Molecular detection of Ehrlichia chaffeensis and Anaplasma bovis in the salivary glands from Haemaphysalis longicornis ticks.

The salivary gland (SG) of tick plays an important role as a route in the dissemination of tick-borne pathogens to their hosts. We evaluated the presence of these pathogens in the SGs of Haemaphysalis longicornis ticks, and these ticks were collected from grazing cattle in Jeju Island, Korea. Of total 463 one-side SGs, 56 (12.1%) SGs were positive for Ehrlichia chaffeensis and 11 (2.4%) were positive for Anaplasma bovis. In addition, two (0.4%) SGs were co-infected with both E. chaffeensis and A. bovis. In conclusion, we specifically describe the presence of E. chaffeensis and A. bovis in the SGs of H. longicornis ticks in Korea.