title: Molecular survey of rickettsial agents in feral raccoons (Procyon lotor) in Hokkaido, Japan.
abstract: Rickettsial infection in feral raccoons (Procyon lotor) in Hokkaido, Japan was analyzed by molecular methods. Genus-specific nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis based on the Rickettsia citrate synthase (gltA) gene showed that 13 of 699 raccoons (1.9%) examined were positive for Rickettsia. Twelve of the 13 partial gltA sequence amplicons were successfully analyzed. The nucleotide sequence of one amplicon was identical to both Rickettsia heilongjiangensis and R. japonica, one was identical to R. felis, and the rest to R. helvetica. This is the first report on the detection of rickettsial agents in peripheral blood of raccoons.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Veterinary Science, Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Obihiro 080-8555, Japan.
authors.forename: Mariko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sashika
authors.forename: Go
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Abe
authors.forename: Kotaro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Matsumoto
authors.forename: Hisashi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Inokuma
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D002950:Citrate (si)-Synthase / Q000235:genetics; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000097:blood; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011821:Raccoons / Q000382:microbiology*; D012281:Rickettsia / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D012282:Rickettsia Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology / Q000662:veterinary*
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D002950:Citrate (si)-Synthase