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Serological survey of Toxoplasma gondii infection in endangered Iriomote cat (Prionailurus bengalensis iriomotensis) and simulation of the effect on population dynamics

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Abstract

The Iriomote cat (Prionailurus bengalensis iriomotensis) is an endangered leopard cat that inhabits only Iriomotejima Island, Japan. The number of Iriomote cats is estimated to be approximately 100–110 and has been almost stable but slightly decreased in the coastal lowland. Infectious diseases are one of the major concerns in the conservation of Iriomote cats. Toxoplasma gondii is a protozoan parasite that causes toxoplasmosis. Toxoplasmosis is fatal in immunocompromised hosts, especially kittens and cat fetuses. We investigated the seroprevalence of T. gondii in Iriomote cats. Based on seroprevalence data, we simulated the effect of T. gondii infection on the population dynamics of Iriomote cats. The seroprevalence of T. gondii in Iriomote cats was significantly higher than that in domestic cats and dogs. Furthermore, the seroprevalence of T. gondii in domestic cats was significantly higher on Iriomotejima Island than on Okinawajima Island. Our simulation demonstrated that T. gondii eradication may help increase the population of Iriomote cats by an average of 11.5 (23.1%) cats in 2120. Therefore, controlling T. gondii may be an effective strategy for the conservation of Iriomote cats.

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Data availability

The data in this study is available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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Funding

This study was partially supported by a Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science to Shinya Fukumoto (KAKENHI, 16H05026 and 19H03121).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. National Research Center for Protozoan Diseases, Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Inada-Cho, Obihiro, Hokkaido, 080-8555, Japan

    Takahiro Shirozu, Xuenan Xuan & Shinya Fukumoto

  2. Research Center for Global Agromedicine, Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Inada-Cho, Obihiro, Hokkaido, 080-8555, Japan

    Mitsunori Kayano

  3. Okinawa Wildlife Federation, Maehara, Uruma, Okinawa, 904-2235, Japan

    Fuyuko Hirose, Sugao Oshiro & Takashi Nagamine

  4. Joint Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Kagoshima University, Korimoto, Kagoshima, 890-0065, Japan

    Yasuyuki Endo

  5. Faculty of Science, University of the Ryukyu, Senbaru, Nishihara, Okinawa, 903-0213, Japan

    Masako Izawa

  6. Kitakyushu Museum of Natural History and Human History, 2-4-1 Higashida, Yahatahigashi-Ku, Kitakyushu, Fukuoka, 805-0071, Japan

    Masako Izawa

Authors
  1. Takahiro Shirozu
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  2. Mitsunori Kayano
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  3. Fuyuko Hirose
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  4. Sugao Oshiro
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  5. Takashi Nagamine
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  6. Yasuyuki Endo
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  7. Masako Izawa
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  8. Xuenan Xuan
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  9. Shinya Fukumoto
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Contributions

T. Shirozu conducted the serological analyses and wrote the first draft of the manuscript. M. Kayano conducted the simulation analyses. F. Hirose, S. Oshiro, T. Nagamine, Y. Endo, and M. Izawa collected the serum samples. X. Xuan prepared materials for the serological analyses. S. Fukumoto supervised the study. All authors reviewed the draft and approved the final manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Shinya Fukumoto.

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Shirozu, T., Kayano, M., Hirose, F. et al. Serological survey of Toxoplasma gondii infection in endangered Iriomote cat (Prionailurus bengalensis iriomotensis) and simulation of the effect on population dynamics. Eur J Wildl Res 69, 70 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10344-023-01702-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10344-023-01702-1

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