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Staphylococcus argenteus is a novel species subdivided from Staphylococcus aureus . Whether this species can cause food poisoning outbreaks is unknown. This study aimed to investigate the enterotoxigenic activities of two food poisoning isolates suspected to be S. argenteus (Tokyo13064 and Tokyo13069). The results for phylogenic trees, constructed via whole genome sequencing, demonstrated that both isolates were more similar to a type strain of S. argenteus (MSHR1132) than any S. aureus strain. Moreover, the representative characteristics of S. argenteus were present in both strains, namely both isolates belong to the CC75 lineage and both lack a crtOPQMN operon. Thus, both were determined to be “ S. argenteus .” The compositions of the two isolates' accessory elements differed from those of MSHR1132. For example, the seb -related Staphylococcus aureus pathogenicity island, SaPIishikawa11, was detected in Tokyo13064 and Tokyo13069 but not in MSHR1132. Both isolates were suggested to belong to distinct lineages that branched off from MSHR1132 lineages in terms of accessory elements. Tokyo13064 and Tokyo13069 expressed high levels of s ( arg ) eb and produced S(arg)EB protein, indicating that both have the ability to cause food poisoning. Our findings suggest that S. argenteus harboring particular accessory elements can cause staphylococcal diseases such as food poisoning, similarly to S. aureus . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Once ingested, dioxins and dioxin-like compounds are excreted extremely slowly. Excretion can be evaluated by its half-life. Half-lives estimated from observed concentrations are affected by excretion and ongoing exposure. We investigated the change in apparent half-life using a theoretical model based on exposure to dioxin and dioxin-like compounds.Methods: We carried out longitudinal measurements of the blood concentration of dioxins and dioxin-like compounds in a Yusho cohort during 2002 to 2010. We estimated the change in decay rates of 2,3,4,7,8-PeCDF and octachlorodibenzodioxin (OCDD) using a second-order equation.Results: We found that the decay rate of OCDD increased, whereas the decay rate of 2,3,4,7,8-PeCDF of patients with a relatively high concentration of 2,3,4,7,8-PeCDF decreased. OCDD results were in accordance with decreasing levels of dioxin and dioxin-like compounds in the environment. The decay rate of OCDD in the body was affected by the decay rate of OCDD in the environment by ingestion because it was near the steady-state. In contrast, the decay rate of 2,3,4,7,8-PeCDF in the body was affected less by ingestion from the environment because it was far higher than in the steady-state.Conclusion: We demonstrated that the level of 2,3,4,7,8-PeCDF in the environment is decreasing. The excretion half-life is longer than the environmental half-life, thus the excretion half-life in a Yusho patient is increased. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A large-scale food poisoning caused by methylmercury was identified in Minamata, Japan, in the 1950s. The severe intrauterine exposure cases are well known, although the possible impact of low-to-moderate methylmercury exposure in utero are rarely investigated. We examined neurocognitive functions among 22 participants in Minamata, mainly using an intelligence quotient test (Wechsler Adults Intelligent Scale III), in 2012/2013. The participants tended to score low on the Index score of processing speed (PS) relative to full-scale IQ, and discrepancies between PS and other scores within each participant were observed. The lower score on PS was due to deficits in digit symbol-coding and symbol search and was associated with methylmercury concentration in umbilical cords. The residents who experienced low-to-moderate methylmercury exposure including prenatal one in Minamata manifested deficits in their cognitive functions, processing speed in particular. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Staphylococcus argenteus has been recently established as a novel species of Staphylococcus aureus complex. It is known to cause various human diseases, such as skin and soft-tissue infections, sepsis, and staphylococcal food poisoning, although the source of infection has not been clearly described. In food poisoning cases, the source of bacterial contamination in food is unknown. This study examined the prevalence of S. argenteus among retail fresh food and poultry slaughterhouses in Japan. Among 642 food samples examined, successful isolation of S. argenteus was achieved in 21 of 151 (13.9%) chicken samples. No isolations from pork, beef, fish, or vegetables in retail markets were confirmed. Multiple-locus sequence typing revealed that the 21 isolates were classified into four sequence types (ST) that were divided into 14 subtypes using spa -typing. All food isolates were susceptible to methicillin and did not show positivity for the Panton-Valentine leukocidin gene. When bacteria were isolated from two poultry slaughterhouses in the same region, 14 S. argenteus strains were successfully isolated from only one slaughterhouse. Thirteen of 14 strains were isolated from a poultry carcass and slaughterhouse environments during a certain sampling period and were all classified as ST5961 with identical spa -type. Also, the number of single nucleotide variants (SNVs) detected on the core genomes of the same 13 strains were between 0 and 17, suggesting a long-term inhabitation of an S. argenteus strain inside the facility. Furthermore, one isolate from chicken meat was also genetically linked with the same lineage of slaughterhouse isolates, with ≤15 SNVs being detected. Additionally, one slaughterhouse isolate from chiller water and three chicken isolates were classified into the same cluster by phylogenetic analysis, although the number of pairwise SNVs ranged from 62 to 128. To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first study that demonstrated S. argenteus in a food processing facility and the possible bacterial contamination on food during food processing. • Staphylococcus argenteus was isolated from chicken meat and slaughterhouse samples. • Twenty-one isolates from chicken meat were classified into 14 genotypes. • Sequence type 2250, a clone spreading globally, was not a predominant genotype. • WGS showed possible bacterial contamination of chicken meat in the slaughterhouse. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on chemical and food contamination cases reported in Japan in March 2011. It details an agreement reached by the victims of mercury poisoning in Kumamoto and Kagoshima and Chisso Corp. Spinach and other green leafy vegetables, milk and water have been found to have iodine-131 after the Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO) completed a planning dumping of radioactive water in the Pacific Ocean at the site of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. It cites the criticisms raised by the Japanese people on the lack of guidelines for consuming food safely following the Fukushima disaster.

Discusses public confidence in food safety in Japan, which has been undermined due to eight food-poisoning scares in July and August of 2000. Recall of tainted milk products by Snow Brand in July; What Snow Brand is doing in an attempt to salvage its reputation.

Discusses food poisoning in Japan which resulted from milk produced at a Snow Brand factory in Osaka which was tainted with Staphyloccocus aureus, Bacillus cereus, and Escherichia coli; Results of the outbreak on the public, on Snow Brand, and on dairy factories in Japan.