Japanese Tick Species

Tick Hosts

• Finding hosts on which to feed is essential to a tick's survival. A tick locates a host by “questing,” according to the University of Missouri Extension. Climbing onto a plant, a tick stretches its front legs out and hangs onto the foliage with its back legs. When its front leg hooks snag hosts as they pass by, the tick releases its hold on vegetation and attaches to its host. Mouthparts cut into the host like scissors. Through the opened hole, a tick inserts its stylet, which it uses like a hollow straw to suck blood. Preferred hosts include humans, dogs, cats, birds, rodents and cattle.

Tick Diseases

• Ticks can transmit a variety of diseases, including rickettsial diseases, which are bacterial spotted-fever diseases. In the United States, Rocky Mountain spotted fever is caused by the bacterium Rickettsia rickettsii; in Japan, R. japonica is responsible for the Japanese spotted fever disease. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that Lyme disease, which is a tickborne relapsing fever, is caused by Borrelia species bacteria. Different bacterial species exist in different parts of the world. In Japan, B. japonica and B. miyamoto are the pathogens responsible for transmitting Lyme disease.

Japanese Tick Species

• According to the "Journal of Clinical Microbiology," Japanese spotted-fever disease has been isolated in six tick species: Amblyomma testudinarium, Dermacentor taiwanensis, Haemaphysalis flava, Ixodes monospinosus, I. ovatus and I. persulcatus. Kutsujima Island is a habitat for seabirds that carry Carios species ticks. These and other migratory birds also carry Japanese ixodid ticks (Ixodes spp.), which are vectors for Lyme disease, according to the American Society for Microbiology. Japanese Babesia species ticks are commonly called “dog ticks” because dogs are common hosts.

Warnings

• Travelers to Japan are susceptible to tickborne diseases just as they are in the United States. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention cautions that travelers may be at risk of exposure if they come in contact with tick hosts, such as dogs and birds, or engage in activities in tick-favorable environments, such as hiking in woods or on nature trails. DEET repellent sprays are helpful in deterring ticks, although they will not kill ticks. Taking a hot shower immediately after outdoor activities or exposure to potential hosts helps dislodge ticks.