A Preliminary Report of Parasitological and Microbiological survey of Freeranging Japanese Macaques (Macaca fuscata (Blyth)) in Boso Peninsula, Japan

Abstract

Because alien macaques (probably, Macaca mulatta) occur in the southern part of the Boso Peninsula, Japan, there is a possibility that their parasites and/or other pathogens may infect Japanese macaques (M.fuscata). To verify the possibility, this study was conducted mainly on parasites that included protozoan, helminth and arthropod, and other pathogens including Rickettsia and the Borna virus of 50 free ranging Japanese macaques in the peninsula. Consequently, 5 arthropod and nematode parasite species common to the Japanese macaque, namely Pedicinus obtusus, P.eurygaster, Streptopharagus pigmentatus, Strongyloides fulleborni, and Trichuris trichiura, were obtained in this survey. It is the first record of sites where Pedicinus spp. are seen in a host species.Coccidia and Babesia sp. were not obtained. Coxciella and the Borna virus from the same host samples will be published elsewhere.