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. 2019 Aug 5;12(1):389.
doi: 10.1186/s13071-019-3630-5.

Possible transmission of Sarcoptes scabiei between herbivorous Japanese serows and omnivorous Caniformia in Japan: a cryptic transmission and persistence?

Ryota Matsuyama  1 , Toshihiro Yabusaki  2 , Natsuko Senjyu  2 , Tsukasa Okano  3 , Minoru Baba  4 , Tomoka Tsuji-Matsukane  5 , Mayumi Yokoyama  6 , Nobuhide Kido  7 , Teruki Kadosaka  8 , Takuya Kato  9 , Masatsugu Suzuki  2 , Makoto Asano  10
Affiliations

Possible transmission of Sarcoptes scabiei between herbivorous Japanese serows and omnivorous Caniformia in Japan: a cryptic transmission and persistence?

Ryota Matsuyama et al. Parasit Vectors. .

Abstract

Background: Two transmission patterns of Sarcoptes scabiei in host mammal communities have been reported based on microsatellite-level genetic studies in the last two decades. While one involves restrictions among different host taxa, the other is associated with predator-prey interactions between different host taxa. In contrast to these observations, the present study reports a possible irregular case of transmission of S. scabiei between herbivorous Japanese serow and omnivorous Caniformia mammals in Japan, though under very weak predator-prey relationships.

Methods: DNA from 93 Sarcoptes mites isolated from omnivorous Caniformia (such as the domestic dog, raccoon dog, raccoon and Japanese marten), omnivorous Cetartiodactyla (wild boar) and herbivorous Cetartiodactyla (Japanese serow) in Japan were analyzed by amplifying nine microsatellite markers. Principal components analyses (PCA), Bayesian clustering analyses using STRUCTURE software, and phylogenetic analyses by constructing a NeighborNet network were applied to determine the genetic relationships among mites associated with host populations.

Results: In all the analyses, the genetic differentiation of Sarcoptes mites from wild boars and Japanese serows was observed. Conversely, considerably close genetic relationships were detected between Caniformia-derived and Japanese serow-derived mites. Because the predator-prey interactions between the omnivorous Caniformia and herbivorous Japanese serow are quite limited and epidemiological history shows at least a 10-year lag between the emergence of sarcoptic mange in Japanese serow and that in Caniformia, the transmission of S. scabiei from Caniformia to Japanese serow is highly suspected.

Conclusions: The close genetic relationships among mites beyond Host-taxon relationships and without obvious predator-prey interactions in Caniformia and Japanese serow deviate from previously reported S. scabiei transmission patterns. This type of cryptic relationship of S. scabiei populations may exist in local mammalian communities worldwide and become a risk factor for the conservation of the remnant and fragmented populations of wild mammals.

Keywords: Genetic structure; Host specificity; Host–parasite relationship; Sarcoptic mange; Scabies.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
The location of the 10 sampling areas and 93 sampled animals in the present study
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Results of the principle components analysis (PCA) of mite populations associated with 17 host populations. PCA showing the genetic structure of 93 mites from 17 host populations with component 1 (explaining 9.96% of the variance) versus component 2 (7.68%) (a) and component 3 (6.76%) (b). The eigenvalues of the two axes are displayed in each graph. Caniformia-, serow- and boar-derived mites are represented as red, green and blue, respectively. Each Host-associated mite population is indicated in the centre of component mites. Abbreviations for populations are provided in Table 1
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
NeighborNet network constructed by DSA between each pair of 93 mites. Main clusters (A, B, C, D and E) are separated by different colors. The genetic differentiation between clusters B and C is not clear, and WM, WCc, GN5, GN7 were experientially assorted into Cluster C. Japanese serow-derived mites (StCc, WCc, OCc1-5) are shown with the yellow background. Abbreviations for populations are provided in Table 1
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