Bibliographical studies on human cases of Hard Tick (Acarina: Ixodidae) bites in Japan (3) Cases of Ixodes persulcatus infestation *
This paper reviewed the significant literature on human infestation with the hard tick, Ixodes persulcatus （Schulze, 1930）occurring in Japan between 1962 and 2005. A total of 248 patients（113 males, 115 females, 20 unknown）were reported in the literature. The patients were distributed widely throughout Japan except for the southwest islands. The highest incidence of cases was in Nagano Prefecture（56.4%）in central Japan. The tick infestation of the reported cases most frequently occurred between June and July（77.7%）, with the highest incidence being in July（41.9%）. The age range of the patients was from 1 to 88 years old, with the highest incidence being found in persons in the fifties and sixties（17.6% each）. The most common infestation site was on the skin of the trunk（57.7%）, particularly the shoulder （10.0%）and abdomen（9.5%）. The tick bites in the majority of the cases were principally acquired in mountainous areas. (Accepted on October 31, 2008)
