{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,23]],"date-time":"2026-10-23T12:43:53Z","timestamp":1792759433943,"version":"4.5.0"},"reference-count":50,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,9,29]],"date-time":"2025-09-29T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1759104000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Vet. Sci."],"abstract":"<jats:sec><jats:title>Objective<\/jats:title><jats:p>The present study aims to investigate the seasonal dynamics of main vectors of scrub typhus, and thereby provide scientific information for the surveillance and control of the disease.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title><jats:p>A field investigation lasting for 12 consecutive months was conducted at a fixed survey site (Waxi Village) in Binchuan County (a focus of scrub typhus), Yunnan Province of southwest China between 2019 and 2020. Based on the taxonomic identification of all collected chigger mites, the three vector chigger species of scrub typhus (<jats:italic>Leptotrombidium deliense, L. scutellare<\/jats:italic> and <jats:italic>L. imphalum<\/jats:italic>) were screened out as the object of this study. The constituent ratio (<jats:italic>C<jats:sub>r<\/jats:sub><\/jats:italic>), prevalence (<jats:italic>P<jats:sub>M<\/jats:sub><\/jats:italic>), mean abundance (<jats:italic>MA<\/jats:italic>), and mean intensity (MI) were calculated to reflect the mite infestation status. The Levins\u2019 niche breadth (<jats:italic>Bi<\/jats:italic>) and Pianka\u2019s proportional similarity ratio (<jats:italic>O<jats:sub>ij<\/jats:sub><\/jats:italic>) were used to calculate the ecological niche breadth and niche overlap of chiggers on different host species and temporal series.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Results<\/jats:title><jats:p>These three vector chigger species were the dominant mites at the survey site, accounting for 60.72% of the total 115 chigger species (<jats:italic>C<jats:sub>r<\/jats:sub><\/jats:italic>=60.72%, 132,160\/217,671). In seasonal fluctuations, <jats:italic>L. deliense<\/jats:italic> showed two peaks in summer and autumn, and the highest peak was in August of summer with highest infestation indexes (<jats:italic>C<jats:sub>r<\/jats:sub><\/jats:italic>=44.29%, <jats:italic>MA<\/jats:italic>=322.48, <jats:italic>MI<\/jats:italic>=422.56) on the hosts. <jats:italic>Leptotrombidium imphalum<\/jats:italic> mainly appeared in summer and autumn, and peaked in September (<jats:italic>C<jats:sub>r<\/jats:sub><\/jats:italic>, <jats:italic>MA<\/jats:italic> and <jats:italic>MI<\/jats:italic>) and October (<jats:italic>P<jats:sub>M<\/jats:sub><\/jats:italic>) of early autumn. <jats:italic>Leptotrombidium scutellare<\/jats:italic> mainly appeared in November, December and January, and peaked in November of late autumn (<jats:italic>C<jats:sub>r<\/jats:sub><\/jats:italic>=66.09%) and December of early winter (<jats:italic>C<jats:sub>r<\/jats:sub><\/jats:italic>=33.83%). <jats:italic>Leptotrombidium deliense<\/jats:italic> had the widest temporal niche (<jats:italic>Bi<\/jats:italic>=0.248) and <jats:italic>L. scutellare<\/jats:italic> had the widest host niche (<jats:italic>Bi<\/jats:italic>=0.268). <jats:italic>Leptotrombidium deliense<\/jats:italic> and <jats:italic>L. imphalum<\/jats:italic> had the highest temporal niche overlap (<jats:italic>O<jats:sub>ij<\/jats:sub><\/jats:italic>=0.715) and host niche overlap (<jats:italic>O<jats:sub>ij<\/jats:sub><\/jats:italic>=0.986). The monthly average temperature significantly affected the seasonal fluctuation of <jats:italic>L. scutellare<\/jats:italic>.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title><jats:p>The three vector chigger species can parasitize a wide range of hosts with low host specificity, and their coexistence as the dominant mites at the survey site increases the potential risk of transmission and focus persistence of relevant mite-borne zoonoses. <jats:italic>Leptotrombidium deliense<\/jats:italic> and <jats:italic>L. imphalum<\/jats:italic> have similar seasonal distribution patterns (summer-autumn type) and host selection, and <jats:italic>L. scutellare<\/jats:italic> has a different type of seasonal fluctuation, autumn-winter type. The temporal and host niches of <jats:italic>L. scutellare<\/jats:italic> are very different from those of <jats:italic>L. deliense<\/jats:italic> and <jats:italic>L. imphalum<\/jats:italic>. The temperature is the most important climate factor that drives the seasonal dynamics of vector chiggers.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/fvets.2025.1637410","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,9,29]],"date-time":"2025-09-29T04:12:48Z","timestamp":1759119168000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":2,"title":["Seasonal dynamics and niches of three vector chigger species at a focus of scrub typhus in southwest China"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"12","author":[{"given":"Yan","family":"Lv","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Peng-Wu","family":"Yin","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Xian-Guo","family":"Guo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Rong","family":"Fan","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Cheng-Fu","family":"Zhao","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Zhi-Wei","family":"Zhang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ya-Fei","family":"Zhao","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Lei","family":"Zhang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,9,29]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref1","first-page":"1","volume-title":"Trombiculid mites of China: studies on vector pathogen of tsutsugamushi disease","author":"Li","year":"1997"},{"key":"ref2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"119","DOI":"10.1007\/978-4-431-36025-4_8","article-title":"Taxonomy, life cycles and the origin of parasitism in trombiculid mites","volume-title":"Micromammals and macroparasites","author":"Shatrov","year":"2006"},{"key":"ref3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"2920","DOI":"10.1002\/vms3.1275","article-title":"Infestation and distribution of chiggers on the Anderson's white-bellied rats in Southwest China","volume":"9","author":"Guo","year":"2023","journal-title":"Vet Med Sci"},{"key":"ref4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1841","DOI":"10.11158\/saa.27.9.11","article-title":"Research history and progress of six vector chigger species of scrub typhus in China","volume":"27","author":"Xiang","year":"2022","journal-title":"Syst Appl Acarol"},{"key":"ref5","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1","DOI":"10.3347\/kjp.2021.59.1.1","article-title":"Research advances of Leptotrombidium scutellare in China","volume":"59","author":"Xiang","year":"2021","journal-title":"Korean J Parasitol"},{"key":"ref6","first-page":"7","article-title":"Distribution of hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome virus in gamasid mites and chigger mites","volume":"36","author":"Zhang","year":"2002","journal-title":"Chin J Prev Med"},{"key":"ref7","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1251","DOI":"10.3969\/j.issn.1006-3110.2005.05.133","article-title":"Epidemiology of scrub typhus and its transmitting vector research progress in China","volume":"12","author":"Li","year":"2005","journal-title":"Pract Prev Med"},{"key":"ref8","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"160","DOI":"10.19821\/j.1671-2781.2012.02.026","article-title":"Advances in research of tsutsugamushi disease epidemiology in China in recent years","volume":"18","author":"Su","year":"2012","journal-title":"Chin J Hyg Insect Equip"},{"key":"ref9","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"194","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1365-2915.2012.01053.x","article-title":"Abundances and host relationships of chigger mites in Yunnan Province, China","volume":"27","author":"Zhan","year":"2013","journal-title":"Med Vet Entomol"},{"key":"ref10","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"49","DOI":"10.3390\/tropicalmed5020049","article-title":"Scrub typhus: historic perspective and current status of the worldwide presence of Orientia species","volume":"5","author":"Richards","year":"2020","journal-title":"Trop Med Infect Dis"},{"key":"ref11","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1629","DOI":"10.3784\/jbjc.202406180366","article-title":"Epidemiological study of scrub typhus in China, 2006\u20132023","volume":"39","author":"Zhang","year":"2024","journal-title":"Dis Surveill"},{"key":"ref12","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"80","DOI":"10.3969\/j.issn.1002-2694.1999.01.034","article-title":"Investigation on the outbreak of tsutsugamushi disease in Binchuan County, Yunnan Province","volume":"15","author":"Yuan","year":"1999","journal-title":"Chin J Zoon"},{"key":"ref13","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1031","DOI":"10.1515\/biolog-2017-0119","article-title":"Species abundance distribution and ecological niches of chigger mites on small mammals in Yunnan Province, Southwest China","volume":"72","author":"Peng","year":"2017","journal-title":"Biologia"},{"key":"ref14","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1923","DOI":"10.1007\/s00436-016-4934-4","article-title":"An updated distribution and hosts: Trombiculid mites (Acari: Trombidiformes) associated with small mammals in Yunnan Province, Southwest China","volume":"115","author":"Peng","year":"2016","journal-title":"Parasitol Res"},{"key":"ref15","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"153","DOI":"10.3347\/kjp.2020.58.2.153","article-title":"Relative abundance of a vector of scrub typhus, Leptotrombidium sialkotense, in southern Yunnan Province, China","volume":"58","author":"Lv","year":"2020","journal-title":"Korean J Parasitol"},{"key":"ref16","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"2253","DOI":"10.11158\/saa.24.11.15","article-title":"Host selection and seasonal fluctuation of Leptotrombidium deliense (walch, 1922) (Trombidiformes: Trombiculidae) at a localized area of southern Yunnan, China","volume":"24","author":"Lv","year":"2019","journal-title":"Syst Appl Acarol"},{"key":"ref17","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"286","DOI":"10.19821\/j.1671-2781.2013.04.004","article-title":"Accordance and identification of vector chigger mites of tsutsugamushi disease in China","volume":"19","author":"Wu","year":"2013","journal-title":"Chin J Hyg Insect Equip"},{"key":"ref18","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"893","DOI":"10.4103\/ijmr.IJMR_1390_15","article-title":"Abundance and distribution of trombiculid mites and Orientia tsutsugamushi, the vectors and pathogen of scrub typhus in rodents and shrews collected from Puducherry and Tamil Nadu, India","volume":"144","author":"Candasamy","year":"2016","journal-title":"Indian J Med Res"},{"key":"ref19","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"e0012654","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pntd.0012654","article-title":"Retrospective analysis of spatiotemporal variation of scrub typhus in Yunnan Province, 2006\u20132022","volume":"18","author":"Li","year":"2024","journal-title":"PLoS Negl Trop Dis"},{"key":"ref20","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"715","DOI":"10.11853\/j.issn.1003.8280.2021.06.012","article-title":"Epidemiological characteristics of hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome in Yunnan province, China, 2012\u20132020","volume":"32","author":"Zhou","year":"2021","journal-title":"Chin J Vector Biol Control"},{"key":"ref21","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"171","DOI":"10.1080\/01647950108684247","article-title":"A comparison between mice and rats as sentinels for Leptotrombidum imphalum (Acari: Trombiculidae) in northern Thailand","volume":"27","author":"Kollars","year":"2001","journal-title":"Int J Acarol"},{"key":"ref22","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"173","DOI":"10.5772\/61978","article-title":"The role of chiggers as human pathogens","volume-title":"An overview of tropical diseases","author":"Santib\u00e1\u00f1ez","year":"2015"},{"key":"ref23","first-page":"255","volume-title":"Tsutsugamushi disease in China","author":"Zheng","year":"2014"},{"key":"ref24","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"79","DOI":"10.13215\/j.cnki.jbyfkztb.1990.02.026","article-title":"The first evidence of natural Rickttsia tsutsugamushi infection in Leptotrombidium imphalum in Yunnan","author":"Chen","year":"1990","journal-title":"Bulletin Dis Control Prev"},{"key":"ref25","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"29","DOI":"10.16747\/j.cnki.cn61-1109\/tv.2020.11.009","article-title":"Analysis on the characteristics of rainfall time variation in Binchuan County, Yunnan Province","author":"Luo","year":"2020","journal-title":"Shaanxi Water Resources"},{"key":"ref26","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"e189987","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0189987","article-title":"Landscapes with different biodiversity influence distribution of small mammals and their ectoparasitic chigger mites: a comparative study from Southwest China","volume":"13","author":"Peng","year":"2018","journal-title":"PLoS One"},{"key":"ref27","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1","DOI":"10.11646\/zootaxa.3728.1.1","article-title":"Leptotrombidium (Acari: Trombiculidae) of the world","volume":"3728","author":"Stekolnikov","year":"2013","journal-title":"Zootaxa"},{"key":"ref28","first-page":"1","volume-title":"The chigger mites of the world (Acarina: Trombiculidae & Leeuwenhoekiidae). Volume III. Leptotrombidium complex","author":"Vercammen-Grandjean","year":"1975"},{"key":"ref29","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"39","DOI":"10.11158\/saa.4.1.6","article-title":"Clusters of ectoparasitic gamasid mites and their small mammal hosts in different habitat regions in western Yunnan","volume":"4","author":"Guo","year":"1999","journal-title":"Syst Appl Acarol"},{"key":"ref30","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"156986","DOI":"10.1016\/j.scitotenv.2022.156986","article-title":"The current and future risk of spread of Leptotrombidium deliense and Leptotrombidium scutellare in mainland China","volume":"843","author":"Ma","year":"2022","journal-title":"Sci Total Environ"},{"key":"ref31","author":"Peng","year":"2023"},{"key":"ref32","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"313","DOI":"10.3347\/kjp.2018.56.4.313","article-title":"Research progress on Leptotrombidium deliense","volume":"56","author":"Lv","year":"2018","journal-title":"Korean J Parasitol"},{"key":"ref33","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"11","DOI":"10.1016\/s1286-4579(00)01352-6","article-title":"Orientia tsutsugamushi infection: overview and immune responses","volume":"3","author":"Seong","year":"2001","journal-title":"Microbes Infect"},{"key":"ref34","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"513","DOI":"10.1186\/s13071-019-3751-x","article-title":"Scrub typhus ecology: a systematic review of Orientia in vectors and hosts","volume":"12","author":"Elliott","year":"2019","journal-title":"Parasit Vectors"},{"key":"ref35","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"504","DOI":"10.3390\/insects15070504","article-title":"The distribution and host-association of the vector chigger species Leptotrombidium imphalum in Southwest China","volume":"15","author":"Liu","year":"2024","journal-title":"Insects"},{"key":"ref36","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"88","DOI":"10.1093\/jmedent\/36.1.88","article-title":"Redescription of Leptotrombidium (Leptotrombidium) imphalum (Acari: Trombiculidae), with observations on bionomics and medical importance in northern Thailand","volume":"36","author":"Tanskul","year":"1999","journal-title":"J Med Entomol"},{"key":"ref37","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"351","DOI":"10.24171\/j.phrp.2019.10.6.05","article-title":"Annual fluctuation in chigger mite populations and Orientia tsutsugamushi infections in scrub typhus endemic regions of South Korea","volume":"10","author":"Kim","year":"2019","journal-title":"Osong Public Health Res Perspect"},{"key":"ref38","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"327","DOI":"10.3347\/kjp.2012.50.4.327","article-title":"Monthly occurrence of vectors and reservoir rodents of scrub typhus in an endemic area of Jeollanam-do, Korea","volume":"50","author":"Lee","year":"2012","journal-title":"Korean J Parasitol"},{"key":"ref39","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"233","DOI":"10.1080\/01647954.2021.1890210","article-title":"Distribution and host selection of the chigger mite vector of scrub typhus, Leptotrombidium deliense, in Southwest China","volume":"47","author":"Lv","year":"2021","journal-title":"Int J Acarol"},{"key":"ref40","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"27","DOI":"10.4103\/ijph.IJPH_130_19","article-title":"Evidence of natural infection of Orientia tsutsugamushi in vectors and animal hosts, suggests risk of scrub typhus transmission to human, in Puducherry, South India","volume":"64","author":"Devaraju","year":"2020","journal-title":"Indian J Public Health"},{"key":"ref41","first-page":"556","article-title":"Research progress on the distribution of scrub typhus vector chigger mites in China","volume":"28","author":"Chen","year":"2022","journal-title":"Chin J Hyg Insect Equip"},{"key":"ref42","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"141","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ijppaw.2021.02.005","article-title":"Infestation and seasonal fluctuation of chigger mites on the southeast Asian house rat (Rattus brunneusculus) in southern Yunnan Province, China","volume":"14","author":"Lv","year":"2021","journal-title":"Int J Parasitol Parasites Wildl"},{"key":"ref43","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"e00294","DOI":"10.1016\/j.parepi.2023.e00294","article-title":"Prevalence, seasonal dynamics and associated variables of ixodid tick cattle infestation in Gondar, northwestern Ethiopia","volume":"21","author":"Mohamed","year":"2023","journal-title":"Parasite Epidemiol Control"},{"key":"ref44","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"449","DOI":"10.1093\/jmedent\/36.4.449","article-title":"Occurrence of Orientia tsutsugamushi in chiggers (Acari: Trombiculidae) and small animals in an orchard near Bangkok, Thailand","volume":"36","author":"Frances","year":"1999","journal-title":"J Med Entomol"},{"key":"ref45","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"538","DOI":"10.1186\/s12889-023-17233-y","article-title":"Spatiotemporal heterogeneity and long-term impact of meteorological, environmental, and socio-economic factors on scrub typhus in China from 2006 to 2018","volume":"24","author":"Qian","year":"2024","journal-title":"BMC Public Health"},{"key":"ref46","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"795","DOI":"10.1007\/s10493-021-00650-2","article-title":"Seasonal abundance of Leptotrombidium deliense, the vector of scrub typhus, in areas reporting acute encephalitis syndrome in Gorakhpur district, Uttar Pradesh, India","volume":"84","author":"Sadanandane","year":"2021","journal-title":"Exp Appl Acarol"},{"key":"ref47","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"73","DOI":"10.7601\/mez.64.73","article-title":"Seasonal occurrence of larval trombiculid mites by Tullgren's funnel method in Kagoshima prefecture for three years, with a few references to morphological variations","volume":"64","author":"Noda","year":"2013","journal-title":"Med Entomol Zool"},{"key":"ref48","first-page":"720","article-title":"Clinical and epidemiological investigation of 175 tsutsugamushi disease cases","volume":"14","author":"Zha","year":"2010","journal-title":"Chin J Dis Control Prev"},{"key":"ref49","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"419","DOI":"10.1631\/jzus.B1000265","article-title":"Current epidemic status and issues on prevention and control of scrub typhus","volume":"32","author":"Zhang","year":"2011","journal-title":"Chin J Epidemioi"},{"key":"ref50","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"3138","DOI":"10.1038\/s41598-024-53800-y","article-title":"Epidemiologic changes of a longitudinal surveillance study spanning 51 years of scrub typhus in mainland China","volume":"14","author":"Peng","year":"2024","journal-title":"Sci Rep"}],"container-title":["Frontiers in Veterinary Science"],"original-title":[],"link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.frontiersin.org\/articles\/10.3389\/fvets.2025.1637410\/full","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2025,9,29]],"date-time":"2025-09-29T04:12:56Z","timestamp":1759119176000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.frontiersin.org\/articles\/10.3389\/fvets.2025.1637410\/full"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2025,9,29]]},"references-count":50,"alternative-id":["10.3389\/fvets.2025.1637410"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/fvets.2025.1637410","relation":{},"ISSN":["2297-1769"],"issn-type":[{"value":"2297-1769","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2025,9,29]]},"article-number":"1637410"}}