Microbiological Quality of Seafood Marketed in Taiwan.

Seafood is often associated with foodborne illnesses, and Vibrio parahaemolyticus is the most common pathogen implicated in outbreaks in Taiwan. In this study, the microbiological quality of 300 raw or mixed ready-to-eat (RTE) and other cooking-needed seafood samples was examined. The total aerobic and coliform counts of the RTE samples were significantly higher than those of other cooking-needed samples. On average, 55.8 and 29.7% of the RTE samples failed to meet the local microbiological standards for total aerobic (5 log CFU/g) and coliform (3 log most probable number [MPN] per g), counts respectively; the corresponding percentages for the RTE samples from Taipei City were 9.1 and 18.2%, respectively. The total aerobic and coliform counts in the RTE samples from supermarkets and chain restaurants were significantly lower than those from traditional restaurants. The Vibrio species were more frequently identified in the cooking-needed samples than in RTE samples. Low incidences of V. parahaemolyticus (1.4%), V. vulnificus (1.9%), and V. cholerae (0%) were detected in most RTE samples. High densities of V. parahaemolyticus and V. vulnificus (1,200 MPN/g) were detected in a few RTE samples, only one of which contained toxigenic (tdh(+)) V. parahaemolyticus. The results of this investigation reveal that better hygiene of seafood providers such as chain restaurants, supermarkets, and traditional restaurants in Taipei City would effectively improve the microbiological quality of the seafood. The results will facilitate the establishment of measures for controlling the risks associated with seafood in Taiwan.

[Effect of strategy of control and prevention of intestinal nematodiasis in Dongtai City, Jiangsu Province].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the strategy of intestinal nematodiasis control in Dongtai City, Jiangsu Province. METHODS: The strategy of mass drug administration assisted with health education was applied in Dongtai City, which was a high endemic area of intestinal nematodiasis, and then the health education and promotion assisted with drug administration of focus population and other integrated control measures, such as the improvement of drinking water, lavatories, and environment, was applied to consolidate the achievement. RESULTS: The infection rate of intestinal nematodes reduced from 79.97% in 1989 to 6.30% in 1999, and the infection rates of hookworm, Ascaris lumgricoides and Trichuris trichura reduced to 3.31%, 0.60% and 2.57%, respectively, achieving the standard of intestinal nematodiasis control. In 2002, the infection rate of intestinal nematodes reduced to 3.73%, and the infection rates of hookworm, Ascaris lumgricoides and Trichuris trichura reduced to 2.46%, 0.20% and 1.08%, respectively, achieving the standard of effective intestinal nematodiasis control. The infection rate of intestinal nematodes was kept less than 1% after 2004. CONCLUSION: The integrated strategy of intestinal nematodiasis control in Dongtai City is effective and valuable for promotion in high endemic areas of intestinal nematodiasis.

[Endemic situation of malaria in Dongtai City, 1999-2013].

OBJECTIVE: To understand the characteristics of malaria endemic situation in Dongtai City, from 1999 to 2013. METHODS: The data of diagnosed malaria cases and related information of prevention and treatment were collected and analyzed with the epidemiological method. RESULTS: From 1999 to 2013, there were 27 malaria cases in total, and among which 2 cases were local-infected with Plasmodium vivax, 10 cases were imported P. vivax infections, 13 cases were imported P. falciparum infections, and 1 case was a mixed infections (P. falciparum, P. vivax and P. ovale). The imported cases accounted for 92.59% and local-infected cases accounted for 7.41%. There were no local-infected cases after 2003, and all the cases were overseas-imported. The main first-diagnosis points were town hospitals and village health stations, accounting for 33.33% and 33.33% respectively. Totally 62.96% of cases visited the clinic in 1 day after the attacking, the median of time-interval from the attacking to visiting the clinic was 1 day, the median of time-interval from the attacking to confirmed diagnosis was 3 days, and the max time from the attacking to confirmed diagnosis was 33 days. CONCLUSION: The malaria cases are mainly imported cases in Dongtai City from 1999 to 2013, and therefore, the key of eliminating malaria should be the monitoring of the retuned exporting labors.

[Surveillance and risk assessment system of schistosomiasis in Jiangsu Province. II. Surveillance pattern and effect of Oncomelania hupensis snail status in Dongtai City, Jiangsu Province].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the method of Oncomelania hupensis snail surveillance in transmission-interrupted regions of schistosomiasis, so as to provide a new pattern for the surveillance of snail status in the transmission-interrupted areas. METHODS: In Dongtai County, north of Jiangsu Province where the transmission of schistosomiasis was interrupted, the surveillance of snail status was performed by means of the village-level general survey, village-level sampling survey, snail survey in key settings of township and county, and snail reporting by residents. In addition, quality-control snail sites were set up for quality control. The effectiveness and cost of the four methods of snail surveillance was compared. RESULTS: A total of 163 079 settings and 22 785.62 hm2 were surveyed in Dongtai County from 2008 to 2013, and 89 residual snail breeding sites were found, with a snail area of 1.48 hm2. The patterns of village-level general survey, village-level sampling survey, and snail survey in key settings of township and county were employed for investigation of 94 550, 45 033 and 23 496 settings, consisting of 57.98%, 27.61% and 14.41% of total settings, and 2, 0 and 6 settings were found with snails, with 0.021/thousand, 0, and 0.255/thousand detection rates of settings with snail breading sites, respectively. The pattern of snail survey in key settings of township and county was more effective than that of village-level survey to detect-snail breeding sites (χ2 = 19.158, P = 0). The recovery rate of quality-control snail breeding sites was 52.56%, 38.27% and 73.62% for the three patterns of snail survey, respectively, and the pattern of snail survey in key settings of township and county showed a higher quality for snail survey than that of village-level survey (χ2 = 111.597 and 85.991, both P = 0). During the period from 2008 to 2013, 289 person-times reported 279 suspected snail habitats and 1 501 living snails, and no Oncomelania snails were found. During the 6-year period, there were 1617.5, 964.7 and 527.7 thousand RMB invested for village-level general survey, village-level sampling survey, and snail survey in key settings of township and county, and the cost of snail survey per hm2 was 129.88, 133.6 and 162.57 RMB/hm2, respectively. The cost of village-level general survey and snail survey in key settings of township and county to detect a snail-breeding site was 808 800 and 88 000 RMB, respectively (t = 12.850, P = 0.000), and the cost of snail survey in key settings of township and county was 10.88% of that of village-level general survey. CONCLUSION: The snail survey in key settings of township and county is a highly effective and high-quality method for snail surveillance, which miay serve as a prior way for the surveillance of snail status in the transmission-interrupted areas of schistosomiasis.

[Surveillance after schistosomiasis transmission interrupted in sandy areas].

The surveillance after schistosomiasis transmission interrupted in sandy areas showed that the schistosomiasis endemic did not occur locally, but the factors of transmission still existed. Therefore, we should continue to enhance the management of mobile population and snail control, and explore appropriate measures for schistosomiasis monitoring.