A food-borne outbreak of infection presumably due to eating Sashimis (sliced raw fish meat) occurred in Karuizawa, Nagano prefecture, in July 1978. In the outbreak, Vibrio cholerae serovar 6 was the only suspect etiological agent isolated. This is the first report of outbreak of infection due to this organism in Japan.
The isolates produced positive reaction in ileal loop tests in rabbits with live cells and culture filtrates, suggesting enteropathogenicity of the organisms. In the culture filtrates, however, a cytotoxin different from cholera taxin was demonstrated.

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During between 1975 and 1979, 444 strains of Vibrio parahaemolyticus were isolated from feces of patients with food poisoning and acute gastroenteritis in Gifu prefecture. A serological analysis for the typing of the organigns was carried out and the following results were obtained.
1) 317 strains were identified with the known types of Kl-K59, however, the remaining 127 strains were untypable. They were classified into four new K antigen types, GNK1, GNK2, GNK3 and GNK4 which were tentatively named by the author, and later determined by the Committee on the Serological typing of Vibrio parahaemolyticus, as K60, K61, K63 and K64 respectively.
2) By addition of newly prepared antisera of K60-64 to the known types of K1-K59, 94.1% of 444 isolates were serologically identified with the member of Vibrio parahaemolyticus.
3) Antigenic analysis of the isolates revealed that prevalent types of Vibrio parahaemolyticus varied significantly year by year.

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All children (176) accommodated in a ward for severe psychomotor retarded children in an institution in Yamaguchi Prefecture were examined for carriers of hemolytic streptococci in the throat 14 times in total over a period of four years from January of 1974 through March of 1978, the examination each time lasting for about three months. The ASO titer was also measured once. The results obtained aresummarized as follows:
1) The Rate of Carriers:
The rate of carriers of hemolytic streptococci among the children varied from 5% to 31% in the examinations, the average being 19%(313/1651).
2) Types of Group A Hemolytic Streptococci Isolated:
Type B3264 was the largest in number, accounting for 16%(45/285 strains), followed by type 4 (8%), type 12 (7%) and type 13 (6%) in the decreasing order. Besides, type 1, type 5/27/44, and type 18 were confirmed.
3) Changes in Serotypes:
Type 4 was confirmed in the first examination, type 12 and type B3264 in the second examination, type 5/27/44 and type B3264 in the third examination, only type B3264 in from the fourth through the eight examination, untypable strain in the ninth examination, type 1 and type 13 in the tenth examination, type 13 in the 11 th examination, type 4 and type 13 in the 12th examination, untypable strain in the 13th examination, and type 12, type 4, type 1 and type 18 in the 14th examination.
4) Susceptibility of Isolated Strains to Antibiotics:
Minimum inhibitory concentrations were 0.05μg/ml for erythromycin, 3.13 μg/ml for chloramphenicol, and not more than 0.025 μg/ml in many cases for penicillin-G, all strains being susceptible irrespec-tive of serotypes. In the case of tetracycline, however, the results differed depending on the type of strains. That is, types 1, 13, 18 and B3264 were all susceptible in the range of 1.56-6.25μg/ml, while type 4, 12 and 5/27/44 were resistant in the range of 50-100μg/ml.
5) Distribution of the ASO Titer:
The ASO titer was 166 units (Todd unit) in 27% of the children (14/52) and 333 units in 25% of the children (13/52), generally tending to be high.

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Most strains of S. marcescens isolated from clinical materials formed large aggligates in human urine. This phenomenon was specifically observed on S. marcescens but not on the other gram-negative bacilli such as E. coli, K. pneumoniae, P. aeruginosa, P. maltophilia, P. vulgaris and P. mirabilis. Among 24 strains of S. marcescens isolated 15 strains showed agglutination in human urine. Nine strains were nonagglutinating strain. Electron microscopic observation of these strains revealed that the agglutinating strains had numerous pili on their surface but none of pili were observed on nonagglutinating strains. The diameter of the pili was 30 A. It showed more flexible profile than that of the haemagglutinating strain of E. coli. The role of the pili in urinary tract infection is still remained to be elucidated.

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Antibody titers to OEP, exotoxin A and exoenzymes (protease and elastase) in normal sera of 256 specimens of cord blood, children and adults were measured by passive hemagglutination test. Serum antibody to exotoxin A was detected in cord blood samples. The level of mean antibody titers dropped during the first year of age, then rose and reached a plateau at the age of 2 to 5 years and dropped thereafter.
Mean antibody titers to OEP by age groups were similar to those of exotoxin A. Antibodies to exoenzymes were not detectable initially, but the level rose during the second year of age and reached a plateau during childhood.
Positive antibody titers (1: 20) to exotoxin A and OEP were found in all sera belonging to some age groups between 11 to 30 years of age. The rate of acquisition of antibodies to exoenzymes was low.
As for the antibody to exotoxin A, the disappearance of detectable antibody by treatment with 2-mercaptoethanol was observed during the age of 1 to 4 years.
Initial pseudomonas colonization may be common and asymptomatic in infants and young children.

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This report describes the clinical and bacteriological features of 7 patients with meningitis due to P. aeruginosa at Juntendo University Hospital in Tokyo during the 5 year period from 1975 to 1979. All of the pateints seen were infants and had a hydrocephalus as an underlying illness before onset of meningitis. All of the infections occurred after neuro-surgical procedures and during an indwelling V-P shunt tube or an extraventricular drainage which were suggested the route of the infection. Furthermore, the use of broad-spectrum antibiotic therapy had been suggested one of the possible causes of infection with this organism. The meningitis by P. aeruginosa reported in this paper can be considered an opportunistic infection and/or nosocomical infection.

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