We developed a new loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) method to detect
rrs
, a 16S rRNA gene of pathogenic
Leptospira
spp. in urine. The method enables detection of two leptospiral cells per reaction mixture following boiling of urine specimens. The sensitivity of this method is higher than that of culture or of
flaB
nested PCR.
BackgroundAnisakiasis is a parasitic disease caused primarily by Anisakis spp. larvae in Asia and in Western countries. The aim of this study was to investigate the genotype of Anisakis larvae endoscopically removed from Middle Eastern Japanese patients and to determine whether mucosal atrophy affects the risk of penetration in gastric anisakiasis.MethodsIn this study, 57 larvae collected from 44 patients with anisakiasis (42 gastric and 2 colonic anisakiasis) were analyzed retrospectively. Genotyping was confirmed by restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis of ITS regions and by sequencing the mitochondrial small subunit (SSU) region. In the cases of gastric anisakiasis, correlation analyses were conducted between the frequency of larval penetration in normal/atrophic area and the manifestation of clinical symptoms.ResultsNearly all larvae were A. simplex seusu stricto (s.s.) (99%), and one larva displayed a hybrid genotype. The A. simplex larvae penetrated normal mucosa more frequently than atrophic area (p = 0.005). Finally, patients with normal mucosa infection were more likely to exhibit clinical symptoms than those with atrophic mucosa infection (odds ratio, 6.96; 95% confidence interval, 1.52–31.8).ConclusionsIn Japan, A. simplex s.s. is the main etiological agent of human anisakiasis and tends to penetrate normal gastric mucosa. Careful endoscopic examination of normal gastric mucosa, particularly in the greater curvature of the stomach will improve the detection of Anisakis larvae.
ABSTRACT. Entodiniomorphid ciliates are often present in the colons of wild apes. In captive apes the infection tends to gradually disappear, with the exception of Troglodytella abrassarti. We used fecal examinations to screen the gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) in European (Czech Republic, UK) and Australian Zoos to explore the ape-to-ape transmission pattern of T. abrassarti. Gorillas from two out of three European Zoos were positive for T. abrassarti, while gorillas from the Australian Zoo were negative. We documented a horizontal transmission of T. abrassarti to a non-infected adult gorilla introduced into a Troglodytella-positive group in the Prague Zoo and traced the origin of the ciliate infection to the Paignton Zoo (UK) using serial fecal examinations. During this study, two infant gorillas born in the Prague Zoo (CZ) first became positive for T. abrassarti at the age of 9 mo. Ciliate morphology and the sequencing of the small subunit rRNA gene and the internal transcribed spacer rDNA spacer region revealed that T. abrassarti affects both captive gorillas and chimpanzees. We conclude that zoo transport plays a major role in the distribution of T. abrassarti among captive gorillas.Key Words. Chimpanzee, Gorilla gorilla, molecular phylogeny, Pan troglodytes, zoo.
DESPITE the fact that Troglodytella abrassarti was described almost one hundred years ago (Brumpt and Joyeux 1912), the entodiniomorphid ciliates still represent a neglected group of symbiotic organisms in the colonic ecosystem of gorillas and chimpanzees. The role of entodiniomorphid ciliates in ape digestion is not known. Nevertheless, entodiniomorphid ciliates are thought to participate in colonic fermentation of fiber similar to that in the horse colon or the rumen of cattle (Collet et al. 1984;Reichenow 1920). However, diarrhea and deaths in captive apes have also been attributed to entodiniomorphid ciliates (Ruch 1959).Field studies usually report only the prevalence of ciliates without attempts at species determination. Moreover, the evaluation of field material is complicated by the rapid degradation of trophozoites in the feces, potentially leading to an underestimation of their diversity (Bonhomme, Grain, and Collet 1989;Goussard et al. 1983;Imai et al. 1991;Profousová et al. 2007). As a result, we still have limited data about the diversity, host specificity, and transmission of entodiniomorphids in gorillas and chimpanzees.Most records of T. abrassarti are from the common chimpanzees, Pan troglodytes (Ashford, Reid, and Wrangham 2000;File, Mcgrew, and Tutin 1976;Krief et al. 2005). Only a single report of T. abrassarti exists in wild gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) from Gabon (Goussard et al. 1983). It is widely believed that entodiniomorphid ciliates tend to gradually disappear in captive apes due to unsuitable diet and probably also because of anti-parasitic treatment and antibiotic treatments (McClure and Guilloud 1971;Ruch 1959). Transmission between host adults and/or between adults and infants has not been studied. However...
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