Shigehiko UniUniversity of Malaya | UM · Institute of Biological Sciences
Shigehiko Uni
PhD
About
238
Publications
26,336
Reads
How we measure 'reads'
A 'read' is counted each time someone views a publication summary (such as the title, abstract, and list of authors), clicks on a figure, or views or downloads the full-text. Learn more
3,158
Citations
Introduction
Skills and Expertise
Publications
Publications (238)
Infections by gastrointestinal parasites are found in a variety of animals worldwide. For the diagnosis of such infections, the flotation method is commonly used to detect parasitic microorganisms, such as oocysts or eggs, in feces. Instead of adding a flotation solution after the final centrifugation step and using a cover slip to collect the para...
Nematodes of the Onchocercidae family, such as Peleci- tus spp., are filarial parasites of medical and veterinary importance. Although infections are widely distributed among avian species, only 2 cases of human Peleci- tus ocular infection, both in South America, have been reported. We describe a 61-year-old man in northeast Thailand diagnosed wit...
The genus Mansonella Faust, 1929 includes 29 species, mainly parasites of platyrrhine monkeys in South America and anthropoid apes in Africa. In Malaysia, Mansonella (Tupainema) dunni (Mullin & Orihel, 1972) was described from the common treeshrew Tupaia glis Diard & Duvaucel (Scandentia). In a recent classification of the genus Mansonella, seven s...
Among the 11 species of Eimeria in rabbits, some of which are known to be pathogenic and cause enteritis, E. stiedae induces severe liver lesions resulting in elevated mortality. Unlike in other countries, the incidence and prevalence of the parasites in rabbits have not been reported in Japan. In the present study, we histopathologically analyzed...
Reports of zoonotic infections caused by the filarial nematode Onchocerca japonica have recently increased in Japan. A 69-year-old woman living in Sosa City, Chiba Prefecture, Kanto Region, Honshu, developed a painful nodule at the metacarpophalangeal joint of the index finger of her right hand. The causative agent was identified as a female O. jap...
Species of the genus Pelecitus Railliet & Henry, 1910 are the most widely distributed avian filariae in Africa and South America. Zoonotic cases in humans were reported in South America. While investigating the filarial fauna of wild animals in Malaysia, we discovered an undescribed filaria from the swollen footpad of the left leg of Copsychus mala...
Reports of zoonotic infections with Onchocerca japonica (Nematoda: Filarioidea), which parasitizes the Japanese wild boar, Sus scrofa leucomystax, have recently increased in Japan. To predict the occurrence of infection in humans, it is necessary to determine the prevalence of O. japonica infection in the natural host animals. We investigated the p...
Some filarial nematodes, such as Wuchereria bancrofti, Brugia malayi, and Brugia timori, cause lymphatic diseases in humans in the tropics, whereas other filarial parasites from wild animals cause zoonotic diseases in humans worldwide. To elucidate the prevalence and diversity of filarial parasites in Malaysia, we investigated the filarial parasite...
Background
Onchocerca fasciata is a prevalent filarial species in camelids of Asia and Africa forming nodules in the skin of dromedary and Bactrian camels. In spite of recent advances in the biology and epidemiology of this nematode species, a relatively scant number of studies have focussed on the morphology of this parasite. The main objective of...
To date, more than 50 Eimeria spp. have been isolated from marsupials of the family Macropodidae. Although 18 species of Eimeria have been previously detected from multiple animal species belonging to the genus Macropus of the family, limited genetic analyses of the parasites are available, and their pathogenicity remains unclear. Here, we report t...
Background:
The genus Onchocerca Diesing, 1841 includes species of medical importance, such as O. volvulus (Leuckart, 1893), which causes river blindness in the tropics. Recently, zoonotic onchocercosis has been reported in humans worldwide. In Japan, O. dewittei japonica Uni, Bain & Takaoka, 2001 from wild boars is a causative agent for this zoon...
We describe Morishitium polonicum malayense n. subsp. from Asian glossy starlings (Aplonis panayensis strigata) (Horsfield, 1821) (Passeriformis: Sturnidae) caught in Malaysia. The trematodes had parasitized the air sacs and the thoracic and body cavities of 40 out of 67 (59.7%) birds examined. The specimens each had an oral sucker, a postpharyngea...
Objective: To evaluate the prevalence and divergence of genetically identified Leptospira spp. in the population of Rattus rattus.
Methods: A total of 130 rats were used in this study. The infection within the rats were screened using polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based diagnosis, with Leptospira genus-specific 16S rRNA primer and pathogenic Lept...
Background
Dirofilaria ursi is a filarial nematode that parasitizes the subcutaneous tissues of the American black bear (Ursus americanus) and Japanese black bear (Ursus thiabetanus japonicus). D. ursi that has parasitized black bears has the potential to subsequently infect humans. In addition, extra-gastrointestinal anisakiasis is less common in...
Thus far, Entamoeba species have been classified based on morphology such as the number of nuclei in mature cysts and their hosts. Using recently developed molecular tools, ruminant Entamoeba spp. are currently classified into four species/genotypes: E. bovis and Entamoeba ribosomal lineages (RL) 1, 2, and 4. However, the distribution or pathogenic...
An 11-year-old boy living in Otsu City, Shiga Prefecture, Kansai Region, Western Honshu, Japan had zoonotic onchocercosis. The patient developed a painful swelling on the little finger of his left hand. The worm detected in the excised mass had external transverse ridges but did not have inner striae in the cuticle. On the basis of the parasite's h...
Background
The filarial nematodes Wuchereria bancrofti (Cobbold, 1877), Brugia malayi (Brug, 1927) and B. timori Partono, Purnomo, Dennis, Atmosoedjono, Oemijati & Cross, 1977 cause lymphatic diseases in humans in the tropics, while B. pahangi (Buckley & Edeson, 1956) infects carnivores and causes zoonotic diseases in humans in Malaysia. Wuchereria...
In the production and management of beef and dairy cattle, controlling diarrhea is one of the important concerns. Pathogenic agents of the disease, protozoan parasites including Cryptosporidium spp., are difficult to control, making prevention, diagnoses, and treatment of diarrhea. In the present study, we investigated a farm with a history of calf...
The genus Onchocerca includes 34 described species and represents one of the largest genera of the filarial nematodes within the family Onchocercidae. Representative members of this genus are mainly parasites of ungulates, with some exceptions such as Onchocerca lupi and Onchocerca volvulus, infecting carnivores and/or humans. For a long time, the...
Genus Mansonella constitutes of 31 species from seven subgenera, which includes three medically important species. This genus has a diverse range of host animals and worldwide distribution. Mansonella (Tupainema) dunni (Mullin & Orihel, 1972) was discovered from the subcutaneous tissues of common treeshrews (Tupaia glis) in Malaysia. In this study,...
An undescribed adult filarioid was found in the pericapsular lymphatic tissue of the neck of treeshrews. Their morphological characteristics were examined and the partial sequences of their mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (cox1) and 12S rRNA genes were determined. Kimura 2-parameter (K2P) distance between sequences of the cox1 gene of...
Wolbachia
is an alpha-proteobacterial symbiont widely distributed in arthropods. Since the identification of
Wolbachia
in certain animal-parasitic nematodes (the Onchocercidae or filariae), the relationship between arthropod and nematode
Wolbachia
has attracted great interest. The obligate symbiosis in filariae, which renders infected species susce...
List of author(s) and dates of studied species
List of author(s) and dates associated with name of filariae, their vertebrate hosts or arthropods.
Wolbachia immunostaining in female specimens belonging to Cruorifilaria, Litomosoides and Cardiofilaria genera
Sections stained with a rabbit polyclonal antiserum against Wolbachia Surface Protein (WSP) of Brugia pahangi Wolbachia (Wol-Bp-WSP, dilution 1:2,000). Presence of Wolbachia (small red dots) is indicated by an arrow. (A–B) a Cruorifilaria...
Ethical statement on vertebrate hosts
Vertebrate host are indicated in the first column and their collection place is given in the second column. The name of the collected filarial species is given in the third column. Columns 4 and 5 present ethical information on the host collection, i.e., the capture permit number and the ethical committee or le...
Primers and PCR programs used in this study
Abbreviations: size, amplicon size; step 1, denaturation; step 2, annealing; step 3, elongation; T, temperature (°C); D, duration (sec); N, number of cycles; pr., primers; BSA, bovine serum albumin; ref, reference. ∗ Indicates that the primers were designed for nested PCR. References: PS means newly desig...
Accession number list of Wolbachia from filarial species or from arthropods, and outgroupsused for phylogenetic analyses
The name of the species are given in the first column. The identification number of samples are given in the second column. Columns 3 to 9 present accession numbers for each analysed gene: 16S rDNA; 60 kDa chaperonin groEL gene;...
Summary of reports of the presence of Wolbachia in filariae
Filariae examined in the current study are indicated in bold. Abbreviation: EM, transmission electron microscopy; IM, immunostaining; +, detection of Wolbachia; ND, not determined.
Wolbachia immunostaining in four female specimens belonging to the Dipetalonema genus
Sections stained with a rabbit polyclonal antiserum against Wolbachia surface protein (WSP) of Brugia pahangi Wolbachia (Wol-Bp-WSP, dilution 1:2,000). Presence of Wolbachia (small red dots) is indicated by an arrow. (A–B) a Dipetalonema caudispina specimen (64YT)...
Based on material deposited in museum collections, twelve species within Mansonella sensu lato were examined and their descriptions amended. Based on additional morphological details, the erection of the new monotypic subgenus Filyamagutia Bain & Uni for M. (F.) akitensis (Uni, 1983), and the new combination M. (Pseudolitomosa) musasabi (Yamaguti,...
Background
Zoonotic infections with Onchocerca species are uncommon, and to date only 25 clinical cases have been reported worldwide. In Japan, five previous zoonotic infections were concentrated in Oita, Kyushu (the southern island), with one previous case in Hiroshima in the western part of Honshu (the main island). The causative agent in Japan w...
The phylum Apicomplexa comprises obligate intracellular parasites that infect vertebrates. All invasive forms of Apicomplexa
possess an apical complex, a unique assembly of organelles localized to the anterior end of the cell and involved in host
cell invasion. Previously, we generated a chicken monoclonal antibody (mAb), 6D-12-G10, with specificit...
Hard ticks taken from the Japanese serow, Capricornis crispus, in Yamagata Prefecture, Honshu, harboured infective larvae of onchocercid filariae after incubation from the 22nd to the 158th day. Haemaphysalis flava and H. japonica contained one to eight filarial larvae; females, males and a nymph of the ticks were infected. The 44 infective larvae...
Wolbachia are vertically transmitted endosymbiotic bacteria of arthropods and onchocercid nematodes. It is commonly accepted that they co-evolved with their filarial hosts, and have secondarily been lost in some species. However, most of the data on the Wolbachia/Onchocercidae relationship have been derived from studies on two subfamilies, the Diro...
Acanthocheilonema delicata n. sp. (Filarioidea: Onchocercidae: Onchocercinae) is described based on adult filarioids and microfilariae obtained from subcutaneous connective tissues and skin, respectively, of Japanese badgers (Meles anakuma) in Wakayama Prefecture, Japan. No endemic species of the genus had been found in Japan. Recently, some filari...
Studies of blackfly vectors of Onchocerca dewittei japonica Uni, Bain & Takaoka (Spirurida: Onchocercidae), a parasite of wild boar implicated in the aetiology of zoonotic onchocerciasis in Japan, and six other zoonotic Onchocerca species of this country are reviewed. Molecular identification of infective larvae found in wild-caught female blackfli...
Parasitic filarial nematodes that belong to the Onchocercidae family live in mutualism with Wolbachia endosymbionts. We developed whole-mount techniques to follow the segregation patterns of Wolbachia through the somatic and germline lineages of four filarial species. These studies reveal multiple evolutionarily conserved mechanisms that are requir...
##Assembly-Data-START## Sequencing Technology :: Sanger dideoxy sequencing ##Assembly-Data-END##
##Assembly-Data-START## Sequencing Technology :: Sanger dideoxy sequencing ##Assembly-Data-END##
##Assembly-Data-START## Sequencing Technology :: Sanger dideoxy sequencing ##Assembly-Data-END##
##Assembly-Data-START## Sequencing Technology :: Sanger dideoxy sequencing ##Assembly-Data-END##
##Assembly-Data-START## Sequencing Technology :: Sanger dideoxy sequencing ##Assembly-Data-END##
##Assembly-Data-START## Sequencing Technology :: Sanger dideoxy sequencing ##Assembly-Data-END##
##Assembly-Data-START## Sequencing Technology :: Sanger dideoxy sequencing ##Assembly-Data-END##
##Assembly-Data-START## Sequencing Technology :: Sanger dideoxy sequencing ##Assembly-Data-END##
##Assembly-Data-START## Sequencing Technology :: Sanger dideoxy sequencing ##Assembly-Data-END##
##Assembly-Data-START## Sequencing Technology :: Sanger dideoxy sequencing ##Assembly-Data-END##
##Assembly-Data-START## Sequencing Technology :: Sanger dideoxy sequencing ##Assembly-Data-END##
##Assembly-Data-START## Sequencing Technology :: Sanger dideoxy sequencing ##Assembly-Data-END##
##Assembly-Data-START## Sequencing Technology :: Sanger dideoxy sequencing ##Assembly-Data-END##
##Assembly-Data-START## Sequencing Technology :: Sanger dideoxy sequencing ##Assembly-Data-END##
##Assembly-Data-START## Sequencing Technology :: Sanger dideoxy sequencing ##Assembly-Data-END##
##Assembly-Data-START## Sequencing Technology :: Sanger dideoxy sequencing ##Assembly-Data-END##
##Assembly-Data-START## Sequencing Technology :: Sanger dideoxy sequencing ##Assembly-Data-END##
##Assembly-Data-START## Sequencing Technology :: Sanger dideoxy sequencing ##Assembly-Data-END##
##Assembly-Data-START## Sequencing Technology :: Sanger dideoxy sequencing ##Assembly-Data-END##
##Assembly-Data-START## Sequencing Technology :: Sanger dideoxy sequencing ##Assembly-Data-END##
##Assembly-Data-START## Sequencing Technology :: Sanger dideoxy sequencing ##Assembly-Data-END##
##Assembly-Data-START## Sequencing Technology :: Sanger dideoxy sequencing ##Assembly-Data-END##
##Assembly-Data-START## Sequencing Technology :: Sanger dideoxy sequencing ##Assembly-Data-END##
##Assembly-Data-START## Sequencing Technology :: Sanger dideoxy sequencing ##Assembly-Data-END##
##Assembly-Data-START## Sequencing Technology :: Sanger dideoxy sequencing ##Assembly-Data-END##