title: Onchocerca takaokai n. sp. (Nematoda: Filarioidea) in Japanese wild boars (Sus scrofa leucomystax): Description and molecular identification of intradermal females.
abstract: Human zoonotic onchocercosis is caused by Onchocerca dewittei japonica, parasitic in wild boars (Sus scrofa leucomystax) in Japan. Previously, microfilariae longer than those of Onchocerca dewittei japonica were observed in skin snips from wild boars during the study of O. dewittei japonica. Moreover, the third-stage larvae (L3) of these longer microfilariae were obtained from the blackfly Simulium bidentatum after experimental injections. Based on morphometric and molecular studies, similar L3 were found in blackflies during fieldwork in Oita, Japan. However, except for O. dewittei japonica, adult worms of Onchocerca have not been found in wild boars. In this study, we discovered adult females of a novel Onchocerca species in the skin of a wild boar in Oita, and named it Onchocerca takaokai n. sp. Females of this new species had longer microfilariae and differed from O. dewittei japonica in terms of their morphological characteristics and parasitic location. The molecular characteristics of the cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 and 12S rRNA genes of the new species were identical to those of the longer microfilariae and L3 previously detected, but they differed from those of O. dewittei japonica at the species level. However, both species indicated a close affinity among their congeners and Onchocerca ramachandrini, parasitic in the warthog in Africa, was basal in the Suidae cluster of the 12S rRNA tree.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; Department of Parasitology, Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka City University, Osaka 545-8585, Japan. Electronic address: unishigehiko@um.edu.my.
authors.forename: Shigehiko
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Uni
authors.affiliation: Research Promotion Institute, Oita University, Oita 879-5593, Japan.
authors.forename: Masako
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fukuda
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Health Science, Kochi Medical School, Kochi University, Nankoku 783-8505, Japan.
authors.forename: Takeshi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Agatsuma
authors.affiliation: Parasitologie comparée, UMR 7205 CNRS, Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, 75231 Paris, France.
authors.forename: Odile
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Bain
authors.affiliation: Research Center for the Pacific Islands, Kagoshima University, Kagoshima 890-8580, Japan.
authors.forename: Yasushi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Otsuka
authors.affiliation: Agricultural Research Center, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8666, Japan.
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Nakatani
authors.affiliation: Department of International Prevention of Epidemics, Division of Veterinary Science, Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Osaka Prefecture University, Osaka 598-8531, Japan.
authors.forename: Makoto
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Matsubayashi
authors.affiliation: Laboratory Animal Center, Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka City University, Osaka 545-8585, Japan.
authors.forename: Masashi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Harada
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
authors.forename: Hasmahzaiti
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Omar
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
authors.forename: Rosli
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ramli
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
authors.forename: Rosli
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Hashim
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
authors.forename: Mohd Sofian
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Azirun
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
authors.forename: Hiroyuki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Takaoka
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D003576:Electron Transport Complex IV / Q000235:genetics; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D008842:Microfilariae / Q000302:isolation & purification; D009854:Onchocerca / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics*; D009855:Onchocerciasis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000469:parasitology / Q000662:veterinary*; D012335:RNA, Ribosomal / Q000235:genetics; D012867:Skin / Q000469:parasitology; D034421:Sus scrofa / Q000469:parasitology*; D013552:Swine; D013553:Swine Diseases / Q000469:parasitology*; D015047:Zoonoses / Q000469:parasitology
chemical_list: D012335:RNA, Ribosomal; C075526:RNA, ribosomal, 12S; D003576:Electron Transport Complex IV
keywords: Blackfly; Onchocerca dewittei japonica; Phylogeny; Zoonosis