Study on their experimetation of gerbils living in China for infectious diseases.

为了探索中国沙土鼠作为人类传染病实验动物模型的可能性，我们于2001年至2003年对中国所在的新疆-维吾尔自治区西北部(伊犁)、南部(基莫)和西部(喀什和和田)地区的野生啮齿动物进行了三次野外调查。共捕获沙鼠等10种340只小型啮齿动物，对其进行寄生虫学检查，并采集粪便和DNA标本。粪便标本的聚合酶链式反应分析显示，幽门螺杆菌属。在野生啮齿动物中普遍存在，但在所测试的任何属中均未检测到幽门螺杆菌。用捕获的沙土鼠感染人类病原体幽门螺杆菌、旋毛虫、棘球绦虫和婴儿利什曼原虫，研究沙土鼠对感染的敏感性。为了阐明生活在中国的7种沙土鼠之间的系统发育关系，测定并比较了线粒体细胞色素b和细胞色素c氧化酶亚基II基因的部分序列。这些研究表明，子午沙鼠存在区域变异，被认为是一个独立物种的中国长爪沙鼠实际上是子午沙鼠的异名。这些在GenBank中注册的DNA序列可能为世界范围内沙土鼠的系统发育研究做出贡献。

In order to investigate the potential use of Chinese gerbils as a laboratory animal model for human infectious diseases, we performed field surveys of wild rodents including gerbils living in the northwestern (Ily), southern (Quimo) and western (Kashu and Khotan) areas of the Xinjiang-Uygur autonomous regions of China three times between 2001 and 2003. In total, 340 small rodents of 10 species including gerbils were captured in the surveys, parasitological examinations of the rodents were performed, and fecal and DNA samples were also collected. PCR analysis using fecal samples revealed that Helicobacter spp. was widespread in wild rodents but H.pylori was not detected in any genera tested. Experimental infections of the captured gerbils with human pathogens, Helicobacter pylori, Trichinera spilaris, Echinococcus spp and Leishmania infantum were also performed to investigate sensitivity of infection in the gerbils. In order to clarify the phylogenic relationships among seven species of gerbils living in China, DNA sequences of parts of the mitochondrial cytochrome b and cylochrome c oxidase subunit II genes were determined and compared. These studies revealed that regional variations exist in Meriones meridianus and that M.chengi, which was considered as an independent species, was actually a synonym of M.meridianus. These DNA sequences registered in GenBank may contribute to the phylogenic study on gerbils world wide.