Occurrence of two distinct Theileria lineages in sika deer (Cervus nippon) of Iwate Prefecture, Japan.

In the present study, we tried to detect protozoan blood parasites from the liver or blood of 141 Japanese sika deer (Cervus nippon) in Iwate Prefecture of Japan by polymerase chain reaction. Approximately 500-bp amplicons were obtained in 76 (53.9%) of 141 samples by amplification for V4 hyper-variable regions of the 18S rRNA gene, and the amplicons were considered to be DNA of Theileria species.

Molecular phylogenetic analysis of Theileria species detected from Japanese serows (Capricornis crispus) in Iwate Prefecture, Japan.

In the present study, we tried to detect DNA for ribosomal RNA genes of piroplasma parasites from the liver or blood of 43 Japanese serows (Capricornis crispus) in Iwate Prefecture of Japan by polymerase chain reaction. Approximately 500-bp amplicons were obtained in 35 (81.4%) of the 43 samples by amplification for V4 hyper-variable regions of the 18S rRNA gene, and the amplicons were considered to be DNA of Theileria species.

The first detection of Babesia species DNA from Japanese black bears (Ursus thibetanus japonicus) in Japan.

In this study, we tried to detect protozoan blood parasites from the liver or blood of 156 Japanese black bears (Ursus thibetanus japonicus) in Iwate Prefecture of Japan by polymerase chain reaction. Two amplicons (approximately 540 bp and 480 bp) were detected by amplification for V4 hyper-variable regions of the 18S rRNA gene. Approximately 540-bp products were obtained in 119 samples (76.