Borrelia japonica in nature: genotypic identification of spirochetes isolated from Japanese small mammals.
Spirochetes were isolated from earlobe tissues of shrews (Sorex unguiculatus, Sorex caecutiens, and Crocidura dsienezumi), voles (Clethrionomys rufocanus), and mice (Apodemus argenteus and Apodemus speciosus) captured in various localities in Japan. The isolates were identified as Borrelia japonica by rRNA gene restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis. The data suggest that these small mammals are candidates of reservoir hosts for B. japonica.
Nakao
M
M
Department of Parasitology, Asahikawa Medical College, Hokkaido, Japan.
Miyamoto
K
K
Fukunaga
M
M
D000818:Animals; D000835:Animals, Wild / Q000382:microbiology*; D001096:Arachnid Vectors / Q000382:microbiology*; D003411:Arvicolinae / Q000382:microbiology; D001898:Borrelia / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D004197:Disease Reservoirs / Q000662:veterinary; D005798:Genes, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics; D005838:Genotype; D007564:Japan; D051379:Mice; D012150:Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length; D012335:RNA, Ribosomal / Q000032:analysis; D012788:Shrews / Q000382:microbiology; D013987:Ticks / Q000382:microbiology
D012335:RNA, Ribosomal