Babesia microti-Like Parasites Detected in Feral Raccoons (Procyon lotor) Captured in Hokkaido, Japan

Journal of Veterinary Medical Science

Ayako SADO¹  Takako KAWABUCHI¹  Mitsuhiko ASAKAWA¹  Masayoshi TSUJI¹  Yohei MATOBA¹  Chiaki ISHIHARA¹ 

[1] School of Veterinary Medicine, Rakuno-Gakuen University

关键词: Babesia microti;    Hokkaido;    Raccoon;   

DOI  :  10.1292/jvms.67.825

学科分类：兽医学

来源: Japanese Society of Veterinary Science

【 摘 要 】

References(15)Cited-By(17)Raccoons (Procyon lotor), which have recently become feral in Japan, were examined for the presence of Babesia microti-like parasites. Out of 372 raccoons captured in the west-central part of Hokkaido, 24 animals with splenomegaly were selected and tested by nested PCR targeting the babesial 18S rRNA gene. B. microti-like parasites were detected in two of the 24 individuals, and their DNA sequences were identical to that of the B. microti-like parasite reported from raccoons in the United States, suggesting that the parasites were probably imported into Japan and that the life cycle of the parasite has already been established in the country. The potential risk of this B. microti-like parasite spreading among dogs and foxes in Japan will need to be carefully monitored, as parasitization by phylogenetically very close parasites has been reported from such animals.

【 授权许可】

Unknown