title: Toxigenic Corynebacterium ulcerans isolated from a wild bird (ural owl) and its feed (shrew-moles): comparison of molecular types with human isolates.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Corynebacterium ulcerans is a pathogen causing diphtheria-like illness to humans. In contrast to diphtheria by Corynebacterium diphtheriae circulating mostly among humans, C. ulcerans infection is zoonotic. The present study aimed to clarify how a zoonotic pathogen C. ulcerans circulates among wild birds and animals.
  
  
  RESULTS
  By screening 380 birds, a single strain of toxigenic C. ulcerans was isolated from a carnivorous bird, ural owl (Strix uralensis). The bacterium was also isolated from two individuals of Japanese shrew-mole (Urotrichus talpoides), a food preference of the owl. Analysis by ribotyping showed that the owl and mole isolates were classified in a group, suggesting that C. ulcerans can be transmissible among wild birds and their prey animals. Moreover, our isolates were found to belong to a group of previously reported C. ulcerans isolates from dogs and a cat, which are known to serve as sources for human infection.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The findings suggest that the shrew-mole may be a potential reservoir of a zoonotic pathogen C. ulcerans.
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Diseases, Osaka Prefectural Institute of Public Health, 1-3-69 Nakamichi, Higashinari-ku, Osaka-Shi, Osaka, 537-0025, Japan.
authors.forename: Chihiro
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Katsukawa
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Osaka City Institute of Public Health and Environmental Sciences, 8-34 Tojo-cho, Tennoji-ku, Osaka-Shi, Osaka, 543-0026, Japan.
authors.forename: Kaoru
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Umeda
authors.affiliation: Nature Conservation Club of Soenji, 1-20-11 Himurodai, Hirakata-Shi, Osaka, 573-0115, Japan.
authors.forename: Ikuko
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Inamori
authors.affiliation: Bird Bander, 5-17 Suganodai, Nara-Shi, Nara, 631-0043, Japan.
authors.forename: Yuka
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kosono
authors.affiliation: Wild Living Thing Society of Hirakata, 1-24-10, Tanokuchiyama, Hirakata-Shi, Osaka, 573-0001, Japan.
authors.forename: Tomokazu
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tanigawa
authors.affiliation: Department of Bacteriology II, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, 4-Gakuen, Musashimurayama-Shi, Tokyo, 208-0011, Japan.
authors.forename: Takako
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Komiya
authors.affiliation: Department of Bacteriology II, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, 4-Gakuen, Musashimurayama-Shi, Tokyo, 208-0011, Japan. miwaki@nih.go.jp.
authors.forename: Masaaki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Iwaki
authors.affiliation: Department of Bacteriology II, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, 4-Gakuen, Musashimurayama-Shi, Tokyo, 208-0011, Japan.|Division of Biosafety Control and Research, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, 4-7-1 Gakuen, Musashimurayama-Shi, Tokyo, 208-0011, Japan.
authors.forename: Akihiko
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Yamamoto
authors.affiliation: Nakatsu Animal Hospital, 2-2-15 Shorinji-cho nishi, Sakai-ku, Sakai-Shi, Osaka, 590-0960, Japan.
authors.forename: Susumu
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nakatsu
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000835:Animals, Wild / Q000382:microbiology*; D003352:Corynebacterium / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006801:Humans; D008971:Moles / Q000382:microbiology*; D011235:Predatory Behavior; D021521:Ribotyping; D020305:Strigiformes / Q000382:microbiology*
keywords: Diphtheria; Food chain; Infection source; Wildlife; Zoonosis