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- Title
Molecular identification of blood source animals from black flies (Diptera: Simuliidae) collected in the alpine regions of Japan.
- Authors
Takayuki Imura; Yukita Sato; Hiroko Ejiri; Asumi Tamada; Haruhiko Isawa; Kyoko Sawabe; Sumie Omori; Koichi Murata; Masayoshi Yukawa
- Abstract
Abstract One of vector-borne avian protozoa, Leucocytozoon lovati, has been found in the Japanese rock ptarmigans (Lagopus mutus japonicus), the endangered bird species distributed in the alpine regions in Japan. Vector arthropod species of L. lovati has also been estimated as Simuliidae black flies distributed in the same habitat of the host bird, however, possible blood meals of the black flies were not identified yet. To reveal host animals of black flies, we estimated the blood resources by using molecular techniques. Black flies were collected at Mt. Chogatake, one of the alpine regions of Japan in which Japanese rock ptarmigans live in June 2005. The analyzed 144 specimens were morphologically identified into five species including Simulium japonicum (n = 87), Prosimulium hirtipes (n = 48), Prosimulium yezoense (n = 3), Twinnia japonensis (n = 3), and Cnephia mutata (n = 3). Individually extracted DNA from the black flies was subjected to polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification targeting the partial mitochondrial cytochrome b gene of birds or mammals to identify the blood meals. Of 144 black flies examined, 34 specimens were PCR positive for avian hosts (23.6%). No mammalian-derived bloods were detected from the samples studied through. Sequences amplified from 11 black flies consist of S. japonicum, P. hirtipes, and C. mutata showed high similarity to that of the Japanese rock ptarmigan. Therefore, present results conclusively suggest that these three species of black flies might suck the bloods of Japanese rock ptarmigans and could be the vector for L. lovati infection among this endangered bird species of Japan.
- Subjects
JAPAN; MOLECULAR biology; DIPTERA; ALPINE regions; ROCK ptarmigan; BIOLOGICAL specimens; POLYMERASE chain reaction
- Publication
Parasitology Research, 2010, Vol 106, Issue 2, p543
- ISSN
0932-0113
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1007/s00436-009-1667-7