title: Molecular characterization of rotaviruses in a Japanese raccoon dog (Nyctereutes procyonoides) and a masked palm civet (Paguma larvata) in Japan.
abstract: Group A rotaviruses infect and cause diarrhea in humans and a wide range of mammals. Previous studies have suggested that some strains can cross the species barrier to infect humans (Martella et al., 2010). However, there are few reports on infection and characterization of rotaviruses in wild animals. To estimate what types of rotaviruses infect wild animals, we investigated infection of rotaviruses in wild animals living in urban areas in Japan between 2003 and 2008. Of 145 fecal specimens obtained, we detected rotaviruses in one sample from a Japanese raccoon dog (Nyctereutes procyonoides) (RAC-DG5) and in one sample from a masked palm civet (Paguma larvata) (MP-CIVET66) by RT-semi-nested PCR. Sequence analyses of the VP4 and VP7 genes of RAC-DG5 and MP-CIVET66 strains revealed that these strains belong to G3bP[9] genotype. Furthermore, phylogenetic analyses showed that RAC-DG5 and MP-CIVET66 strains were closely related to human and feline rotaviruses, suggesting interspecies transmission from humans or cats. To our knowledge, this is the first report on the detection and characterization of rotaviruses in a Japanese raccoon dog and masked palm civet. These findings show that wild animals constitute a potential zoonotic risk of rotaviruses.
authors.affiliation: The United Graduate School of Veterinary Sciences, Gifu University, 1-1 Yanagido, Gifu 501-1193, Japan.
authors.forename: Masako
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Abe
authors.forename: Ari
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Yamasaki
authors.forename: Naoto
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ito
authors.forename: Toshio
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Mizoguchi
authors.forename: Makoto
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Asano
authors.forename: Tsukasa
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Okano
authors.forename: Makoto
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sugiyama
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000835:Animals, Wild / Q000821:virology*; D000956:Antigens, Viral / Q000235:genetics; D036022:Capsid Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010802:Phylogeny; D046031:Raccoon Dogs / Q000821:virology*; D012401:Rotavirus / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D045949:Viverridae / Q000821:virology*
chemical_list: D000956:Antigens, Viral; D036022:Capsid Proteins; C060339:VP4 protein, Rotavirus; C050779:VP7 protein, Rotavirus