Biodiversity risk assessment of genetically modified Chaetoceros gracilis for outdoor cultivation.

A genetically modified (GM) strain of the diatom Chaetoceros gracilis expressing the phosphite dehydrogenase gene (ptxD), which is a useful gene both for the biological containment and the avoidance of microbial contamination, was characterized to estimate the risk against the biodiversity by laboratory experiments. GM strain could grow in the medium containing phosphite as a sole source of phosphorus, while its general characteristics such as growth, salt tolerance, heat and dehydration resistance in the normal phosphate-containing medium were equivalent to those of wild type (WT) strain. The increase in potential toxicity of GM strain against plant, crustacean, fish and mammal was also disproved.

[A study of seroprevalence of leptospirosis in Gunma Prefecture, 2010].

Objectives: Leptospirosis is a zoonotic infection; water and soil are contaminated with Leptospira through the urine of rodents carrying the agent in the kidneys, and then the infection is established percutaneously or orally. In November 2009, the first notification of leptospirosis was submitted in Gunma Prefecture. It is important to clarify the current status of the leptospirosis epidemic in the prefecture and to enlighten residents and healthcare professionals.