title: A food-poisoning incident caused by Clostridium botulinum toxin A in Japan.
abstract: 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.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Otofuji
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tokiwa
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Takahashi
mesh_terms: D001905:Botulinum Toxins / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000633:toxicity; D001906:Botulism / Q000209:etiology*; D003014:Clostridium botulinum / Q000302:isolation & purification; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D007928:Lethal Dose 50; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged
chemical_list: D001905:Botulinum Toxins