is less likely to acquire pathogenic mutations during latent infection than during active disease.

Most people infected with () are believed to be in a state of latent tuberculosis (TB) infection (LTBI). Although LTBI is asymptomatic and not infectious, there is a risk of developing active disease even decades after infection. Here, to characterize mutations acquired during LTBI, we collected and analyzed genomes from seven Japanese patient pairs, each pair consisting of two active TB patients whose starting dates of developing active disease were >3 years apart; one had a high suspicion of LTBI before developing active disease, whereas the other did not.

Predictors of herpes zoster severity and immune responses according to pain trajectories: A community-based prospective cohort study.

The authors aimed to identify determinants of the clinical course of herpes zoster and immunological responses, focusing on pain trajectories. This prospective community-based cohort study involved the analysis of responses to a valid pain survey provided by 375 patients diagnosed with herpes zoster based on clinical symptoms and virus identification by polymerase chain reaction. The authors analyzed most patients for humoral/cell-mediated immune response against varicella-zoster virus at the onset and 3 months post-onset.

Distribution of Human Sapovirus Strain Genotypes over the Last Four Decades in Japan: a Global Perspective.

Sapovirus (SaV) infections are a public health problem because they cause acute gastroenteritis in humans of all ages, both sporadically and as outbreaks. However, only a limited amount of SaV sequence information, especially whole-genome sequences for all the SaV genotypes, is publicly available. Therefore, in this study, we determined the full/near-full-length genomic sequences of 138 SaVs from the 2001 to 2015 seasons in 13 prefectures across Japan.

Lysocin E Targeting Menaquinone in the Membrane of Mycobacterium tuberculosis Is a Promising Lead Compound for Antituberculosis Drugs.

Tuberculosis remains a public health crisis and a health security threat. There is an urgent need to develop new antituberculosis drugs with novel modes of action to cure drug-resistant tuberculosis and shorten the chemotherapy period by sterilizing tissues infected with dormant bacteria. Lysocin E is an antibiotic that showed antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus by binding to its menaquinone (commonly known as vitamin K).

Rapid detection of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis based on allele-specific recombinase polymerase amplification and colorimetric detection.

Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) poses a serious threat to TB control. Early diagnosis and proper treatment are essential factors to limit the spread of the disease. The existing molecular tests for MDR-TB usually require specific instruments, steady power supply, and routine maintenance, which might be obstacles for low-resource settings.

Higher genome mutation rates of Beijing lineage of Mycobacterium tuberculosis during human infection.

Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) strains of Beijing lineage have caused great concern because of their rapid emergence of drug resistance and worldwide spread. DNA mutation rates that reflect evolutional adaptation to host responses and the appearance of drug resistance have not been elucidated in human-infected Beijing strains. We tracked and obtained an original Mtb isolate of Beijing lineage from the 1999 tuberculosis outbreak in Japan, as well as five other isolates that spread in humans, and two isolates from the patient caused recurrence.

Habitual tub bathing and risks of incident coronary heart disease and stroke.

Objective: Tub bathing is considered to have a preventive effect against cardiovascular disease (CVD) by improving haemodynamic function. However, no prospective studies have investigated the long-term effects of tub bathing with regard to CVD risk.

Methods: A total of 30 076 participants aged 40-59 years with no history of CVD or cancer were followed up from 1990 to 2009.

Investigations on Contamination of Environmental Water Samples by Legionella using Real-Time Quantitative PCR Combined with Amoebic Co-Culturing.

We analyzed the contamination of environmental water samples with Legionella spp. using a conventional culture method, real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR), and real-time qPCR combined with an amoebic co-culture method. Samples (n = 110) were collected from 19 cooling towers, 31 amenity water facilities, and 60 river water sources of tap water in Japan.

Naked eye detection of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex by recombinase polymerase amplification-SYBR green I assays.

Background: Rapid diagnosis of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) is key to controlling the spread of tuberculosis, which is a global health concern. In this study, isothermal recombinase polymerase amplification (RPA) was developed to detect specific targets of Mtb, IS6110 and IS1081. Additionally, SYBR Green I was used for endpoint detection of the RPA products by the naked eye.

Effects of nitrous acid exposure on baseline pulmonary resistance and Muc5ac in rats.

We examined the baseline pulmonary resistance (RLung), baseline dynamic lung compliance (Cdyn), cytokine inductions, and histological alterations in rats exposed to nitrous acid (HONO) with secondary products of nitrogen dioxide (NO) and nitric oxide (NO) to assess its biological effects. We exposed three groups of nine male F344 rats to different doses of HONO for six weeks (24 h/day). The cumulative values of HONO concentration were measured twice.

Human monoclonal antibodies against West Nile virus from Japanese encephalitis-vaccinated volunteers.

West Nile virus (WNV) is a positive-sense single-stranded RNA flavivirus belonging to the Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) serocomplex of the Flaviviridae family and causes mosquito-borne infections. Although most human infection cases are asymptomatic, approximately one in 150 infected individuals develops meningoencephalitis, with a mortality rate of 4-14%. While the development of human neutralizing antibody therapeutics against WNV is strongly anticipated, WNV is difficult to study in conventional laboratories due to its high safety level requirement.

Correction to: Common findings of bla-encoding 104-139 kbp plasmids harbored by extended-spectrum β-lactamase-producing Escherichia coli in pork meat, wholesale market workers, and patients with urinary tract infection in Vietnam.

The original version of this article unfortunately contained a mistake. The legends of Tables 2 and 3, Fig. 1 are incorrect.

Human monoclonal antibodies neutralizing influenza virus A/H1N1pdm09 and seasonal A/H1N1 strains - Distinct Ig gene repertoires with a similar action mechanism.

Influenza virus causes acute respiratory infection in humans, and is a major public health concern globally. Antibodies play a central role in host protection against influenza virus. We isolated human monoclonal antibodies (hMAb) 206-2-4 and 201-6-8 by a human hybridoma protocol that neutralized various but distinct influenza virus (IFV) A/H1N1 strains, including 2009 pandemic strains.

Potential transmission opportunity of CTX-M-producing Escherichia coli on a large-scale chicken farm in Vietnam.

Objectives: Extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)-producing Escherichia coli have disseminated worldwide. This study investigated bla-positive E. coli on a large-scale Vietnamese chicken farm and analysed whether there was any difference in prevalence and molecular characteristics of bla-positive E.

Surveillance of Adenovirus Respiratory Infections in Children from Osaka, Japan.

Human adenovirus (HAdV) strains isolated from respiratory specimens of 139 children were analyzed to evaluate the endemic situation of HAdV infections in Osaka, Japan, between 2008 and 2015. The cases increased during spring and winter, and the infections were confirmed mainly in children aged ≤ 5 years, comprising 91.9% of the total population examined.

Impact of Coxsackievirus A6 emergence on hand, foot, and mouth disease epidemic in Osaka City, Japan.

Hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD) is an acute febrile illness characterized by fever; sore throat; and vesicular eruptions on the hands, feet, and oral mucosa. Until 2010, HFMD was predominantly associated with enterovirus (EV) A71 and coxsackievirus (CV) A16 in Japan. In 2011, CV-A6 emerged as a primary causative agent, causing the largest HFMD epidemic in Japan since 1981.

[PCR-Based Method for the Detection of Toxic Mushrooms Causing Food-Poisoning Incidents].

In this study, species-specific identification of five toxic mushrooms, Chlorophyllum molybdites, Gymnopilus junonius, Hypholoma fasciculare, Pleurocybella porrigens, and Tricholoma ustale, which have been involved in food-poisoning incidents in Japan, was investigated. Specific primer pairs targeting internal transcribed spacer (ITS) regions were designed for PCR detection. The specific amplicons were obtained from fresh, cooked, and simulated gastric fluid (SGF)-treated samples.

Analytical Method for Pyrethroid Metabolites in Urine of the Non-Occupationally Exposed Population by Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry.

Pyrethroids are widely being used as household insecticides or mothproof repellents. An analytical method is described for determination of urinary metabolites as biomarkers for monitoring exposure to the pyrethroids. In total, 11 urinary metabolites, 3-(2-carboxyprop-1-enyl)-2,2-dimethylcyclopropanecarboxylic acid, 3-(2-chloro-3,3,3-trifluoroprop-1-enyl)-2,2-dimethylcyclopropanecarboxylic acid, 3-(2,2-dichlorovinyl)-2,2-dimethylcyclopropanecarboxylic acid, 2,2-dimethyl-3-(2-methylprop-1-enyl)cyclopropanecarboxylic acid, 4-fluoro-3-phenoxybenzoic acid, 4-methoxymethyl-2,3,5,6-tetrafluorobenzly alcohol, 2-methyl-3-phenylbenzoic acid, 4-methyl-2,3,5,6-tetrafluorobenzyl alcohol, 3-phenoxybenzoic acid, 2,3,5,6-tetrafluorobenzoic acid and 2,2,3,3-tetramethylcyclopropanecarboxylic acid, were enzymatically hydrolyzed and extracted with toluene.

First report of human parechovirus type 3 infection in a pregnant woman.

Human parechovirus type 3 (HPeV3) can cause serious conditions in neonates, such as sepsis and encephalitis, but data for adults are lacking. The case of a pregnant woman with HPeV3 infection is reported herein. A 28-year-old woman at 36 weeks of pregnancy was admitted because of myalgia and muscle weakness.

Development of selective medium for IMP-type carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae in stool specimens.

Background: Identification of carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae (CPE) in faecal specimens is challenging. This fact is particularly critical because low-level carbapenem-resistant organisms such as IMP-producing CPE are most prevalent in Japan. We developed a modified selective medium more suitable for IMP-type CPE.

Neutralizing activities against seasonal influenza viruses in human intravenous immunoglobulin.

Influenza viruses A/H1N1, A/H3N2, and B are known seasonal viruses that undergo annual mutation. Intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) contains anti-seasonal influenza virus globulins. Although the virus-neutralizing (VN) titer is an indicator of protective antibodies, changes in this titer over extended time periods have yet to be examined.

Detection of antibiotics in chicken eggs obtained from supermarkets in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

The residual levels of antibiotics in Vietnamese eggs were monitored from 2014 to 2015. A total of 111 egg packages, distributed by 11 different companies, were collected from supermarkets in Ho Chi Minh City and the levels of 28 antibiotics were analyzed using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) screening method. Sixteen samples tested positive for antibiotics; a total of eight compounds (enrofloxacin, ciprofloxacin, norfloxacin, sulfadimethoxine, sulfamethazine, sulfamonomethoxine, tilmicosin and trimethoprim) were detected.