[Determination of amanitatoxins by HPLC].

High-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) assay has been developed for the simultaneous determination of alpha-amanitin, beta-amanitin and phalloidin in serum. Three toxins were extracted by reflux in a water bath at 80 degrees C for one hour and purified by Sep-Pak Plus tC18 cartridges. The HPLC assay was performed under gradient conditions using Develosil RP AQUEOUS column.

Morphology and phylogenetic position of a mat-forming green plant from acidic rivers in Japan.

A green plant, which we have named "Misuzugoke", was found in acidic rivers in Nagano Prefecture, Japan, where it forms macroscopic mats or aggregates. The field-collected aggregates were nearly hemispherical and were composed of compact branched filaments radiating from a central base. The cells of the plant contained a single nucleus and numerous discoid chloroplasts lacking pyrenoids.

Determination of trace amounts of bisphenol A in urine by negative-ion chemical-ionization-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry.

We improved an analytical method for determining trace amounts of bisphenol A (BPA) in urine. BPA was subjected to enzymolysis and then to solid phase extraction with a C18 cartridge. The extract was eluted with methanol, and the eluate was concentrated under a nitrogen stream, and then pentafluorobenzylized in an alkali solution.

Pinonaldehyde and some other organics in rain and snow in central Japan.

Solvent-extractable organic compounds in the rain and snow collected at local cities in the mountainous region in central Japan, were analyzed by GC/MS and GC. Pinonaldehyde (2,2-dimethyl-3-acetyl-cyclobutyl-ethanal), an atmospheric reaction product of alpha-pinene, was detected in the rain and snow for the first time, and n-alkanes (C17-C33), fatty acids (C8-C23), and benzoic acid were also detected as major organic components. Concentrations of pinonaldehyde, C17-C33 n-alkanes, C8-C11 fatty acids, C12-C23 fatty acids and benzoic acid ranged between <0.

Incidence of Listeria monocytogenes in wild animals in Japan.

Between 1991 and 1993, the intestinal contents and feces of wild animals in Japan were examined for the presence of Listeria. The wild animals examined included 623 mammals (11 species) and 996 birds (18 species). Listeria species were isolated from 38 (6.

[Serovar distributions of cervical Chlamydia trachomatis isolated in Nagano Prefecture].

Between 1992 and 1998, serotyping of 82 Chlamydia trachomatis cervical isolates were examined by micro-IF method in Nagano Prefecture. Of these, 17 isolates (20.7%) were serovar E, 15 (18.

Typing Listeria monocytogenes by random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) fingerprinting.

Twenty epidemiologically unrelated Listeria monocytogenes strains isolated from different animals, locations and on different dates in Japan were classified into 18 types by the random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) fingerprinting technique with four primers. Further, seven epidemiologically related L. monocytogenes strains isolated from raw milk and a bulk tank on a dairy farm represented the same RAPD type suggesting that they were all of the same origin.

Sources and routes of contamination of raw milk with Listeria monocytogenes and its control.

To identify the source of contamination of raw bulk milk with Listeria, we attempted to isolate the bacteria from various samples such as cattle-related samples, bulk storage tanks and the environments on three farms. On farms A and B, Listeria monocytogenes was repeatedly isolated from raw milk, while on farm C, it was scarcely isolated from it. On the former farms, Listeria was detected in cattle-related samples and the environments.

Prevalence of Listeria species in raw milk from farm bulk tanks in Nagano prefecture.

Raw milk samples from bulk tanks of a total of 943 farms, which corresponded to approximately 60% of all dairy farms in Nagano Prefecture were examined for Listeria species between December 1990 and April 1991. Listeria spp. were isolated from 29 (3.

[An outbreak of municipal water-associated food poisoning caused by Salmonella enteritidis].

An outbreak of municipal water-associated food poisoning by Salmonella Enteritidis occurred in Takatoh Town. Nagano prefecture during September 4 to 19, 1989. The major symptoms observed in the 680 patients consisted of diarrhea (70.

[Descriptive epidemiology of mushroom poisoning in Japan].

The Incidence of mushroom poisoning was surveyed statistically from 1959 to 1988 in Japan. The results are summarized as follows: 1. During the past three decades, the total number of incidents of mushroom poisoning was 2,096, which involved 10,924 patients and 72 deaths.

Two generalized transducing phages in Vibrio parahaemolyticus and Vibrio alginolyticus.

Two bacteriophages named phi VP253 and phi VP143 isolated after ultraviolet induction from lysogenic strains of Vibrio parahaemolyticus have been shown to be generalized transducing phages. So far, seven different auxotrophic markers of a V. parahaemolyticus strain could be transduced at the frequencies ranging from 2.

Capillary gas chromatographic-mass spectrometric determination of acid herbicides in soils and sediments.

A capillary gas chromatographic method with selected-ion monitoring (GC-SIM) was applied to eight common herbicides: 2-(4-chloro-o-tolyl-oxy)propionic acid, 3,6-dichloro-2-methoxybenzoic acid, 2-methyl-4-chlorophenoxyacetic acid, 2,3,6-trichlorobenzoic acid, 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid, 3,5,6-trichloro-2-pyridyloxy-acetic acid, 2,4,5-trichlorophenoxyacetic acid and alpha-(2-methyl-4-chlorophenoxy) butyric acid. The method involves extraction with saturated calcium hydroxide solution, esterification with pentafluorobenzyl bromide, clean-up with a silica gel column and determination by capillary GC-SIM. Recoveries from soil and sediment are over 89% (with the exception of 77% for TBA) with coefficients of variation below 5% (n = 7).