Hard Tick Surveillance in the Republic of Korea, 2023-2025.
- 1Division of Vectors and Parasitic Diseases, Department of Disease Diagnosis and analysis, Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency Cheongju Korea.
Abstract
To characterize annual and seasonal tick occurrence and species distribution using surveillance data from 16 locations in the Republic of Korea (ROK) during 2023-2025 and to descriptively compare monthly mean temperature with tick abundance. Tick surveillance was conducted monthly from April to November. Ticks were collected using carbon dioxide-baited traps along mountain trails and in graves, copses, and grasslands. Adults and nymphs were morphologically identified to species level, while larvae were identified to genus level. Tick density was expressed as the mean number of ticks collected per trap (tick index), and monthly changes in temperature and the tick index were descriptively compared. A total of 161,318 ticks were collected. Tick abundance increased in May, decreased during June-July, and peaked during August-September. Nymphs, adults, and larvae were most abundant in May, July, and August-September, respectively, with larvae comprising the largest proportion of the total collection and predominating in August-September. Haemaphysalis longicornis was the predominant species, accounting for >95% of species-level identifications. Ticks were widely distributed, with relatively high densities in Gangwon State and Jeju Special Self-Governing Province. Nationwide surveillance revealed distinct seasonal patterns among developmental stages, with peak tick abundance in August-September. Consistent with previous surveillance, H. longicornis was the predominant species. These findings provide baseline data on tick occurrence in the ROK and support the development of strategies for tick-borne disease surveillance and prevention.
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BibTeX
@article{lee2026hard,
title = {{Hard Tick Surveillance in the Republic of Korea, 2023-2025.}},
author = {Hyeon Seung Lee and Jinsung Seo and Jung-Won Ju and Hee-Il Lee},
journal = {Public health weekly report},
year = {2026},
month = nov,
doi = {10.56786/phwr.2026.19.42.1},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42996803},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Hard Tick Surveillance in the Republic of Korea, 2023-2025.
AU - Hyeon Seung Lee
AU - Jinsung Seo
AU - Jung-Won Ju
AU - Hee-Il Lee
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/11/05
JO - Public health weekly report
DO - 10.56786/phwr.2026.19.42.1
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42996803
AB - To characterize annual and seasonal tick occurrence and species distribution using surveillance data from 16 locations in the Republic of Korea (ROK) during 2023-2025 and to descriptively compare monthly mean temperature with tick abundance. Tick surveillance was conducted monthly from April to November. Ticks were collected using carbon dioxide-baited traps along mountain trails and in graves, copses, and grasslands. Adults and nymphs were morphologically identified to species level, while larvae were identified to genus level. Tick density was expressed as the mean number of ticks collected per trap (tick index), and monthly changes in temperature and the tick index were descriptively compared. A total of 161,318 ticks were collected. Tick abundance increased in May, decreased during June-July, and peaked during August-September. Nymphs, adults, and larvae were most abundant in May, July, and August-September, respectively, with larvae comprising the largest proportion of the total collection and predominating in August-September. Haemaphysalis longicornis was the predominant species, accounting for >95% of species-level identifications. Ticks were widely distributed, with relatively high densities in Gangwon State and Jeju Special Self-Governing Province. Nationwide surveillance revealed distinct seasonal patterns among developmental stages, with peak tick abundance in August-September. Consistent with previous surveillance, H. longicornis was the predominant species. These findings provide baseline data on tick occurrence in the ROK and support the development of strategies for tick-borne disease surveillance and prevention.
SN - 3092-491X
SN - 2586-0860
ER -