Serological and molecular survey of Rickettsial infection in cattle and sika deer in a pastureland in Hidaka District, Hokkaido, Japan.
Rickettsial infection of cattle and sika deer from a pastureland in Hidaka District, Hokkaido, Japan was examined by serological and molecular methods. Serum samples from 8 of 83 (9.6%) cattle reacted with Rickettsia helvetica antigens in an IFA test, with titers ranging from 1:160 to 1:640, while serum samples from 15 of 22 (68.2%) deer were positive for R. helvetica, with titers ranging from 1:80 to 1:640. In a genus-specific nested PCR based on gltA, no cattle were positive for Rickettsia, while 14 of 22 (63.3%) samples obtained from deer tested positive. Sequence analysis revealed that positive samples from sika deer showed 100% nucleotide sequence identity with the known sequence of Rickettsia asiatica.
Jilintai
Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Obihiro 080-8555, Japan.
Seino
Nobutaka
N
Matsumoto
Kotaro
K
Hayakawa
Daisuke
D
Suzuki
Masatsugu
M
Hata
Hirosi
H
Kondo
Seiji
S
Yokoyama
Naoaki
N
Inokuma
Hisashi
H
D000818:Animals; D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000097:blood*; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial / Q000097:blood; D002417:Cattle; D002418:Cattle Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology*; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000032:analysis / Q000302:isolation & purification; D003670:Deer; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012281:Rickettsia / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification; D012282:Rickettsia Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology / Q000662:veterinary*
D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial; D004269:DNA, Bacterial