Rapid response to a COVID-19 outbreak at a nightclub in Kagoshima prefecture, Japan, in the early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic, June and July 2020: A descriptive epidemiological study.

Introduction: During COVID-19 pandemic in Japan, nightclubs were identified as high-risk locations for COVID-19 outbreaks, but an outbreak investigation in this setting is challenging because of the anonymous and opportunistic nature of interactions.

Methods: The joint rapid response team collected epidemiological data, conducted descriptive epidemiology to determine the characteristics of cases associated with the nightclub, and implemented countermeasures. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests were performed by the Local Institute of Public Health, Kagoshima University, and several commercial laboratories.

Influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 virus exhibiting reduced susceptibility to baloxavir due to a PA E23K substitution detected from a child without baloxavir treatment.

Human-to-human transmission of PA I38 mutant influenza A(H3N2) viruses with reduced baloxavir susceptibility has been reported in Japan. In December 2019, we detected a PA E23K mutant A(H1N1)pdm09 virus from a child without baloxavir treatment. The PA E23K mutant virus exhibited reduced baloxavir susceptibility but remained susceptible to neuraminidase inhibitors.

Insight of diagnostic performance using B-cell epitope antigens derived from triple P44-related proteins of Anaplasma phagocytophilum.

Human granulocytic anaplasmosis (HGA) is caused by Anaplasma phagocytophilum. Indirect immunofluorescence assay (IFA) is generally used for HGA serodiagnosis. A.

Diversity of spotted fever group rickettsiae and their association with host ticks in Japan.

Spotted fever group (SFG) rickettsiae are obligate intracellular Gram-negative bacteria mainly associated with ticks. In Japan, several hundred cases of Japanese spotted fever, caused by Rickettsia japonica, are reported annually. Other Rickettsia species are also known to exist in ixodid ticks; however, their phylogenetic position and pathogenic potential are poorly understood.

Low Seroprevalence of Severe Fever with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome Virus Antibodies in Individuals Living in an Endemic Area in Japan.

Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) is a tick-borne infection with a high mortality rate. It is caused by the SFTS virus (SFTSV) and is endemic in some areas in western Japan, including the Kagoshima prefecture. In the present study, healthy individuals living in this prefecture were examined to assess for anti-SFTSV seroprevalence.

Detection and molecular characterization of Babesia, Theileria, and Hepatozoon species in hard ticks collected from Kagoshima, the southern region in Japan.

To reveal the distribution of tick-borne parasites, we established a novel nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) system to detect the most common agents of tick-borne parasitic diseases, namely Babesia, Theileria, and Hepatozoon parasites. We collected host-seeking or animal-feeding ticks in Kagoshima Prefecture, the southernmost region of Kyusyu Island in southwestern Japan. Twenty of the total of 776 tick samples displayed a specific band of the appropriate size (approximately 1.

Severe Fever with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome Virus Antigen Detection Using Monoclonal Antibodies to the Nucleocapsid Protein.

Background: Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) is a tick-borne infectious disease with a high case fatality rate, and is caused by the SFTS virus (SFTSV). SFTS is endemic to China, South Korea, and Japan. The viral RNA level in sera of patients with SFTS is known to be strongly associated with outcomes.

Phylogenetic and Geographic Relationships of Severe Fever With Thrombocytopenia Syndrome Virus in China, South Korea, and Japan.

Background: Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) is a tick-borne acute infectious disease caused by the SFTS virus (SFTSV). SFTS has been reported in China, South Korea, and Japan as a novel Bunyavirus. Although several molecular epidemiology and phylogenetic studies have been performed, the information obtained was limited, because the analyses included no or only a small number of SFTSV strains from Japan.

Molecular epidemiology of noroviruses detected in food handler-associated outbreaks of gastroenteritis in Japan.

Twelve outbreaks of food handler-associated gastroenteritis between November 2002 and March 2006 in Japan were examined for norovirus (NoV) using RT-PCR and sequence analysis. NoV was detected in 77 of 81 customers and 45 of 104 food handlers. Identical NoV sequences were detected in patients and food handlers in each outbreak.