Epidemiological and pathological study of invasive infectious disease in imported reptiles.

Research Project

Project/Area Number	14560275
Research Category	Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
Allocation Type	Single-year Grants
Section	一般
Research Field	Applied veterinary science
Research Institution	Azabu University
Principal Investigator	UNE Yuni Azabu University, Laboratory of Veterinary Pathology, School of Veterinary Medicine, Assistant Professor, 獣医学部, 助教授 (40160303)
Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha)	NONURA Yasuo Azabu University, Laboratory of Veterinary Pathology, School of Veterinary Medicine, Professor, 獣医学部, 教授 (40063961)
Project Period (FY)	2002 – 2004
Project Status	Completed (Fiscal Year 2004)
Budget Amount *help	¥2,700,000 (Direct Cost: ¥2,700,000) Fiscal Year 2004: ¥900,000 (Direct Cost: ¥900,000) Fiscal Year 2003: ¥700,000 (Direct Cost: ¥700,000) Fiscal Year 2002: ¥1,100,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,100,000)
Keywords	Cryptosporidium / Lizards / Imported animals
Research Abstract	We confirmed the presence of Cryptosporidium infection in leopard geckos in Japan for the first time in 2001. This disease was detected in the United States in 1995,but had not previously been reported in these animals outside the United States. Pathological examination of lizards which died from natural causes confirmed the presence of Cryptosporidium in at least 28 lizards from 5 species (leopard geckos, Goniurosaurus kuroiwae splendens, Ctenosaura sp, Sauromalus sp., and Physignathus sp.). In a survey to assess the prevalence of Cryptosporidium infection in lizards in Japan, we found the rate of infection among captive animals in 8 breeding facilities ranged from 0-20%, averaging 11%. However infection was much higher in lizards kept privately, at 66.7%. The range of hosts was wide, extending to 11 species in 6 families (Eublepharidae, Gekkonidae, Agamidae, Varanidae, Lacertidae, and Iguanidae). In contrast, we found infection among Japanese wild native lizards extremely low, suggesting that the Cryptosporidium in infected captive animals was not of local origin. Our study showed that many Japanese species are susceptible to Cryptosporidium, and that infection is fatal for some species, such as Goniurosaurus kuroiwae splendens. Our results suggest that scarce native Japanese lizard species would be endangered if imported or captive lizards infected with Cryptosporidium are released to the field. We believe the spread of Cryptosporidium is related to pet trading, including internet sales, and urge that administrative steps be taken immediately to prevent the spread of parasitic disease arising from animal imports.