Investigation and Correlation Analysis of Pathogens Carried by Ticks and Cattle in Tumen River Basin, China
by
Pengfei Min
1,†, 
Jianchen Song
1,†,
Yinbiao Meng
1,†,
Shaowei Zhao
1,†,
Zeyu Tang
1,
Zhenyu Wang
1,
Sicheng Lin
1,
Fanglin Zhao
1,
Meng Liu
1,
Longsheng Wang
1 and
Lijun Jia
1,2,* 1
Engineering Research Center of North-East Cold Region Beef Cattle Science & Technology Innovation, Ministry of Education, Yanbian University, Yanji 133002, China
2
State Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Severe Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Key Laboratory for Zoonosis Research of the Ministry of Education, College of Veterinary Medicine, Jilin University, Changchun 130062, China
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
†
These authors contributed equally to this work.
Vet. Sci. 2026, 13(1), 78; https://doi.org/10.3390/vetsci13010078
Submission received: 25 November 2025
/
Revised: 30 December 2025
/
Accepted: 8 January 2026
/
Published: 13 January 2026
(This article belongs to the Topic Ticks and Tick-Borne Pathogens: 2nd Edition)
Simple Summary
Ticks are a significant external parasite of livestock, capable of transmitting diseases to animals through blood-feeding, resulting in substantial economic losses to the livestock industry. The Tumen River is located in the northeastern border region of China, and there is little information about which tick species infest cattle and which can carry harmful blood parasites. This study was conducted in seven regions of the Tumen River Basin. There are 5 species of ticks in the Tumen River basin including Haemaphysalis longicornis, Haemaphysalis concinna, Haemaphysalis japonica, Dermacentor silvarum and Ixodes persulcatus. Three pathogens posing significant threats to livestock, particularly cattle, were detected in blood samples from ticks and cattle: Babesia ovata, Theileria orientalis, and Theileria sinensis. The pathogens detected in tick and cow blood are highly homologous. These findings indicate that ticks in the Tumen River basin may serve as vectors for B. ovata, T. orientalis, and T. sinensis. Cattle populations within the basin are susceptible to contracting these three diseases through tick bites. Additionally, these ticks pose a potential threat to public health. Although there is currently insufficient evidence to indicate that humans can be infected by the above three pathogens, ticks as the primary vectors for other zoonotic pathogens—such as Borrelia burgdorferi—should be taken seriously, necessitating heightened vigilance and control measures by farmers and livestock breeders. These results improve knowledge of tick species in the border region of China and show the importance of continued monitoring to protect animal health and farming.
Abstract
Ticks and tick-borne diseases pose a significant threat to public health. The Tumen River Basin is located at the junction of China, North Korea and Russia, whose warm climate and favorable ecological environment are suitable for the growth and reproduction of ticks. At the same time, the cattle industry in this region is highly developed, with cattle serving as the primary economic source for the area. This study performed an epidemiological investigation and analysis of pathogens carried by ticks and cattle in the Tumen River basin. A total of 913 ticks and 247 bovine blood samples were collected from seven cities primarily focused on cattle farming in the Tumen River basin. Morphological and molecular biological identification of ticks was carried out to determine the distribution of ticks and their pathogens in the region. Through the detection of pathogens carried by cattle blood samples in the surrounding area, the correlation with tick distribution was confirmed. The species and distribution of ticks of different genders and in different collection environments, and the infection of pathogens in bovine blood samples were statistically analyzed. The results showed that the 913 ticks had 5 species, including Haemaphysalis longicornis, Haemaphysalis concinna, Haemaphysalis japonica, Dermacentor silvarum and Ixodes persulcatus. Three pathogens, Babesia ovata, Theileria orientalis and Theileria sinensis, were detected in the blood samples of vector ticks and cattle. These results provide a theoretical basis for the prevention and control of ticks and tick-borne diseases in the Tumen River basin.
Keywords:
Tumen River Basin; ticks; cattle; pathogens; epidemiology
