Jeonnam Institute of Health and Environment Succeeds in First Isolation of Lyme Disease Pathogen

Borrelia Detected in 70.7% of Ixodes Ticks
Isolated Pathogens to Be Provided for Vaccine and Treatment Development

Hard tick. Provided by Jeonnam Province

The Jeollanam-do Institute of Health and Environment announced on the 4th that it has successfully isolated Borrelia, the causative agent of Lyme disease, from Ixodes ticks for the first time among national health and environment research institutes.

Over the past year, the Jeollanam-do Institute of Health and Environment, in collaboration with the Zoonosis Research Division of the National Institute of Health and the College of Veterinary Medicine at Chonnam National University, attempted to isolate the Lyme disease pathogen from Ixodes ticks as part of research on tick-borne diseases.

As a result, the genetic material of Borrelia was detected in approximately 70.7% of 116 Ixodes ticks collected from wild rodents between May and November. Among these, 15 pathogens were isolated.

All 15 isolated pathogens were identified as Borrelia valaisiana, one of the causative agents of Lyme disease, which has been reported to be frequently detected in southern regions.

The isolated pathogens will be provided for the development of vaccines, treatments, and tick repellents targeting diseases transmitted by major domestic Ixodes ticks.

Meanwhile, Lyme disease is a tick-borne disease caused by infection with Borrelia species, mainly transmitted to humans by infected Ixodes persulcatus and Ixodes nipponensis ticks. It is known to occur primarily in North America, but in Korea, the first case was confirmed in 2012, and cases have continued to occur since then. The disease is mainly accompanied by erythema migrans (target-shaped rash) and presents systemic symptoms such as fever, chills, and headache.