title: Tick surveillance for relapsing fever spirochete Borrelia miyamotoi in Hokkaido, Japan.
abstract: During 2012-2013, a total of 4325 host-seeking adult ticks belonging to the genus Ixodes were collected from various localities of Hokkaido, the northernmost island of Japan. Tick lysates were subjected to real-time PCR assay to detect borrelial infection. The assay was designed for specific detection of the Relapsing fever spirochete Borrelia miyamotoi and for unspecific detection of Lyme disease-related spirochetes. Overall prevalence of B. miyamotoi was 2% (71/3532) in Ixodes persulcatus, 4.3% (5/117) in Ixodes pavlovskyi and 0.1% (1/676) in Ixodes ovatus. The prevalence in I. persulcatus and I. pavlovskyi ticks were significantly higher than in I. ovatus. Co-infections with Lyme disease-related spirochetes were found in all of the tick species. During this investigation, we obtained 6 isolates of B. miyamotoi from I. persulcatus and I. pavlovskyi by culture in BSK-M medium. Phylogenetic trees of B. miyamotoi inferred from each of 3 housekeeping genes (glpQ, 16S rDNA, and flaB) demonstrated that the Hokkaido isolates were clustered with Russian B. miyamotoi, but were distinguishable from North American and European B. miyamotoi. A multilocus sequence analysis using 8 genes (clpA, clpX, nifS, pepX, pyrG, recG, rplB, and uvrA) suggested that all Japanese B. miyamotoi isolates, including past isolates, were genetically clonal, although these were isolated from different tick and vertebrate sources. From these results, B. miyamotoi-infected ticks are widely distributed throughout Hokkaido. Female I. persulcatus are responsible for most human tick-bites, thereby I. persulcatus is likely the most important vector of indigenous relapsing fever from tick bites in Hokkaido.
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Medicine, Joint Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Yamaguchi University, Yamaguchi, Yamaguchi, Japan; The United Graduate School of Veterinary Science, Yamaguchi University, Yamaguchi, Yamaguchi, Japan.
authors.forename: Ai
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Takano
authors.affiliation: Department of Disease Control, Graduate School of Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan.
authors.forename: Kochi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Toyomane
authors.affiliation: Department of Disease Control, Graduate School of Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan.
authors.forename: Satoru
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Konnai
authors.affiliation: Department of Disease Control, Graduate School of Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan.
authors.forename: Kazuhiko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ohashi
authors.affiliation: Department of Parasitology, Asahikawa Medical College, Asahikawa, Hokkaido, Japan.
authors.forename: Minoru
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nakao
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Disease, Hokkaido Institute of Public Health. Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan.
authors.forename: Takuya
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ito
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Veterinary Public Health, Joint Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Kagoshima University, Kagoshima, Kagoshima, Japan.
authors.forename: Masako
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Andoh
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Medicine, Joint Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Yamaguchi University, Yamaguchi, Yamaguchi, Japan; The United Graduate School of Veterinary Science, Yamaguchi University, Yamaguchi, Yamaguchi, Japan.
authors.forename: Ken
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Maeda
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Medicine, Joint Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Yamaguchi University, Yamaguchi, Yamaguchi, Japan; The United Graduate School of Veterinary Science, Yamaguchi University, Yamaguchi, Yamaguchi, Japan.
authors.forename: Masahisa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Watarai
authors.affiliation: Department of Bacteriology-I, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Kozue
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sato
authors.affiliation: Department of Bacteriology-I, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, Japan; United Graduate School of Agricultural Science & Veterinary Science, Gifu University, Gifu, Gifu, Japan.
authors.forename: Hiroki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kawabata
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001898:Borrelia / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D008297:Male; D010802:Phylogeny; D012061:Relapsing Fever / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000635:transmission; D013987:Ticks / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D004269:DNA, Bacterial
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