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Updated: Feb 22, 2026
Extraction of Saliva, Haemolymph, Salivary Glands, and Midgut from Individual Ticks (Acari: Ixodidae)
Published on: October 31, 2025
Tick-borne pathogens in ticks collected from Humans: A prospective clinical pilot study
Shinnosuke Fukushima1, Takaomi Sumida2, Osamu Kawamata2
1Department of General Medicine, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama, Japan; Department of Bacteriology, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama, Japan; Department of Infectious Diseases, Okayama University Hospital, Okayama, Japan.
Japanese spotted fever is a growing concern. Analysis of ticks from patients found Rickettsia tamurae in some, but no illness developed in those untreated, suggesting a low clinical risk for this tick-borne disease.
Area of Science:
- Medical Entomology
- Infectious Diseases
- Public Health
Background:
- Tick-borne diseases (TBDs), especially Japanese spotted fever, pose increasing public health risks in Japan.
- Limited data exists on pathogens in ticks removed directly from patients and their clinical outcomes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate pathogen carriage in ticks removed from patients.
- To evaluate the clinical risk of TBDs associated with patient-derived ticks.
Main Methods:
- Prospective collection of ticks from patients with tick bites (April-October 2025).
- Morphological identification of ticks and nested PCR for spotted fever group rickettsiae (SFGR).
- Sequence analysis of SFGR and review of patient clinical data.
Main Results:
- Sixty-two ticks, mostly Amblyomma testudinarium, were analyzed from 60 patients.
- SFGR detected in 8 ticks (12.9%), including Rickettsia tamurae in ticks from 7 patients.
- Two patients bitten by R. tamurae-positive ticks remained asymptomatic without antibiotic prophylaxis.
Conclusions:
- No apparent rickettsiosis observed in patients bitten by R. tamurae-positive ticks without prophylaxis, suggesting a potentially low clinical risk.
- Direct tick analysis aids in understanding pathogen reservoirs and guiding TBD management.
- Further research is needed to rule out subclinical infections.
