Hepatozoon apri n. sp. (Adeleorina: Hepatozoidae) from the Japanese wild boar Sus scrofa leucomystax (Mammalia: Cetartiodactyla)

Mizuki Yamamoto; Toshihiro Tokiwa; Miki Tobiume; Shigeru Akamatsu; Kayoko Matsuo; Junji Moribe; Kazunori Ike

doi:10.1016/j.ijppaw.2017.11.001

Hepatozoon apri n. sp. (Adeleorina: Hepatozoidae) from the Japanese wild boar Sus scrofa leucomystax (Mammalia: Cetartiodactyla)

Int J Parasitol Parasites Wildl. 2017 Nov 13;6(3):354-360. doi: 10.1016/j.ijppaw.2017.11.001. eCollection 2017 Dec.

Authors

Mizuki Yamamoto¹, Toshihiro Tokiwa², Miki Tobiume¹, Shigeru Akamatsu¹, Kayoko Matsuo^{3

4}, Junji Moribe⁵, Kazunori Ike²

Affiliations

¹ Tokushima Prefectural Meat Inspection Center, 2-140-3 Fudohoncho, Tokushima, Tokushima, Japan.
² Laboratory of Veterinary Parasitology, School of Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Science, Nippon Veterinary and Life Science University, 1-7-1 Kyonancho, Musashino, Tokyo, Japan.
³ Hida Regional Livestock Hygiene Service Center, 7-468 Kamiokamotomachi, Takayama, Gifu 506-8688, Japan.
⁴ Faculty of Applied Biological Sciences, Gifu University, 1-1 Yanagido, Gifu 501-1193, Japan.
⁵ Research Center for Wildlife Management, Gifu University, 1-1 Yanagido, Gifu 501-1193, Japan.

Abstract

Hepatozoon apri n. sp. is described from Japanese wild boars Sus scrofa leucomystax in Japan. The gamonts in the peripheral blood leukocytes were 11.6 ± 1.4 × 6.7 ± 1.3 μm in size. The meronts in the muscle tissues were 35.0-47.5 μm in length and 26.5-30 μm in width. A high rate (53.0%) of infection was found by nested PCR using muscle specimens from 181 wild boars captured in Tokushima, Japan. A phylogenetic analysis based on 18S rRNA gene sequences revealed that H. apri n. sp. detected in wild boars is closely related to Hepatozoon spp. isolated from carnivores. This is the first description of a species belonging to the genus Hepatozoon detected in ungulates.

Keywords: 18S rRNA gene; Hepatozoon apri n. sp.; Hepatozoonosis; Japan; Sus scrofa leucomystax; Wild boar.