Distribution of ticks and their possession of spotted fever group Rickettsia in Ibaraki prefecture.

INTRODUCTION: Tick-borne diseases (TBDs) are a growing threat in Japan. However, distribution of ticks and their possession of human pathogens remain poorly understood. METHODS: In the present study, we collected 3477 ticks at 6 remote, woodland sites in Ibaraki prefecture between May 23 and November 4, 2021, and investigated the distribution and the possession of spotted fever group Rickettia (SFGR). RESULTS: The collected ticks included Haemaphysalis flava (78.3 %), Haemaphysalis longicornis (9.0 %), Haemaphysalis hystricis (4.6 %), Ixodes turdus (4.3 %), Amblyomma testudinarium (2.1 %), Haemaphysalis cornigera (0.9 %), Haemaphysalis formosensis (0.9 %), Haemaphysalis megaspinosa (0.2 %), Ixodes ovatus (0.1 %), Ixodes nipponensis (0.09 %), and Ixodes columnae (0.03 %). Of 2160 DNA samples extracted from the ticks, the gltA gene and the 17-kDa antigen gene of SFGR were detected in 67 samples. Among 1682 samples from adult and nymph ticks, the positive rate of SFGR was 2.7 %. Sequence analyses of the partial 17-kDa antigen gene demonstrated that the detected SFGR were classified into 8 groups (G1 to G8). The sequences of G2, G4, G5, G6, and G7 were either identical to or differed by one base pair from those of Rickettsia asiatica, Rickettsia tamurae, Rickettsia monacensis, Rickettsia canadensis, and Rickettsia felis, respectively. CONCLUSION: The present study revealed a diverse tick fauna in Ibaraki prefecture, including detection of species commonly found in southwestern Japan. Although the prevalence of SFGR in ticks was lower than in previous studies, several SFGR causing human infection may be present.

A Longitudinal Study on Enteric Virus Contamination in Bivalves along the Coast of Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan.

ABSTRACT: During the 2014 to 2018 seasons, we conducted a longitudinal study involving enteric virus surveillance in bivalves, including natural oysters and clams harvested in Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan. Some norovirus (NoV) contaminations were detected in natural oysters, whereas no enteric virus was found in clams. NoVs detected in oysters were of the genotypes GII.4 and GII.6, both of which are closely related genetically to the NoV strains prevalent in humans. We found low level of enteric virus contamination in bivalves collected along the coast of Ibaraki Prefecture. The possibility of food poisoning caused by these viruses appears low, and few cases of infectious disease have been observed in the surrounding area. The harvest timing was more related to contamination quantity than the harvest area in many enteric viruses. Our results highlight that contamination of bivalves by enteric viruses may depend upon the prevalence of human diarrhea and illness.

Suppression of feline coronavirus replication in vitro by cyclosporin A.

The feline infectious peritonitis virus (FIPV) is a member of the feline coronavirus family that causes FIP, which is incurable and fatal in cats. Cyclosporin A (CsA), an immunosuppressive agent that targets the nuclear factor pathway of activated T-cells (NF-AT) to bind cellular cyclophilins (CyP), dose-dependently inhibited FIPV replication in vitro. FK506 (an immunosuppressor of the pathway that binds cellular FK506-binding protein (FKBP) but not CyP) did not affect FIPV replication. Neither cell growth nor viability changed in the presence of either CsA or FK506, and these factors did not affect the NF-AT pathway in fcwf-4 cells. Therefore, CsA does not seem to exert inhibitory effects via the NF-AT pathway. In conclusion, CsA inhibited FIPV replication in vitro and further studies are needed to verify the practical value of CsA as an anti-FIPV treatment in vivo.

Absolute stereochemistry of chiral C60 fullerene bis-adducts.

To determine the absolute configuration of chiral fullerene bis-adducts, we have studied the double Bingel reaction of C60 with chiral tether (2S,3S)-(-)-9 derived from (R,R)-(+)-tartaric acid, and have succeeded in isolating two possible chiral bis-adducts 10a (5%) and 10b (2%) in addition to the Cs-symmetrically added derivative 10c (40%). The CD spectra of chiral bis-adducts [CD(+)281]-10a and [CD(-)281]-10b show very intense Cotton effects, which are almost of mirror image, indicating that their chiral C60 pi-electron systems are enantiomeric each other. The 1H and 13C NMR spectra of 10a and 10b indicate that they have C2-symmetrical structures, and the vicinal coupling constants between two equivalent protons H-2 and H-2' were determined as 1.2 Hz for 10a and 1.8 Hz for 10b, respectively by the 13C satellite band method. From the conformational analyses, the absolute configurations of these chiral C60 fullerene bis-adducts were unambiguously determined as [CD(+)281]-(S,S,fC)-10a and [CD(-)281]-(S,S,fA)-10b, respectively.