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A total of ten 1-2-year-old rabbits died within 2 weeks at a facility in Ehime prefecture in May 2019. Necropsy revealed liver discoloration and fragility, hemorrhage of some organs and blood coagulation failure. On histopathologic examination, necrotizing hepatitis was a common finding, together with fibrin thrombi in the small vessels and hemorrhage in some organs. Rabbit hemorrhagic disease (RHD) virus gene was detected in liver samples, and viral particles of approximately 32 nm in diameter were found in the cytoplasm of degenerated hepatocytes by electron microscopy. Phylogenetic analysis based on the partial VP60 gene sequence classified it as Lagovirus europaeus GI.2/RHDV2. This is the first confirmed outbreak of RHD caused by globally emerging GI.2/RHDV2 in Japan.

A total of ten 1–2-year-old rabbits died within 2 weeks at a facility in Ehime prefecture in May 2019. Necropsy revealed liver discoloration and fragility, hemorrhage of some organs and blood coagulation failure. On histopathologic examination, necrotizing hepatitis was a common finding, together with fibrin thrombi in the small vessels and hemorrhage in some organs. Rabbit hemorrhagic disease (RHD) virus gene was detected in liver samples, and viral particles of approximately 32 nm in diameter were found in the cytoplasm of degenerated hepatocytes by electron microscopy. Phylogenetic analysis based on the partial VP60 gene sequence classified it as Lagovirus europaeus GI.2/RHDV2. This is the first confirmed outbreak of RHD caused by globally emerging GI.2/RHDV2 in Japan.

Community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA) was collected from children with bullous impetigo in 2003 and 2004. One strain collected in 2003 was Panton-Valentine leucocidin (PVL) positive. In 2004, a multiple-drug-resistant PVL(+) CA-MRSA strain was isolated from an athlete with a cutaneous abscess. These strains were analyzed by multilocus sequence typing, spa typing, agr typing, coagulase typing, staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec (SCCmec) typing, PCR assay for 30 virulence genes, drug susceptibility testing, pulsed-field gel electrophoresis, and for plasmids. The two Japanese PVL(+) CA-MRSA strains belonged to the globally extant ("pandemic") sequence type 30 (ST30) with SCCmec IV. A transmissible, multiple-drug resistance plasmid emerged in such ST30 strains. The PVL(-) CA-MRSA strains ("domestic" CA-MRSA) accumulated for bullous impetigo, exhibiting new genotypes. Hospital-acquired MRSA of ST91 (but not pandemic ST5) shared common features with the PVL(-) CA-MRSA strain.

A new category of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), called community-acquired MRSA (CA-MRSA), has emerged worldwide. In contrast to previous MRSA, most CA-MRSA carries the Panton-Valentine leukocidin (PVL) genes (lukPVSF) as a virulence genetic trait. Sequence analysis of the lukPVSF gene of a Japanese isolate demonstrated that the gene has more similarity to methicillin-susceptible S. aureus from France than MRSA from the United States. Based on the sequences, we developed a real-time PCR assay for the three key genes of CA-MRSA; that is, lukPVSF, mecA (for methicillin resistance), and spa (for S. aureus). Dual or triple assay for lukPVSF, mecA, and spa in one test tube became possible. The detection limit of the assay with probe and SYBR Green methods was between 2.7 and 2.7 × 101 CFU/ml. The assay detected PVL-positive MRSA in clinical (blood) isolates.

The methylation of 3,4-dimethoxyphenylpyruvic acid (II) gave the corresponding methyl ester (III), which was then subjected to a Wittig reaction with carbomethoxymethylenetriphenylphosphorane to give the corresponding fumaric (IVa) and maleic (IVb) acid derivatives in a 1:3 ratio. The cis-hydroxylation of IVa and IVb with an aqueous solution of potassium permanganate and magnesium sulfate gave methyl (±)-thero-2,3-dihydroxy-4-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)-3-methoxycarbonylbutyrate (Va) and its (±)-erythro-isomer (Vb) respectively. The dimethyl esters, (±)-Va and (±)-Vb, were converted to the corresponding monomethyl esters, (±)-VIIa and (±)-VIIb respectively, via two dicarboxylic acid derivatives, (±)-VIa and (±)-VIb. The resolution of (±)-VIIb with brucine gave (+)-VIIb and (−)-VIIb, which were then converted to (+)-Vb and (+)-VIb and to (−)-Vb and (−)-VIb respectively. The synthetic (+)-Vb was shown to be identical with the natural O,O′-dimethylfukiic acid dimethyl ester by a mixed fusion and by comparisons of ...

The methylation of 3,4-dimethoxyphenylpyruvic acid (II) gave the corresponding methyl ester (III), which was then subjected to a Wittig reaction with carbomethoxymethylenetriphenylphosphorane to give the corresponding fumaric (IVa) and maleic (IVb) acid derivatives in a 1:3 ratio. The cis-hydroxylation of IVa and IVb with an aqueous solution of potassium permanganate and magnesium sulfate gave methyl (±)-thero-2,3-dihydroxy-4-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)-3-methoxycarbonylbutyrate (Va) and its (±)-erythro-isomer (Vb) respectively. The dimethyl esters, (±)-Va and (±)-Vb, were converted to the corresponding monomethyl esters, (±)-VIIa and (±)-VIIb respectively, via two dicarboxylic acid derivatives, (±)-VIa and (±)-VIb. The resolution of (±)-VIIb with brucine gave (+)-VIIb and (−)-VIIb, which were then converted to (+)-Vb and (+)-VIb and to (−)-Vb and (−)-VIb respectively. The synthetic (+)-Vb was shown to be identical with the natural O,O′-dimethylfukiic acid dimethyl ester by a mixed fusion and by comparisons of ...