Isolation and genetic characterization of Staphylococcus aureus from wild animal feces and game meats.

The populations of Japanese deer and boar have increased dramatically and have a serious impact on farming and mountain villages. Although the Japanese government promotes the use of captured wild animals, game meat is not subject to sanitary control considering that it is not subject to meat inspection or quality control. Here, we have attempted to isolate Staphylococcus aureus, a typical foodborne pathogen, as a part of an investigation of contamination in the meats of wild animals and their processing stages.

Prevalence and whole-genome sequence analysis of Campylobacter spp. strains isolated from wild deer and boar in Japan.

As a part of risk analysis for consumption of meat from wild animals, the prevalence of Campylobacter spp. in wild deer and boar in Japan was investigated. C.

Prevalence and Genetic Diversity of Bartonella Spp. in Northern Bats (Eptesicus nilssonii) and Their Blood-Sucking Ectoparasites in Hokkaido, Japan.

We investigated the prevalence of Bartonella in 123 northern bats (Eptesicus nilssonii) and their ectoparasites from Hokkaido, Japan. A total of 174 bat fleas (Ischnopsyllus needhami) and two bat bugs (Cimex japonicus) were collected from the bats. Bartonella bacteria were isolated from 32 (26.

Whole-genome sequence analysis of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli O157 strains isolated from wild deer and boar in Japan.

The prevalence of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli O157 (STEC O157) strains in wild deer and boar in Japan was investigated. STEC O157 strains were isolated from 1.9% (9/474) of the wild deer and 0.

Lipoptena fortisetosa as a vector of Bartonella bacteria in Japanese sika deer (Cervus nippon).

Background: Two species of deer ked (Lipoptena cervi and L. mazamae) have been identified as vectors of Bartonella bacteria in cervids in Europe and the USA. In an earlier study we showed that Japanese sika deer (Cervus nippon) harbor three Bartonella species, namely B.

Radiocesium concentrations in invertebrates and their environmental media at two distances from the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant during 3-6 years after the 2011 accident.

Activity concentrations of the radioactive cesium (Cs and Cs) were investigated in invertebrates at two sites of moderately high and higher air radiation dose rates, 14 km and 11 km distances, respectively, from the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant (FDNPP) from 2013 to 2016. At a14-km point, the Cs concentrations of soils in coniferous and broadleaf forests increased from 2013 to 2014, and thereafter declined until 2016. The Cs concentrations of the phytophagous beetle Anomala cuprea (Hope) rapidly decreased by 76.

Isolation and genetic properties of Bartonella in eastern bent-wing bats (Miniopterus fuliginosus) in Japan.

The prevalence and genetic characteristics of Bartonella species in eastern bent-wing bats (Miniopterus fuliginosus) from Japan were investigated. Bartonella bacteria were isolated from 12/50 (24%) of bats examined. Analyses of sequence similarities of the citrate synthase gene (gltA) and RNA polymerase beta-subunit-encoding (rpoB) gene indicated that the isolates from M.

MOLECULAR SURVEY OF IN JAPANESE RACCOON DOGS ().

Wild carnivores serve as reservoirs of several zoonotic species such as , subsp. , and . The raccoon dog () is the most common native carnivore in Japan, but epidemiologic studies of infections have not been performed in this animal species yet.

PREVALENCE OF AMONG WILD SIKA DEER () AND BOARS () IN JAPAN.

We examined the prevalence of , including pathogenic species such as and , among wild sika deer () and boars () captured in Japan. The prevalence of in the wild deer was 75% (207/277) and in the boars was 74% (40/54). A total of 417 isolates of nine species were isolated from the animals examined: the largest number of isolates (48%, 200/417) were biotype 1A.

Isolation and phylogenetic analysis of Bartonella species from Rusa deer (Rusa timorensis) in Thailand.

The aim of the present study is to investigate the prevalence of Bartonella infection in deer in Thailand and to characterize the isolates by biochemical, morphological and genetic analysis. A total of 247 blood samples were collected from Rusa deer (Rusa timorensis) in a livestock breeding facility in Thailand. Bartonella bacteria were isolated in 3.

Microbiological Quality Assessment of Game Meats at Retail in Japan.

In this study, we examined the prevalence of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli and Salmonella spp. and the distribution of indicator bacteria in 248 samples of game meats (120 venison and 128 wild boar) retailed between November 2015 and March 2016 in Japan. No Salmonella spp.

Molecular survey of Bartonella henselae and Bartonella clarridgeiae in pet cats across Japan by species-specific nested-PCR.

Cats are known to be the main reservoir for Bartonella henselae and Bartonella clarridgeiae, which are the agents of 'cat-scratch disease' in humans. In the present study, we investigated the prevalence of the two Bartonella species on 1754 cat bloods collected from all prefectures in Japan during 2007-2008 by a nested-polymerase chain reaction (PCR) targeting the 16S-23S rRNA internal transcribed spacer region. Overall, Bartonella DNA was detected in 4·6% (80/1754) of the cats examined.

Characterization of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli from feces of sika deer (Cervus nippon) in Japan using PCR binary typing analysis to evaluate their potential human pathogenicity.

This study examined the potential pathogenicity of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) in feces of sika deer by PCR binary typing (P-BIT), using 24 selected STEC genes. A total of 31 STEC strains derived from sika deer in 6 prefectures of Japan were O-serotyped and found to be O93 (n=12), O146 (n=5), O176 (n=3), O130 (n=3), O5 (n=2), O7 (n=1), O96 (n=1), O116 (n=1), O141 (n=1), O157 (n=1) and O-untypable (n=1). Of the 31 STEC strains, 13 carried both stx1 and stx2, 5 carried only stx1, and 13 carried one or two variants of stx2.

Draft Genome Sequence of Five Shiga Toxin-Producing Strains Isolated from Wild Deer in Japan.

Shiga toxin-producing (STEC) is one of the major foodborne pathogens. Having observed the wide distribution of this pathogen in wild deer, we report here the draft genome sequence of five STEC strains isolated from wild deer () in Hokkaido, Japan.

PREVALENCE AND DIVERSITY OF BARTONELLA SPECIES IN WILD SMALL MAMMALS IN ASIA.

We collected 641 small mammals belonging to 17 species of Rodentia and four species of Soricomorpha in Japan, Korea, Russia, Taiwan, and Thailand and investigated the prevalence and genetic diversity of Bartonella species. Apodemus (field mice) and Rattus (rats) were the most-common genera captured, making up 56.0% and 23.

Prevalence and characterization of Chlamydia DNA in zoo animals in Japan.

Because many people visit zoos, prevention of zoonoses is important from the standpoint of public health. This study examined the prevalence of Chlamydia among zoo animals in Japan by PCR and characterized these bacteria by performing phylogenetic analyses of the sequences of the variable domain (VD) 2 and VD4 regions of the ompA gene, which encodes the Chlamydia major outer membrane protein. Fecal samples were collected from 1150 zoo animals in five zoos and examined for Chlamydia DNA.

Isolation of pathogenic Yersinia enterocolitica 1B/O:8 from Apodemus mice in Japan.

Yersinia enterocolitica was isolated from 15.7% (88/560) of wild rodents captured in 15 prefectures in Japan. Prevalences by rodent species were 18.

Prevalence of zoonotic Bartonella species among rodents and shrews in Thailand.

We investigated the prevalence of Bartonella species in 10 rodent and one shrew species in Thailand. From February 2008 to May 2010, a total of 375 small animals were captured in 9 provinces in Thailand. Bartonella strains were isolated from 57 rodents (54 from Rattus species and 3 from Bandicota indica) and one shrew (Suncus murinus) in 7 of the 9 provinces, and identified to the species level.

Activation of nuclear factor-kappa B and cell adhesion molecule mRNA expression in duodenal mucosa of dogs with lymphocytic-plasmacytic enteritis.

Lymphocytic-plasmacytic enteritis (LPE) is the most common form of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) affecting the canine small intestine; however, the molecular basis of the pathogenesis remains unclear. It has recently been hypothesized that the primary defect is impaired innate immune function, as is the case for human IBD. Nuclear factor-kappa B (NFkappaB) plays a central role in innate immunity, and is a major transcriptional regulator of several proinflammatory cytokines, pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) such as toll-like receptors (TLRs), nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-like receptors and cell adhesion molecules (CAMs).

Small Indian mongooses and masked palm civets serve as new reservoirs of Bartonella henselae and potential sources of infection for humans.

The prevalence and genetic properties of Bartonella species were investigated in small Indian mongooses and masked palm civets in Japan. Bartonella henselae, the causative agent of cat-scratch disease (CSD) was isolated from 15.9% (10/63) of the mongooses and 2.

Japanese Macaques (Macaca fuscata) as Natural Reservoir of Bartonella quintana.

Bartonella quintana bacteremia was detected in 6 (13.3%) of 45 wild-caught Japanese macaques (Macaca fuscata). Multilocus sequence typing of the isolates revealed that Japanese macaques were infected with a new and specific B.

Experimental infection of three laboratory mouse stocks with a shrew origin Bartonella elizabethae strain: an evaluation of bacterial host switching potential.

Background: Bartonella elizabethae has been reported as a causative agent of human illnesses and strains of this bacterium are commonly isolated from commensal small mammals in Asia.

Methods: Since the zoonotic potential of a pathogen is often related to its host switching ability, we explored the capacity of a B. elizabethae strain to host switch by subcutaneously inoculating groups of Swiss Webster, BALB/c, and C57BL/6 mice with the bacteria at a range of doses.

Bartonella jaculi sp. nov., Bartonella callosciuri sp. nov., Bartonella pachyuromydis sp. nov. and Bartonella acomydis sp. nov., isolated from wild Rodentia.

Four novel strains of members of the genus Bartonella, OY2-1(T), BR11-1(T), FN15-2(T) and KS2-1(T), were isolated from the blood of wild-captured greater Egyptian jerboa (Jaculus orientalis), plantain squirrel (Callosciurus notatus), fat-tailed gerbil (Pachyuromys duprasi) and golden spiny mouse (Acomys russatus). All the animals were imported to Japan as pets from Egypt, Thailand and the Netherlands. The phenotypic characterization (growth conditions, incubation periods, biochemical properties and cell morphologies), DNA G+C contents (37.