Isolation of pathogenic Yersinia enterocolitica 1B/O:8 from Apodemus mice in Japan.
Yersinia enterocolitica was isolated from 15.7% (88/560) of wild rodents captured in 15 prefectures in Japan. Prevalences by rodent species were 18.0% (70/388) in Japanese field mice (Apodemus speciosus), 20% (14/71) in small Japanese field mice (Apodemus argenteus), and 11% (4/38) in gray red-backed vole (Myodes rufocanus bedfordiae), suggesting that these rodent species are important reservoirs of Y. enterocolitica. Although most of the isolates were identified as biotype 1A, the pathogenic bioserotype 1B/O:8 was detected in one of the A. speciosus and in three of the A. argenteus captured in Aomori Prefecture. It is suggested that Apodemus mice may be an important reservoir of Y. enterocolitica, and that there are foci of the pathogenic bioserotype 1B/O:8 in Aomori Prefecture, because human sporadic cases by the serotype have been reported in this prefecture.
1 Laboratory of Veterinary Public Health, Department of Veterinary Medicine, College of Bioresource Science, Nihon University, 1866 Kameino, Fujisawa, Kanagawa 252-0880, Japan.
Shinya
S
Oda
Hidenori
H
Kabeya
Shingo
S
Sato
Ai
A
Shimonagane
Kai
K
Inoue
Hideki
H
Hayashidani
Nobuhiro
N
Takada
Hiromi
H
Fujita
Hiroki
H
Kawabata
Soichi
S
Maruyama
D000818:Animals; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D051379:Mice; D051189:Murinae / Q000382:microbiology*; D012376:Rodent Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology*; D015009:Yersinia Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology / Q000662:veterinary*; D015008:Yersinia enterocolitica / Q000145:classification / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000472:pathogenicity*
Japan; Yersinia enterocolitica; rodents; yersiniosis