The High Prevalence of Orientia tsutsugamushi Among Wild Rodents and the Identification of Its Major Serotypes in Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan, Where Scrub Typhus Patients Are Rarely Identified.

Orientia tsutsugamushi (OT) is an obligate intracellular bacterium transmitted by larval trombiculid mites, responsible for scrub typhus in humans. In Japan, approximately 500 human cases are reported annually, with six major serotypes identified as Kato, Karp, Gilliam, Irie/Kawasaki, Shimokoshi, and Hirano/Kuroki. However, the prevalence of OT in Yamaguchi prefecture remains largely unknown.

Epidemiological Study of Pathogenic in Raccoons () in a Suburb of Tokyo, Japan.

Leptospirosis is a zoonosis that affects humans and animals worldwide. Raccoons (Procyon lotor), adopted in urban environments, may act as potential reservoirs of Leptospira. We investigated the prevalence of pathogenic Leptospira in the kidney and urine samples of raccoons living in Tokyo, as well as anti-leptospiral antibodies in their serum, and aimed to examine the factors that expose raccoons to Leptospira.