Avian influenza virus and paramyxovirus isolation from migratory waterfowl and shorebirds in San-in district of western Japan from 2001 to 2008.

Surveillance of avian influenza virus and paramyxovirus in migratory waterfowl and shorebirds was conducted in the San-in district of western Japan from the winter of 2001 to 2008. From 4,335 fecal samples from wild birds, 41 avian influenza viruses of 12 different HA and NA combinations, including two H5N3 strains, and 13 avian paramyxoviruses were isolated. Phylogenetic analysis of HA genes revealed that H5N3 strains clustered in a different branch from the recent highly pathogenic H5N1 isolates in Japan; however, the introduction of new highly pathogenic avian influenza virus by migratory birds cannot be ignored.

Urogonimus macrostomus (Digenea: Leucochloridiidae) from the rustic bunting, Emberiza rustica, in Japan.

Some trematodes were found in the cloaca of a rustic bunting (Emberiza rustica) captured in Tsushima Islands, Japan. From their morphological characters and distribution, the flukes were identified as Urogonimus macrostomus. The phylogenetic relationship between this fluke and related species was inferred from the 28S rRNA gene sequences, and the gene sequence of the fluke was found to differ at only 4 nucleotide positions from that of U.

In vivo metabolism of aloemannan.

The metabolism of fluoresceinyl isothiocyanate labeled aloemannan (FITC-AM) was examined by p.o. and i.

Survival of Salmonella typhi in oysters.

Shell oysters were reared in experimental conditions to elucidate the survival rate of Salmonella typhi in the body of cultured oysters and the fate of S. typhi in the shucked oysters. Sixty to 80 cultured oysters were reared for 4 h at 15 degrees C in 40 l of sea water than contained 1 x 10(4) -- 2 x 10(4) cells/ml of S.