Austen Jill M, Paparini Andrea, Reid Simon A, Friend James A, Ditcham William G F, Ryan Una
School of Veterinary and Life Sciences, Murdoch University, South Street, Murdoch, Western Australia 6150, Australia.
School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Science, The University of Queensland Australia, Herston, Queensland 4006, Australia.
Parasitol Int. 2016 Jun;65(3):205-8. doi: 10.1016/j.parint.2015.12.005. Epub 2015 Dec 15.
The quokka, Setonix brachyurus, is a vulnerable, small marsupial endemic to Western Australia. Blood samples were collected from quokkas from three different geographical locations; Two Peoples Bay, Bald Island and Rottnest Island. The overall prevalence of trypanosomes by nested PCR at the 18S ribosomal RNA gene was 57.3% (63/110) with prevalences of 91.4%, 85.3% and 4.9% respectively for Two Peoples Bay, Bald Island and Rottnest Island. Phylogenetic analysis conducted on 47 18S PCR positives identified two Trypanosoma copemani genotypes, with T. copemani genotype B, the most prevalent genotype infecting quokka populations from the three locations with an overall prevalence of 51.8% (24/47) compared to 34% for T. copemani genotype A (16/47). The overall prevalence of mixed T. copemani genotype A and B infections was 14.9% (7/47). Phylogenetic analysis of 26 quokka isolates at the glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) locus, largely supported the 18S analysis but identified a mixed infection in one quokka isolate (Q4112-4117 from Two Peoples Bay). T. copemani genotype B has previously only been isolated from quokkas and the Gilbert's potoroo whereas T. copemani genotype A has a wide host range and may be pathogenic. Further work is required to determine the clinical impact of T. copemani on marsupial populations.
短尾矮袋鼠（Setonix brachyurus）是西澳大利亚特有的一种易危小型有袋动物。从三个不同地理位置的短尾矮袋鼠身上采集了血样，分别是两人湾、秃头岛和罗特尼斯岛。通过巢式PCR在18S核糖体RNA基因上检测到锥虫的总体患病率为57.3%（63/110），两人湾、秃头岛和罗特尼斯岛的患病率分别为91.4%、85.3%和4.9%。对47个18S PCR阳性样本进行的系统发育分析确定了两种锥虫基因型，即B型锥虫（T. copemani genotype B），是感染这三个地点短尾矮袋鼠种群的最常见基因型，总体患病率为51.8%（24/47），而A型锥虫（T. copemani genotype A）的患病率为34%（16/47）。A型和B型锥虫混合感染的总体患病率为14.9%（7/47）。对26个短尾矮袋鼠分离株在甘油醛-3-磷酸脱氢酶（GAPDH）基因座上进行的系统发育分析，在很大程度上支持了18S分析的结果，但在一个短尾矮袋鼠分离株（来自两人湾的Q4112 - 4117）中发现了混合感染。B型锥虫此前仅从短尾矮袋鼠和吉尔伯特袋狸中分离出来，而A型锥虫宿主范围广泛，可能具有致病性。需要进一步开展工作以确定锥虫对有袋动物种群的临床影响。
