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Monitoring of Echinococcus multilocularis infection in red foxes in Shiretoko, Japan, by coproantigen detection

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 August 1998

N. NONAKA ,
H. TSUKADA ,
N. ABE ,
Y. OKU  and
M. KAMIYA
N. NONAKA
Affiliation:
Laboratory of Parasitology, Department of Disease Control, Graduate School of Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido University, Sapporo 060, Japan
H. TSUKADA
Affiliation:
Department of Humanities and Human Sciences, Faculty of Letters, Hokkaido University, Sapporo 060, Japan
N. ABE
Affiliation:
Laboratory of Parasitology, Department of Disease Control, Graduate School of Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido University, Sapporo 060, Japan
Y. OKU
Affiliation:
Laboratory of Parasitology, Department of Disease Control, Graduate School of Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido University, Sapporo 060, Japan
M. KAMIYA
Affiliation:
Laboratory of Parasitology, Department of Disease Control, Graduate School of Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido University, Sapporo 060, Japan
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Abstract

The study was conducted to evaluate a mAb-based coproantigen detection assay for monitoring fox prevalence of Echinococcus multilocularis infections in the Shiretoko National Park in Hokkaido, Japan. Eight fox families, each consisting of 2–4 adults and their pups, were selected because their territories have been determined. Faeces of each family (total n=537) were collected monthly from April to October, 1994. Detection of coproantigen and taeniid eggs was recognized in 58 and 27 faeces, respectively, but mostly restricted in 1 family, in which coproantigen ELISA OD values had dual peaks, one in June and the other in October, whereas taeniid eggs were detected only from April to July. Fox pup faeces (n=51) collected around the dens used by the positive family were all coproantigen and taeniid egg negative except for 1 faeces. These results suggest that the prevalence and infection pressure in the study area were low and the infected family terminated the infection in the summer and acquired a new one in the early autumn, 1994. This monitoring method for fox infection will be a practical management tool for E. multilocularis infection, especially at the tourist spots in Hokkaido where close contact of fox with humans is frequently observed.

Keywords

Echinococcus multiloculariscoproantigenred foxVulpes vulpesJapandiagnosis
Type
Research Article
Information
Parasitology , Volume 117 , Issue 2 , August 1998 , pp. 193 - 200
Copyright
1998 Cambridge University Press

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