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A High-throughput Platform for the Screening of Salmonella spp./Shigella spp.
Published on: November 7, 2018
Sentinel surveillance for international Shigella by a quarantine station in Japan
H Taniguchi1, T Nakano, Y Katayama
1Department of Preventive and Social Medicine, Osaka Medical College, 2-7 Daigaku-machi, Takatsuki, Osaka 569-8686, Japan.
Abstract:
The Japanese quarantine system monitors incoming passengers to detect imported pathogens at international airports. At one airport, we found that 74% of 13 315 travellers returning with diarrhoea had visited only one country before entering Japan. On the basis of our results, we hypothesized that the international distribution and potential source of bacterial strains could be inferred by analysing strains isolated from travellers returning to Japan. In order to demonstrate the potential for this system, we randomly selected five Shigella sonnei strains and examined their restriction fragment length polymorphism patterns. One set of strains appeared to be closely related, while three sets, isolated from travellers who visited different countries were possibly related. These results suggest that international distributions and potential sources of S. sonnei may be inferred by monitoring isolates from passengers arriving at a Japanese quarantine station.
Insights
Japanese quarantine systems can track infectious disease outbreaks. Analyzing traveler-isolated bacteria, like Shigella sonnei, helps infer pathogen distribution and sources, aiding global health surveillance.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Epidemiology
- Public Health
Background:
- The Japanese quarantine system screens international travelers for imported pathogens.
- A significant majority of travelers returning with diarrhea had visited only one country prior to arrival.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the potential of using bacterial isolates from returning travelers to infer international pathogen distribution and sources.
- To demonstrate this potential using Shigella sonnei.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of traveler data, including countries visited and reason for travel (diarrhea).
- Isolation and characterization of bacterial strains, specifically Shigella sonnei.
- Restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis of selected S. sonnei strains.
Main Results:
- 74% of 13,315 travelers with diarrhea had visited only one country.
- RFLP analysis showed varying degrees of relatedness among five Shigella sonnei strains.
- Some strains isolated from travelers visiting different countries showed potential relationships.
Conclusions:
- Monitoring bacterial isolates from passengers at Japanese quarantine stations can help infer international distributions and sources of pathogens like Shigella sonnei.
- This approach offers a valuable tool for global infectious disease surveillance.
