Publications by authors named "Kazunori Ike"

Background/purpose: Avian trichomonosis is a parasitic infection that affects a wide range of avian species, including free-ranging and pet birds worldwide, and Trichomonas gallinae has been considered as the only causative agent for decades. The sequence of the 5.8S ribosomal RNA with internal transcribed spacer (ITS) regions was widely used for identifying genotypes and determining inter-specific and intra-specific diversity.

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The genus Allen, 1933 (Apicomplexa: Sarcocystidae), an avian coccidia, is characterized by monosporocystic and octasporozoic oocysts without Stieda and substieda bodies. Some members of , which infect several raptor species, exhibit high levels of pathogenicity, making eumonosporiosis the leading cause of death in captive-bred raptors. The host specificity of these species appears to be mesostenoxenous, as evidenced by unsuccessful transmission between different orders of avian hosts.

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The coccidian genus Eumonospora Allen, 1933 is re-established. Despite morphological features and host preference among species, coccidian with octasporozoic and monosporocystic oocysts are traditionally consider to belonging in the genus Caryospora Léger, 1904 (Apicomplexa: Eimeriidae). Recently, the genus Avispora Schuster et al.

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is a genus of the herbivorous agamid lizards, also known as spiny-tailed lizards or mastigures, which are found in parts of Africa and the Middle East. Currently, several species of this genus are available in the international pet trade in Japan. In this study, two imported wild-caught spiny-tailed lizards (Arabian blue mastigure, and Sudan mastigure, ) were diagnosed with a (Apicomplexa: Cryptosporidiidae) infection based on the presence of the oocysts in the rectal feces using sucrose flotation and light microscopy examination at a local animal hospital in Tokyo, Japan.

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Neospora caninum is a causative and transmissible agent of dog and bovine neosporosis. The resulting reproductive failures in infected cattle lead to significant economic losses worldwide. However, there is no satisfactory treatment or vaccine currently available to combat this pathogen.

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The Amami spiny rat () is an endangered rodent species that is endemic to the forests of Amami-Oshima Island, Kagoshima, Japan. In July 2018, a deceased adult male Amami spiny rat was found on the Yuwandake Mountain Trail on the south-central coast of Amami-Oshima Island. Histopathological observations revealed protozoan infections in the liver, lungs, and heart.

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Long-tailed chinchillas Chinchilla lanigera are popular rodent species kept both in households, where they are hand-raised as pets, and in zoological facilities. From January 2016 to February 2017, 13 juvenile chinchillas from five facilities in Japan were diagnosed with cryptosporidiosis at the animal hospital. Eight of the cases were fatal.

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In this study, we provide the first description of infection in Asian small-clawed otters (). In July 2017, three juvenile otters recently imported from the Republic of Indonesia showed severe diarrhea and were diagnosed with coccidial infection; two of them eventually died. Fecal examination revealed the presence of numerous oocysts.

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A 12-year-old female Shih-Tzu with hyperadrenocorticism and hypothyroidism developed concurrent refractory generalized demodicosis that did not respond to doramectin treatment. Although amitraz treatment was effective, the dog developed severe diabetes, which resulted in the cessation of amitraz and trilostane. Attempts to control the diabetes were unsuccessful, and its hyperadrenocorticism was left untreated, leading to the recurrence of demodicosis.

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A new species of Demodex was detected in the earwax of a dog with otitis externa in Saitama Prefecture, Japan, in July 2010. The opisthosoma length of the mite was slightly shorter than 1/2 of its body length, which was different from the other species in domestic dogs, D. canis and D.

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is a newly described pathogen belonging to the phylum Microsporidia. In Austria and the USA, this species has been isolated from fatal and disseminated cases of captive-bred inland bearded dragons. Here, we report the case of fatal disseminated microsporidiosis caused by E.

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Five individuals of the domestic Java sparrows, Lonchura oryzivora (Aves: Estrildidae), were examined for coccidian parasites. Sporulated oocysts had two sporocysts containing four sporozoites each. Sporulated oocysts (n=30) were spherical, with a two splinter-like polar granules.

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Three antigens (NcSAG1, NcSRS2 and NcMIC3) from Neospora caninum were expressed using the BmNPV bacmid system in silkworm larvae and purified from the hemolymph. From 20 silkworm larvae, 1.5, 1.

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Baculovirus display systems have been utilized for cell-specific gene transfer, regenerative medicine, and as vaccine vectors. In particular, baculovirus particles displaying surface antigens have been used as vaccines against some parasites and viruses. In this study, Bombyx mori nucleopolyhedrovirus (BmNPV) particles displaying Neospora caninum antigens (NcSAG1, NcSRS2, and NcMIC3) purified from the hemolymph or fat body of silkworm larvae were prepared to vaccinate mice against N.

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We developed a transgenic potato (TrP/R7) expressing the recombinant R7 (rR7) antigen for use as an oral vaccine to protect against a chicken protozoan disease, chicken leucocytozoonosis. The TrP/R7 potato was produced by Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transformation and regeneration, and the R7 gene insertion into potato chromosomes was confirmed by genomic polymerase chain reaction and Southern hybridization. rR7 antigen expression in TrP/R7 potato was also confirmed by sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and western blotting using an antibody against the second-generation schizont of Leucocytozoon caulleryi.

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Neosporosis, caused by an intracellular parasite, Neospora caninum, is an infectious disease primarily of cattle and dogs. It occurs worldwide and causes huge damages to dairy farms. In this study, we immunized mice with recombinant surface-associated protein 1 of N.

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Neospora caninum is an obligate intracellular protozoan parasite that causes severe neuromuscular diseases, repeated abortion, stillbirth, and congenital infection in livestock and companion animals. The development of an effective vaccine against neosporosis in cattle is an important issue due to the significant worldwide economic impact of this disease. We evaluated the immunogenicity of four bradyzoite antigens, NcBAG1 (first described in this study), NcBSR4, NcMAG1, and NcSAG4, using an acute infection mouse model to determine synergistic effects with the tachyzoite antigen as a candidate for vaccine production.

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To assess the effect of edible mushroom extracts on the induction of T-helper 1 (Th1) immunity, we examined differences in interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) and interleukin (IL)-4 production in mice induced by hot-water extracts of 15 species of edible mushroom. Extracts from Agaricus bisporus, Flammulina velutipes, Hypsizigus marmoreus, Lentinula edodes, and Lyophyllum decastes induced both IFN-γ and IL-4 production in mice, whereas extracts from Pleurotus ostreatus only induced IL-4. In contrast, extracts from Agaricus blazei, Grifola frondosa, Morchella esculenta, Pholiota nameko, Pleurotus citrinopileatus, and Pleurotus eryngii induced only IFN-γ production.

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A one-month male Greyhound dog presented with a swinging gait of the hindlimbs, and later developed muscular atrophy of the femoral region and hyperextension of hindlimbs. The dog had positive serum IFAT titers to Neospora caninum, but a negative titer in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). N.

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Intestinal ciliates excreted in the feces of Asian elephants were surveyed. Fourteen species in the order Entodiniomorphida were detected. Nine Triplumaria species in the family Cycloposthiidae were found.

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Zinc (Zn) is an essential trace element for DNA synthesis and for cell growth and differentiation. The deficiency induces a wide range of disorders including immunodeficiency. In this study, the influence of Zn deficiency to the mice infected with Babesia microti was examined, and was compared with the influence in the rats infected with B.

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Zinc deficiency induces a wide range of disorders including immunodeficiency. It is known that microbial infections occur with a high frequency in the zinc-deficient hosts, but the study on the correlation between parasitic infection and zinc status in hosts is scarcely performed. We observed that the influence of zinc deficiency to the rats infected with Babesia rodhaini.

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Prevalence of lung worms belonging to the genus Metastrongylus was surveyed on 42 Japanese wild boars (Sus scrofa leucomystax) captured officially for wildlife damage control in the western parts of Tokyo, Japan from April 2000 to April 2001. The number of parasites was the highest in the caudal lung lobes. Four species, M.

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