First record of Angiostrongylus cantonensis infection in Diplothrix legata (Rodentia: Muridae) in Tokunoshima Island, Japan

Abstract

The Ryukyu long-furred rat, Diplothrix legata (Rodentia: Muridae), is an endangered species endemic to the Tokunoshima, Amami-Oshima, and Okinawajima Islands, which are part of Japan's southwestern islands. During the pathological examination of a deceased wild individual from Tokunoshima Island, lymphoma and infection with three nonnative parasites, Angiostrongylus cantonensis (Nematoda: Angiostrongylidae), Trichosomoides crassicauda (Nematoda: Trichosomoididae), and Hydatigera taeniaeformis (Cestoda: Taeniidae), were identified. Among these, A. cantonensis is a zoonotic species, with invasive rats as the final hosts and mollusks as intermediate hosts. Although the presence of A. cantonensis has been widely reported across the southwestern islands of Japan, this is the first record of this species on the Tokunoshima Island. With this study, A. cantonensis infection in wild D. legata is now confirmed in populations from all three islands where this species is found.

Keywords

• Angiostrongylus cantonensis
• Diplothrix legata
• Zoonosis
• Amami archipelago
• UNESCO world heritage site
• Endangered species