Laboratory examinations on fecal specimens collected from 34 subjects who complained of diarrhea on an occasion of group checkup in January 1987 at Bacolod City, Negros Island, the Republic of the Philippines, revealed Vibrio furnissii in 2 of these cases (5.9%). Meanwhile, in June 1987, three siblings who had eaten a luncheon packed in a chip box, especially fishes and shellfishes such as sliced raw turbo, ark shell and tuna meat, deep fried prawns and mackerel sushi served at a Buddhist service for the death, developed diarrhea in a Osaka City. Bacteriological examination of fecal specimens from them demonstrated Vibrio furnissii. These three cases were diagnosed as food poisoning due to contamination with this pathogen. Diarrhea, gripes, nausea, vomiting and fever were the principal manifestations with which all these patients presented. The symptoms appeared 10-14 hours after the luncheon and diarrhea persisted for 12 to 30 hours. One patient had mixed infection with Vibrio parahaemolyticus and was eventually in a serious condition with dehydration. These three cases of food poisoning due to Vibrio furnissii infection are the first to be reported in Japan, to our knowledge. It is generally recognized that pathogenic strains of Vibrio furnissii and Vibrio parahaemolyticus cause infection in man chiefly by way of contaminated fishes and shellfishes, hence important as causative agents for food poisoning.

Despite several dozens of reports on the importation of malaria every year, it is one of the hardest jobs to obtain anti-malarial drugs in present day Japan, especially in small rural hospitals other than the organization of tropical diseases specialty. This seems to be due to discontinuation of the drug production by the pharmaceutical manufactures because of too scarce demand to make the business profitable, on the one hand, and due to the suit raised in the past by the patients of Chloroquine-retinopathy which, it was claimed, had been caused by excessive doses of the said drug for another disease, on the other. Since the Ministry of Welfare permits use of the drug if it is for malaria, it is hoped that its production be promorted by the Ministry under proper guidance and administration. As a matter of fact, we have cured three cases of malaria patients in 1974 through 1976, with great toils and labour for the acquisition of the drug, indeed. At the moment, one of the private organization is hurrying to map out the institutes of malarial specialty in Japan, for the convenience of patients. And whenever necessary, we save the urgent situation by managing what little stock of the drugs that we have purchased in the foreign countries.

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Abstract:Recent papers suggested that as the result of the increase of Japanese travellers abroad, number of patients affected with imported tropical disease increased every year. This fact also implies that foreign visitors are bringing tropical disease into Japan. Therefore, we have conducted a survey of foreign visitors who visited Matsushita Electric Co. Ltd. for the purpose of technical training for short periods from 1972 to 1976, studying the possibility of invasion of tropical diseases by interview and on medical records. The results obtained were as follows:1. Of total 532 visitors, 485 were from tropical regions and 47 from other countries, and the morbidity rates indicated 20.2 per cent and 29.8 per cent respectively in the observation period of one month following their arrival.2. Fortunately no tropical diseases such as malaria, filariasis, dengue fever and cholera were found so far.3. Two cases, a Malaysian with Tenia saginata and an Iranian with orchitis following mumps which had affected him for some time before their arrival, were cured. 4. Many visitors from tropical regions were easily affected with common cold within a few days after their arrival, especially in the fall and winter season, as compared with those from Europe and North America.5. A thorough check-up routine of the Japanese returnees and foreign visitors to Japan and general practitioners' good understanding of the imported tropical diseases are mandatory for the prevention of tropical diseases in the future.