex.ru

Andaev Evgeny Ivanovich, Doctor of Sciences (Medicine), Deputy Director, Head of Laboratory Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute of Siberia and Far East by Rospotrebnadzor 78, Trilisser st., Irkutsk, 664047, Russian Federation e-mail: e.andaev@gmail.com

For citation
Lopatovskaya K.V., Nikitin A.Yu., Verzhutskaya Yu.A., Zvereva T. V., Kolesnikova V. Yu., Liapunov A. V., Gordeyko N. S., Babash V. A., Andaev E. I. Ixodid Ticks Infectious Agents Profile from Japan Sea Islands and the Mainland in the South of Primorsky Territory. The Bulletin of Irkutsk State University. Series Biology. Ecology, 2025, vol. 52, pp. 34-48. https://doi.org/10.26516/2073-3372.2025.52.34 (in Russian)
Keywords
ixodid ticks, tick-borne infections, Primorsky Territory.
UDC
576.895.42
DOI
https://doi.org/10.26516/2073-3372.2025.52.34
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