Epidemiological and Molecular Study on Tick-Borne Pathogens in Argun Port Area Near the Chinese-Russian Border.

We aim to investigate the species composition of ticks and the pathogen characteristics they carry in the Argun port area of the China-Russia border. Ticks were collected in surrounding grassland, mixed forest land, and other different habitats around the Argun port area at the Sino-Russian Border of Inner Mongolia in China in April 2019. The presence of 16 potential pathogens, including , sp. (), spotted fever group SFG , sp. , , spp., , Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus, tick-borne encephalitis virus, Bhanja virus, West Nile Virus, severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome bunyavirus, Hantaan virus, and bocavirus was analyzed by polymerase chain reaction. The DNA and amino acid sequences of tick-borne pathogens were compared for homology, and the phylogenetic trees were constructed by using Mega and Lasergene software. A total of 210 ticks were collected and they belonged to three species: and . Among them, 165 (78.57%) ticks tested positive for 5 pathogens, namely , SFG , , , and . Fifteen (7.14%) ticks were detected coinfection with two pathogens, and none were coinfected with three or more pathogens. This study shows the prevalence of at least five tick-borne pathogens in Argun, and there is a risk of coinfection by two pathogens in one tick. This study reveals the great importance of controlling tick-borne diseases in this region.