ABSTRACT
The prevalence of hemotropic mycoplasmas in wild monkeys is largely unknown. Here, we report the presence of hemoplasmas in blood specimens collected from wild Japanese monkeys (Macaca fuscata) tentatively captured for ecological survey in Mie prefecture, Japan. We examined 9 monkeys using hemoplasma-specific real-time PCR and found all of them positive for a hemoplasma infection. The 16S rRNA gene and 16S to 23S rRNA intergenic spacer region of the hemoplasma detected in wild monkeys were amplified using end-point PCR. The nucleotide sequences of the PCR products were further determined and compared to those of other hemoplasmas. Our examinations revealed a wide prevalence of a hemoplasma strain in Japanese monkeys, which was similar to 'Candidatus Mycoplasma haemomacaque' reported in cynomolgus monkeys (Macaca fascicularis). Pathogenic traits of this hemoplasma strain remain unexplored.
Subject(s)
Macaca , Monkey Diseases/virology , Mycoplasma Infections/veterinary , Mycoplasma/genetics , Phylogeny , Amino Acid Sequence , Animals , Animals, Wild , Base Sequence , DNA, Viral/chemistry , DNA, Viral/genetics , Japan/epidemiology , Molecular Sequence Data , Monkey Diseases/epidemiology , Mycoplasma Infections/epidemiology , Mycoplasma Infections/virology , RNA, Ribosomal, 16S/chemistry , RNA, Ribosomal, 16S/genetics , Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction/veterinary , Sequence Alignment , Sequence Analysis, DNAABSTRACT
The prevalence of hemotropic mycoplasmas in wild rodents is largely unknown. Here, we report the presence of hemoplasmas in blood samples collected from brown sewer rats (Rattus norvegicus) trapped during rodent control around an animal hospital in Morioka, Japan. We examined nine rats using real-time PCR and end-point PCR, and found one rat (11.1%) that was positive for a hemoplasma infection. The 16S rRNA gene and 16S to 23S rRNA intergenic spacer region of the hemoplasma detected in a wild-caught rat were amplified using PCR. The nucleotide sequences of the PCR products were further determined and compared to those of other hemoplasmas. Our examinations revealed the presence of a hemoplasma that has not previously been described in rodents. The pathogenic traits of this hemoplasma remain unexplored.
Subject(s)
Mycoplasma Infections/veterinary , Mycoplasma , Rats , Rodent Diseases/epidemiology , Rodent Diseases/microbiology , Animals , Base Sequence , DNA Primers/genetics , DNA, Ribosomal Spacer/genetics , Japan/epidemiology , Molecular Sequence Data , Mycoplasma Infections/epidemiology , Polymerase Chain Reaction/veterinary , Prevalence , RNA, Ribosomal, 16S/genetics , Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction/veterinary , Sequence Alignment , Sequence Analysis, DNA/veterinary , Species SpecificityABSTRACT
This is the first report on Mycoplasma infection in wild bears. We report a novel hemotropic Mycoplasma (also called hemoplasma) detected in a free-ranging black bear (Ursus thibetanus japonicus) in Japan. We then used real-time PCR to look for hemoplasma DNA in blood samples collected from 15 bears and found that eight (53%) were positive. Among these eight PCR samples, seven showed a melting temperature of around 85.5°C, while the remaining one showed a single peak at 82.26°C. Almost the entire region of the 16S rRNA gene as well as the 16S-23S rRNA intergenic transcribed spacer (ITS) region from the sample that showed a melting temperature of 82.26°C was successfully amplified by means of end-point PCR. The nucleotide sequences of the 16S rRNA gene and the ITS region were then determined and compared with those of authentic Mycoplasma species. Our examinations revealed the presence of a novel hemoplasma in Japanese black bears.
Subject(s)
Animals, Wild/microbiology , Mycoplasma Infections/microbiology , Ursidae , Animals , DNA, Bacterial/blood , DNA, Ribosomal Spacer/genetics , Japan , Molecular Sequence Data , Mycoplasma/classification , Mycoplasma/genetics , Nucleic Acid Conformation , Phylogeny , RNA, Ribosomal, 16S/genetics , Species SpecificityABSTRACT
Mycoplasma haemomuris is a causative organism of infectious anemia or splenomegaly in rodents. Here, we report two distinct genetic groups among M. haemomuris strains detected from rats and mice, respectively, by examining the nucleotide sequences of the 16S-23S rRNA intergenic transcribed spacer region that has been shown to be a stable genetic marker for mycoplasma species. Our results may reveal host-tropism of each cluster of M. haemomuris strains, and suggest an idea to distinguish M. haemomuris into two different genetic clusters.
