| present status of trichinellosis in japan. | there have been three mass outbreaks of human trichinellosis in japan. the first was in 1974 in iwasaki, aomori prefecture, involving a group of hunters who ate raw meat of a black bear they had shot. of the 20 people who ate the bear meat raw, 15 showed clinical symptoms of trichinellosis. the second outbreak was experienced in sapporo, hokkaido, in 1980. the patients had eaten the raw meat of a brown bear served in a local restaurant. twelve people were diagnosed positive on the basis of clini ... | 1991 | 1822910 |
| serological evidence of coxiella burnetii infection in wild animals in japan. | one hundred and thirty-four (26%) of 511 sera from 11 wild animal species in eight prefectures in japan had antibody titers to coxiella burnetii by the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. high prevalences were observed in japanese black bears (ursus thibetanus) (78%), hokkaido deer (cervus nippon yesoensis) (69%), japanese hares (lepus brachyurus) (63%), japanese deer (cervus nippon centralis) (56%), and to some extent in japanese monkeys (macaca fuscata) (28%). a low prevalence (13%) was observe ... | 1993 | 8355353 |
| first report of trichinella nativa in red foxes (vulpes vulpes schrencki) from otaru city, hokkaido, japan. | forty-three red foxes (vulpes vulpes schrencki) and nine raccoon dogs (nyctereutes procyonoides viverrinus) were captured in otaru city, hokkaido, japan and examined by muscle digestion for the presence of trichinella sp. larvae. of the foxes, five (11.6%) were positive for larvae of trichinella nativa while none of the raccoon dogs were found to be positive. this finding suggests that the red foxes are important reservoir hosts of sylvatic trichinellosis in otaru, hokkaido. this is the first re ... | 2001 | 11438434 |
| prevalence and intensity of echinococcus multilocularis in red foxes (vulpes vulpes schrencki) and raccoon dogs (nyctereutes procyonoides albus) in otaru city, hokkaido, japan. | a survey was done in an attempt to investigate the epidemiological status of echinococcus multilocularis in red foxes and raccoon dogs in otaru city from june to september 1999. sixty-seven red foxes (vulpes vulpes schrencki) and 13 raccoon dogs (nyctereutes procyonoides albus) were captured, and postmortem examinations were conducted with them. thirty-eight red foxes (56.7%) and 3 raccoon dogs (23.1%) were found to be infected with e. multilocularis. the total biomass of e. multilocularis in al ... | 2002 | 11949476 |
| growth pattern and seasonal weight changes of the feral raccoon (procyon lotor) in hokkaido, japan. | the growth pattern and seasonal weight fluctuations of feral raccoons in hokkaido were evaluated between 1999 and 2001. the growth rates inbody length and body weight were described for juveniles (young of the year) and yearlings (animals born in the previous season) using the gompertz growth model. the asymptotic body sizes for males were greater than those for females. young raccoons born during spring in the study area could potentially grow up to their asymptotic size at the beginning of the ... | 2003 | 12675552 |
| reproductive characteristics of the feral raccoon (procyon lotor) in hokkaido, japan. | reproduction of feral raccoons (procyon lotor) in hokkaido, japan, was examined during a 2-year period by analysis of placental scars or fetuses in the uterus. of 242 collected females, 69 (29%) were juveniles, 71 (29%) yearlings, and 102 (42%) adults. the pregnancy rate averaged 66% in yearlings and was significantly lower than the 96% average observed in adults (p<0.01). litter size ranged from 1 to 7 offspring per female, and averaged 3.6 in yearlings and 3.9 in adults. there was no significa ... | 2003 | 12679568 |
| babesia microti-like parasites detected in feral raccoons (procyon lotor) captured in hokkaido, japan. | raccoons (procyon lotor), which have recently become feral in japan, were examined for the presence of babesia microti-like parasites. out of 372 raccoons captured in the west-central part of hokkaido, 24 animals with splenomegaly were selected and tested by nested pcr targeting the babesial 18s rrna gene. b. microti-like parasites were detected in two of the 24 individuals, and their dna sequences were identical to that of the b. microti-like parasite reported from raccoons in the united states ... | 2005 | 16141672 |
| epidemiology, histopathology, and muscle distribution of trichinella t9 in feral raccoons (procyon lotor) and wildlife of japan. | the prevalences of trichinella t9 in trapped raccoons (procyon lotor) and several other potential mammalian reservoirs in hokkaido, wakayama, and nagasaki prefectures were investigated. muscle samples were collected from 2003 to 2006 from 1,080 raccoons, 113 raccoon dogs including 2 species (nyctereutes procyonoides albus and n. p. viverrinus), 41 wild boars (sus scrofa leucomystax), 14 martens (martes melampus), 10 badgers (meles meles), 5 siberian weasels (martes sibirica coreana), 7 mink (mus ... | 2007 | 17310398 |
| epizootiological survey of trichinella spp. infection in carnivores, rodents and insectivores in hokkaido, japan. | in order to evaluate the present epidemiological situation of trichinella infection in wild animals in hokkaido, japan, red foxes (vulpes vulpes), raccoon dogs (nyctereutes procyonoides) , brown bears (ursus arctos) , martens (martes melampus), rodents and insectivores captured in hokkaido were examined for muscle larvae by the artificial digestion method from 2000 to 2006. foxes (44/319, 13.8%), raccoon dogs (6/77, 7.8%) and brown bears (4/126, 3.2%) were found to be infected with trichinella l ... | 2007 | 17405354 |
| genetic identification of mammalian carnivore species in the kushiro wetland, eastern hokkaido, japan, by analysis of fecal dna. | to identify mammalian carnivore species distributed in the kushiro wetland, eastern hokkaido, japan, we developed molecular-genetic methods for identification of the species from fecal samples collected from the field. species-specific primers and pcr programs were established for five native and six alien species of carnivores: martes zibellina, mustela nivalis, mustela erminea, vulpes vulpes, and nyctereutes procyonoides as native species, and neovison vison, martes melampus, mustela itatsi, c ... | 2008 | 18828658 |
| overwintering strategy of wild free-ranging and enclosure-housed japanese raccoon dogs (nyctereutes procyonoides albus). | the raccoon dog, nyctereutes procyonoides, is a canid with a passive overwintering strategy in northern europe. however, the behaviour and physiology of the japanese subspecies, n. p. albus, which has fewer chromosomes than the other subspecies, remain unknown. we measured body temperature, body composition and blood biochemistry of wild free-ranging and fasted enclosure-housed n. p. albus during boreal winter in hokkaido, japan. body temperature of n. p. albus decreased from 38 degrees c in aut ... | 2009 | 19101736 |
| molecular evidence for the presence of new babesia species in feral raccoons (procyon lotor) in hokkaido, japan. | we recently reported that feral raccoons (procyon lotor) with splenomegaly native to japan were carriers of a babesia microti-like parasite identical to that found in the united states, which was likely introduced to japan from north america via raccoons imported as pets. thus, we attempted extensive molecular survey for piroplasma infections of feral raccoon with normal spleen in hokkaido, japan using nested pcr that target broadly to 18s ribosomal rna gene (ssu-rdna) of all the parasites in th ... | 2009 | 19349121 |
| borna disease virus in raccoons (procyon lotor) in japan. | we have examined the seroprevalence of bdv in wild raccoons (procyon lotor) in hokkaido, japan. serum samples from raccoons were examined using elisa and western blot assays to detect the presence of serum antibodies that react specifically to bdv antigens. among 549 investigated individuals, eleven (2.0%) showed a positive reaction to bdv antigens. brain tissue samples from five individuals were subjected to rt-pcr, which detected bdv sequences in three of them. sequence analysis revealed a hig ... | 2009 | 19721351 |
| detection of antibodies against japanese encephalitis virus in raccoons, raccoon dogs and wild boars in japan. | japanese encephalitis virus (jev) infects numerous animal species including humans, horses and pigs. in this study, antibodies against jev in feral raccoons (procyon lotor), wild boars (sus scrofa) and raccoon dogs (nyctereutes procyonoides) in japan were examined. the results showed that 40.7% (22 out of 54), 64.5% (40 out of 62), 69.1% (47 out of 68) and 0% (0 out of 20) of raccoons in hyogo, osaka, wakayama and hokkaido, respectively, had virus-neutralizing antibodies against jev. in addition ... | 2009 | 19721354 |
| multiplex pcr system for identifying the carnivore origins of faeces for an epidemiological study on echinococcus multilocularis in hokkaido, japan. | a multiplex pcr system was developed to identify the carnivore origins of faeces collected in hokkaido, japan, for epidemiological studies on echinococcus multilocularis. primers were designed against the d-loop region of mitochondrial dna. two separate primer mixtures (mix 1, specific forward primers to fox, raccoon dog and dog, and a universal reverse primer [prh]; and mix 2, specific forward primers to cat, raccoon and weasels and prh) were used so that the pcr products (160 bp, fox and cat; ... | 2009 | 19756739 |
| serological survey of five zoonoses, scrub typhus, japanese spotted fever, tularemia, lyme disease, and q fever, in feral raccoons (procyon lotor) in japan. | we investigated the seroprevalence of five tick- or mite-borne zoonoses, scrub typhus (orientia tsutsugamushi), japanese spotted fever (rickettsia japonica), tularemia (francisella tularensis), lyme disease (borrelia afzelii and borrelia garinii), and q fever (coxiella burnetii), in feral raccoons (procyon lotor) captured in hokkaido and kanagawa prefectures in japan. of the 559 raccoons captured in hokkaido, 8 (1.4%), 3 (0.5%), 1 (0.2%), and 1 (0.2%) carried antibodies against o. tsutsugamushi ... | 2011 | 20553108 |
| molecular survey of rickettsial agents in feral raccoons (procyon lotor) in hokkaido, japan. | rickettsial infection in feral raccoons (procyon lotor) in hokkaido, japan was analyzed by molecular methods. genus-specific nested polymerase chain reaction (pcr) analysis based on the rickettsia citrate synthase (glta) gene showed that 13 of 699 raccoons (1.9%) examined were positive for rickettsia. twelve of the 13 partial glta sequence amplicons were successfully analyzed. the nucleotide sequence of one amplicon was identical to both rickettsia heilongjiangensis and r. japonica, one was iden ... | 2010 | 20859004 |
| molecular survey of anaplasma and ehrlichia infections of feral raccoons (procyon lotor) in hokkaido, japan. | infection by anaplasma and ehrlichia in feral raccoons (procyon lotor) in hokkaido, japan, was examined by molecular methods. a polymerase chain reaction (pcr) screen for anaplasmataceae, based on 16s rrna, showed that 38 (5.4%) of 699 raccoons examined were positive. these 38 positive samples were examined for anaplasma phagocytophilum, anaplasma bovis, ehrlichia chaffeensis, and ehrlichia canis infection by species-specific nested pcr. nested pcr results indicated that 36 of the 38 samples wer ... | 2011 | 21395415 |
| molecular survey of babesia gibsoni using haemaphysalis longicornis collected from dogs and cats in japan. | a nationwide survey of babesia gibsoni using haemaphysalis longicornis collected from dogs and cats in japan was conducted using molecular methods. a total of 1,341 h. longicornis, including 305 females, 14 males, 332 nymphs and 690 larvae (153 pools) from 44 prefectures, were examined by b. gibsoni-targeted pcr. partial sequence analysis revealed that 12 of 13 positive samples sequenced, including samples from tottori, hiroshima, yamaguchi, tokushima, ehime and oita prefectures (all in western ... | 2014 | 24920547 |
| molecular characterization and phylogenetic analysis of babesia sp. nv-1 detected from wild american mink ( neovison vison ) in hokkaido, japan. | babesiosis is a tick-borne protozoan disease affecting many mammalian species worldwide, caused by the intraerythrocytic multiplication of babesia spp. the present study aimed to detect the presence of babesia sp. in 13 american mink from hokkaido, japan. one of 13 animals was positive, as indicated by nested pcr targeting the 18s ribosomal rna (ssu rdna) and subunit 7 (eta) of the chaperonin-containing t-complex polypeptide 1 (cct7) genes from species of babesia and theileria. sequencing of the ... | 2013 | 22994135 |
| prevalence of multiple subtypes of influenza a virus in japanese wild raccoons. | raccoons (procyon lotor), which are not native to japan, have been suspected to transmit various pathogens by frequent intrusion into agricultural and residential areas. to determine influenza a virus seropositivity in raccoons in japan, we examined a total of 634 raccoons captured in 19 towns (a-s) from 2009 to 2012. agar gel precipitation tests showed that the antibody prevalence was 1.89% (12/634). all positive raccoons were captured in three towns (a-c) located within a radius of approximate ... | 2014 | 24818620 |
| first molecular detection and characterization of hepatozoon and sarcocystis spp. in field mice and voles from japan. | sarcocystis and hepatozoon species are protozoan parasites that are frequently detected in domestic and wild animals. rodents are considered common intermediate and paratenic hosts for several sarcocystis and hepatozoon species. here, blood dna samples from a total of six rodents, including one myodes rutilus, one myodes rufocanus, and four apodemus speciosus, collected from hokkaido, japan, were shown by conventional pcr of the 18s ribosomal rna (rrna) gene to contain sarcocystis and hepatozoon ... | 2017 | 28526989 |
| seasonal and diel activity patterns of eight sympatric mammals in northern japan revealed by an intensive camera-trap survey. | the activity patterns of mammals are generally categorized as nocturnal, diurnal, crepuscular (active at twilight), and cathemeral (active throughout the day). these patterns are highly variable across regions and seasons even within the same species. however, quantitative data is still lacking, particularly for sympatric species. we monitored the seasonal and diel activity patterns of terrestrial mammals in hokkaido, japan. through an intensive camera-trap survey a total of 13,279 capture event ... | 2016 | 27732611 |
| environmental dna enables detection of terrestrial mammals from forest pond water. | terrestrial animals must have frequent contact with water to survive, implying that environmental dna (edna) originating from those animals should be detectable from places containing water in terrestrial ecosystems. aiming to detect the presence of terrestrial mammals using forest water samples, we applied a set of universal pcr primers (mimammal, a modified version of fish universal primers) for metabarcoding mammalian edna. the versatility of mimammal primers was tested in silico and by ampli ... | 2017 | 28603873 |
| epidemiological study of relapsing fever borreliae detected in haemaphysalis ticks and wild animals in the western part of japan. | the genus borrelia comprises arthropod-borne bacteria, which are infectious agents in vertebrates. they are mainly transmitted by ixodid or argasid ticks. in hokkaido, japan, borrelia spp. were found in deer and haemaphysalis ticks between 2011 and 2013; however, the study was limited to a particular area. therefore, in the present study, we conducted large-scale surveillance of ticks and wild animals in the western part of the main island of japan. we collected 6,407 host-seeking ticks from two ... | 2017 | 28362864 |
| a genetic method for sex identification of raccoons (procyon lotor) with using the zfx and zfy genes. | a genetic method for sex determination in raccoons was developed based on nucleotide differences of the zinc finger protein genes zfx and zfy. four novel internal primers specific for zfx or zfy were designed. pcr amplification using two primer sets followed by agarose gel electrophoresis enabled sex determination. 141-bp and 447-bp bands were in both sex, and 346-bp band was specific only in male with primer set i. 345-bp and 447-bp bands were in both sex, and 141-bp band was specific only in m ... | 2014 | 24451927 |
| timing of puberty and its relationship with body growth and season in male raccoons (procyon lotor) in hokkaido. | the raccoon (procyon lotor), indigenous to north america, has naturalized in japan as an invasive alien species, having been introduced into the country in the 1970s. in hokkaido, the northernmost island of japan, feral raccoons have been increasing in number and spreading throughout the island. the age at the onset of puberty for raccoons is important for estimating individual lifetime reproductive success and population growth. the present study investigated the timing of and potential factors ... | 2013 | 23603783 |
| seasonal changes in spermatogenesis and peripheral testosterone concentration in raccoons (procyon lotor) in hokkaido. | feral raccoons (procyon lotor) have been increasing in number since 1979 and are currently subject to pest control in hokkaido. one of the reasons for the increase in numbers is thought to be the high reproductive potential of raccoons, but little is known about their reproduction. the main aim of this study was to clarify seasonal changes in spermatogenesis and peripheral testosterone concentration of raccoons in hokkaido. in the present study, external characteristics and histology of the test ... | 2012 | 22230981 |