Trombiculid mites from wild rodents and detection of antibodies against Rickettsia tsutsugamushi in the rodents and inhabitants in Saga Prefecture, Japan
A recurrence of tsutsugamushi disease in 1983 in Saga Prefecture, western Kyushu, Japan, led us to survey the vector of the disease and antibodies against Rickettsia tsutsugamushi among wild rodents and inhabitants in the prefecture. In the foothills of four different areas, a total of 185 wild rodents (all Apodemus speciosus, except for 3 individuals of A. argenteus) were captured alive between October 1984 and October 1985. From these rodents, a total of 10,456 trombiculid mites of 11 species were collected. Leptotrombidium scutellare and L. pallidum, known vectors of tsutsugamushi disease in Japan, were confirmed. The former was found from October through March, while the latter was collected from November through May. This seasonality coincided with the occurrence of tsutsugamushi disease from fall through spring in Saga Prefecture. Wild rodents having antibodies against R. tsutsugamushi were present throughout the year. Detection of antibodies from 2.6% of the inhabitants suggests the presence of unreported cases of infection with R. tsutsugamushi in Saga Prefecture.
佐賀県の野鼠寄生ツツガムシと野鼠ならびに住民のつつが虫病抗体保有率
FO-PR-OKAZAWA-T-155.pdf
(299.05KB)
