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A food-poisoning incident caused by Clostridium botulinum toxin A in Japan

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 October 2009

T. Otofuji
Affiliation:
Bacteriological Division, Fukuoka Environmental Research Center, Fukuoka 818-01, Japan
H. Tokiwa
Affiliation:
Bacteriological Division, Fukuoka Environmental Research Center, Fukuoka 818-01, Japan
K. Takahashi
Affiliation:
Bacteriological Division, Fukuoka Environmental Research Center, Fukuoka 818-01, Japan
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Summary

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Food poisoning caused by Clostridium botulinum toxin A occurred in Japan. Eleven (31 %) of 36 patients from 14 different areas died of botulism. Most of the patients had eaten commercial fried lotus-rhizome solid mustard without heating. The food, which implicated one of the special local products used for gifts in Kumamoto, was found to have been produced by a manufacturer in Kumamoto prefecture.

In Fukuoka prefecture, two of three patients died on days 4 and 8 after eating the food; they had typical symptoms of botulism. A total of 42 packages of the food bought as gifts was collected from different districts in Fukuoka prefecture for examination for both organism and toxin. Thirteen of these (31%) were contaminated with the organism, and in 11 (26%) a small amount of toxin A had been produced.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1987

References

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