Population Structure of the Raccoon Dog on the Grounds of the Imperial Palace, Tokyo, Revealed by Microsatellite Analysis of Fecal DNA

MOLECULAR SURVEY OF BARTONELLA ROCHALIMAE IN JAPANESE RACCOON DOGS (NYCTEREUTES PROCYONOIDES VIVERRINUS)

Wild carnivores serve as reservoirs of several zoonotic Bartonella species such as Bartonella henselae, Bartonella vinsonii subsp. berkhoffii, and Bartonella rochalimae. The raccoon dog (Nyctereutes procyonoides viverrinus) is the most common native carnivore in Japan, but epidemiologic studies of Bartonella infections have not been performed in this animal species yet. Here, we report a molecular survey of B. rochalimae prevalence in 619 wild raccoon dogs captured from 2009 to 2017 in western Japan. Bartonella rochalimae DNA was detected in 7.1% (44/619) of the raccoon dogs examined by PCR targeting the rpoB and ssrA genes. All of the sequences obtained were identical in each of the genes. The prevalence of B. rochalimae by sex of the animals was 6.1% (21/344) in male and 8.4% (23/275) in female. The prevalence by year varied from 2% (1/45) in 2011 to 14% (4/28) in 2016. The prevalence (7.9%) of B. rochalimae in the raccoon dogs with sarcoptic mange tended to be higher than the prevalence (4.0%) in the animals without the infestation of mites, although the differences were not significant. Sequence analysis indicated that Japanese raccoon dogs in the area examined were infected with B. rochalimae carrying identical sequences in the rpoB and ssrA genes. In addition, the raccoon dog strain had few sequence variations in both genes compared to other known B. rochalimae strains detected in other parts of the world.

Fecal DNA isolation and degradation in clam Cyclina sinensis: noninvasive DNA isolation for conservation and genetic assessment

Background

To avoid destructive sampling for conservation and genetic assessment, we isolated the DNA of clam Cyclina sinensis from their feces. DNA electrophoresis and PCR amplification were used to determine the quality of fecal DNA. And we analyzed the effects of different conditions on the degradation of feces and fecal DNA.

Results

The clear fecal DNA bands were detected by electrophoresis, and PCR amplification using clam fecal DNA as template was effective and reliable, suggesting that clam feces can be used as an ideal material for noninvasive DNA isolation. In addition, by analyzing the effects of different environmental temperatures and soaking times on the degradation of feces and fecal DNA, we found that the optimum temperature was 4 °C. In 15 days, the feces maintained good texture, and the quality of fecal DNA was good. At 28 °C, the feces degraded in 5 days, and the quality of fecal DNA was poor.

Conclusions

The clam feces can be used as an ideal material for noninvasive DNA isolation. Moreover, the quality of fecal DNA is negatively correlated with environmental temperature and soaking time.

Evolution of life in urban environments

Our planet is an increasingly urbanized landscape, with over half of the human population residing in cities. Despite advances in urban ecology, we do not adequately understand how urbanization affects the evolution of organisms, nor how this evolution may affect ecosystems and human health. Here, we review evidence for the effects of urbanization on the evolution of microbes, plants, and animals that inhabit cities. Urbanization affects adaptive and nonadaptive evolutionary processes that shape the genetic diversity within and between populations. Rapid adaptation has facilitated the success of some native species in urban areas, but it has also allowed human pests and disease to spread more rapidly. The nascent field of urban evolution brings together efforts to understand evolution in response to environmental change while developing new hypotheses concerning adaptation to urban infrastructure and human socioeconomic activity. The next generation of research on urban evolution will provide critical insight into the importance of evolution for sustainable interactions between humans and our city environments.