Molecular characterization of tick genera Haemaphysalis, Ixodes, and Amblyomma in Korea

Lee, Subin; Alkathiri, Badriah; Ahn, Kyu-Sung; Kim, Jiwon; Youn, So Youn; Yoo, Mi-Sun; Lee, Hyang-Sim; Kim, Jae-Myung; Kwak, Dongmi; Shin, Sung Shik; Lee, Seung-Hun

doi:2025.63.3.272

Parasites Hosts Dis > Volume 63(3):2025 > Article

Brief Communication

Published online 2025 August 20

Parasites, Hosts and Diseases 2025;63(3):272-277. doi: https://doi.org/10.3347/PHD.25035

Molecular characterization of tick genera Haemaphysalis, Ixodes, and Amblyomma in Korea

Subin Lee¹^,†

, Badriah Alkathiri¹^,†

¹College of Veterinary Medicine, Chungbuk National University, Cheongju 28644, Korea
²BIOREEDS Research Institute, College of Veterinary Medicine, Chonnam National University, Gwangju 61186, Korea
³Laboratory of Parasitic and Honeybee Diseases, Bacterial Disease Division, Department of Animal & Plant Health Research, Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency, Gimcheon 39660, Korea
⁴College of Veterinary Medicine, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 41566, Korea

^† These authors contributed equally to this work.

* Corresponding Author: Seung-Hun Lee, Email: dvmshlee@chungbuk.ac.kr

Received: May 10, 2025; Accepted: June 17, 2025.

Abstract

Ticks are important ectoparasites that serve as key vectors of various pathogens, posing significant risks to both human and animal health. In this study, 3 genera and 5 species of ticks, including Haemaphysalis longicornis, H. flava, H. doenitzi, Ixodes nipponensis, and Amblyomma testudinarium, were analyzed both morphologically and molecularly. Morphological identification was conducted using established taxonomic keys, followed by molecular characterization through analysis of complete cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (cox1, 1,539 bp) and mitochondrial 16S rDNA (1,191–1,215 bp), and nuclear 18S rDNA (1,812–1,816 bp). Phylogenetic and pairwise distance analyses demonstrated that all 3 genes were effective for genus identification; cox1 and mitochondrial 16S rDNA were more effective than 18S rDNA in species identification. Additionally, this study is the first to identify H. doenitzi in the Korean mainland via molecular characterization. These results may serve as reference data for the molecular identification of tick species.

Key words: Haemaphysalis, Ixodes, Amblyomma, cox1, mitochondrial 16S rDNA, nuclear 18S rDNA