| 研究実績の概要 |
In FY2021, we examined previously-collected samples from Sabah, Malaysia and expanded the study to a mammalian community on Yakushima as a second research model model. Major activities included:
(1) We screened for pathogenic protozoan parasites in monkeys living in a riverine habitat in Sabah and in Japanese macaques at the Jigokudani Monkey Park. Rapid tests in the field suggested that protozoan pathogens were present in samples collected from Bornean primates, and we verified these results using ELISA tests (Enzyme-Linked ImmunoSorbent Assays). We found no evidence of these parasites in samples from Jigokudani macaques. We also examined DNA extracts from these primates for each protozoan parasite, but methods need further refinement before results can be obtained.
(2) With colleagues at Oita University and the Czech Academy of Sciences, we conducted fecal metabarcoding to assess genomic diversity in strongylid parasites infecting Asian primates in Sabah and Japan. In conjunction with a workshop sponsored by a JSPS bilateral program grant, students in my lab conducted Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) on ~100 fecal samples and now results await bioinformatic investigation.
(3) Two graduate students and I visited Yakushima to collect fecal samples from mammals in the community (especially invasive raccoon dogs) and conducted drone surveys for mammals, as was originally planned for work in Sabah. Current lab work is investigating intestinal parasites of raccoon dogs, macaques, sika deer and weasels to get a broader picture of parasite communities on the island.
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| 今後の研究の推進方策 |
The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted this research significantly. The focus of this research remains on host-parasite community networks and threats to conservation (landscape change, invasive species), but COVID-19 has forced us to scale down efforts abroad and focus on wildlife communities within Japan. In FY2022, we will (1) collect and examine samples from primates in marginal ecosystems in Malaysia and Indonesia, (2) intensify work on Yakushima's vertebrate community, and (3) conduct laboratory parasitology on samples from multiple species using microscopy, genetics/genomics and immunochemistry. Overseas research for this project will be conducted in Malaysia and Indonesia with graduate students (Kenneth Keuk, Abdullah Langgeng). This work will focus on primate species and communities in heavily disturbed habitats. Domestic research will be conducted on Yakushima with graduate students (Kenneth Keuk, Katherine Majewski, Zhihong Xu, Negin Eslamibidgoli). The vertebrate community will be examined (Japanese macaques, raccoon dogs, weasels, deer, etc.), focusing on ecological networks involving hosts and parasites. We will also continue to test project methods, like the use of drones with thermal imaging, camera traps and environmental/invertebrate DNA (e/iDNA) for biodiversity assessment, bio-loggers for animal tracking and understanding behavior, and metagenomics for assessment of parasite communities and trophic interactions among species.
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