Comparative microbiome analysis of Haemaphysalis longicornis ticks at the Korea Combat Training Center in 2022 |
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| Authors: | Minsung Kim Singeun Oh Myung-hee Yi Myungjun Kim Sohyeon Yun Jun Ho Choi Moonsoo Yoon Tai-Soon Yong Buddle Lee Kyung Tae Noh Quehn Park Chanhee Lee Ju Yeong Kim |
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| Institution: | 1. Department of Infectious Disease Research, Armed Forces Medical Research Institute, Daejeon, Republic of Korea;2. Department of Tropical Medicine, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Arthropods of Medical Importance Resource Bank, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea;3. 3rd Preventive Medicine Unit, 3rd Logistic Support Brigade, Inje, Gangwon-do, Republic of Korea |
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| Abstract: | The Korea Combat Training Center (KCTC), located in Gangwon Province, is a restricted military training facility where research on the environmental conditions and health risks to military personnel has been limited. In this study, using iSeq 100, we investigated the bacterial abundance and microbiome of Haemaphysalis longicornis specimens collected at the KCTC from June to August 2022, to assess current and potential public health risks to military personnel. Our results show that adult ticks had significantly greater species richness compared with larvae and nymphs, with no notable differences in diversity across developmental stages. Principal coordinate analysis of the microbial communities did not show differences attributable to any single factor, such as collection location or date. Coxiella-like endosymbionts (AB001519) were identified in all 13 samples, and Jatrophihabitans, Sphingomonas, and Spirosoma were consistently found across all samples. In addition, iSeq 100 also identified Rickettsia rickettsii and Borrelia spp., which were not detected with conventional polymerase chain reaction (PCR). |
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| Keywords: | Haemaphysalis longicornis iSeq 100 KCTC Next generation sequencing Tick Microbiome Tick-borne pathogens |
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