Phylogeographic diversity of <i>Orientia tsutsugamushi</i> strains from clinical isolates in South Korea.

ABSTRACT: Orientia tsutsugamushi, the causative agent of scrub typhus, is endemic to the Asia-Pacific region. In South Korea, the Boryong strain is considered dominant; however, nationwide phylogeographic distribution and genetic diversity based on clinical isolates remain incompletely characterized. In this study, 121 O. tsutsugamushi clinical isolates were collected from scrub typhus patients at 11 hospitals across South Korea between 2015 and 2024. Isolates were genotyped using 56-kDa gene sequencing and multilocus sequence typing (MLST) of seven housekeeping genes. Sequence analysis and phylogenetic reconstruction were performed using BLAST, PubMLST, BURST, MEGA11, DnaSP6, and R-based tools. Five 56-kDa genotypes were identified: Boryong (93.4%), Ikeda, Je-cheon, Youn

SUBMITTER: Kang H 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12835941 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature