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Volume 32, Number 9—September 2026

Research

Reemergence of Scrub Typhus Associated with Leptotrombidium akamushi Mites and Karp-Like Orientia tsutsugamushi Genotype Bacteria, Japan, 2024–2025

Motohiko OgawaComments to Author , Nobuhiro Takada, Takashi Katayama, Yuki Hashimoto, Kei Nagano, Hirotaka Komine, and Yukihiro Akeda
Author affiliation: National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Japan Institute for Health Security, Tokyo, Japan (M. Ogawa, Y. Hashimoto, Y. Akeda); University of Fukui, Fukui, Japan (N. Takada); Kanagawa Prefectural Institute of Public Health, Kanagawa, Japan (T. Katayama); Niigata City General Hospital, Niigata, Japan (K. Nagano); Yamagata University, Yamagata, Japan (H. Komine)

Main Article

Figure 4

Comparison of engorged larval mites from a study of reemergence of scrub typhus associated with Leptotrombidium akamushi mites and Karp-like Orientia tsutsugamushi genotype bacteria, Japan, 2024–2025. A) L. akamushi larva; B) semi-engorged L. pallidum larva. Larvae were collected from field mice in Niigata Prefecture at the site of probable patient O. tsutsugamushi infection. L. akamushi can be distinguished from L. pallidum by the position of the sensillary setae (black arrows), which arise anterior to the posterolateral setae of the scutum, and by the presence of 8 dorsal idiosomal setae in a transverse row (white arrows). Those morphological characteristics were consistent with the molecular identification on the basis of COX1 sequence analysis. Scale bar indicates 100 μm; both images are at the same magnification.

Figure 4. Comparison of engorged larval mites from a study of reemergence of scrub typhus associated with Leptotrombidium akamushi mites and Karp-like Orientia tsutsugamushi genotype bacteria, Japan, 2024–2025. A) L. akamushi larva; B) semi-engorged L. pallidum larva. Larvae were collected from field mice in Niigata Prefecture at the site of probable patient O. tsutsugamushi infection. L. akamushi can be distinguished from L. pallidum by the position of the sensillary setae (black arrows), which arise anterior to the posterolateral setae of the scutum, and by the presence of 8 dorsal idiosomal setae in a transverse row (white arrows). Those morphological characteristics were consistent with the molecular identification on the basis of COX1 sequence analysis. Scale bar indicates 100 μm; both images are at the same magnification.

Main Article

Page created: August 05, 2026
Page updated: August 18, 2026
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