Macacine alphaherpesvirus 1 (B Virus) Infection in Humans, Japan, 2019.

Two human patients with Macacine alphaherpesvirus 1 infection were identified in Japan in 2019. Both patients had worked at the same company, which had a macaque facility. The rhesus-genotype B virus genome was detected in cerebrospinal fluid samples from both patients.

Accumulation of 137Cs in aggregated organomineral assemblage in pasture soils 8 years after the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.

Despite the presence of minerals that allow Cs fixation in soils, 137Cs remains available to crops for several years after its deposition, particularly in pasture soils. Larger amounts of organic matter derived from herbage residues are accumulated in pasture soils than in tilled farmland soils. As the above-ground part of herbage crops initially received airborne 137Cs during the accident at Fukushima Daiich nuclear power plant (FDNPP), the organic matter originated from the contaminated herbage should play an important role in the fate of 137Cs in soils. To evaluate the role of organic matter on 137Cs distribution between potentially mobile and immobile fractions, we compared the distribution of 137Cs and stable 133Cs, which are differently associated with organic matter, by sequential extraction and density fractionation. Soil samples were collected 8 years after the accident from Andosols in pasture fields located about 160 km southwest of FDNPP. More than 90% of 137Cs was not extracted even after oxidative digestion of organic matter, suggesting that most 137Cs was strongly associated with soil minerals. Density fractionation results showed that the 137Cs/133Cs ratio was highest in the density fraction of 1.6-1.8 g cm-3, in which organic matter -including fragmented and decomposed plant detritus -was associated with minerals. Mineral-free organic matter, mostly composed of fresh plant detritus (<1.6 g cm-3), had a higher 137Cs/133Cs ratio than that of crops harvested in the same year of soil sampling. Thus, the transfer of 137Cs from soil to plants decreased with cultivation cycles. Our results demonstrate that plant-available 137Cs in pasture soil decreased with aging time, not only through increased 137Cs fixation in mineral-dominated fractions but also through its physical sequestration in aggregates.

Evaluation of tall fescue as a low radiocesium-uptake grass species to replace orchardgrass in Japan.

Grasslands in Tohoku and North Kanto, Japan were contaminated with radiocesium released from the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant in March 2011. The dominant pasture species in the permanent grasslands of these areas is orchardgrass (Dactylis glomerata L.). Two field studies were conducted to determine the potential of a low radiocesium-uptake forage grass to replace orchardgrass for remediation of contaminated grasslands. From 2012 to 2014, tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb.) showed lower 137Cs uptake than orchardgrass under harvesting condition. The annual mean 137Cs activity concentration and transfer factor in tall fescue were half of those in orchardgrass. There was no significant difference in the 137Cs activity concentration among the five cultivars of tall fescue at the third harvest in 2012. From 2016 to 2019, another field study was conducted in a pasture with tall fescue and orchardgrass introduced by overseeding under heavy grazing pressure after the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant accident. Tall fescue and orchardgrass were collected in May, July, and September from four paddocks before rotational grazing. Three grasses that were originally present, Kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis L.), perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.), and white clover (Trifolium repens L.), were collected each time that tall fescue and orchardgrass were sampled in 2016-2017. They were also collected at the sampling time in May of 2018 and 2019. Tall fescue showed a consistently lower transfer factor than orchardgrass during the four years. Tall fescue had the lowest transfer factor compared with the three originally grown plant species. The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of Japan recommends an exchangeable K2O content of 0.3-0.4 g kg-1 in soil (0-15 cm depth) to keep the 137Cs activity concentration in forage grass below the provisional tolerance level for feed. The soil exchangeable K2O content in both field studies was lower than this. Tall fescue is considered a low radiocesium-uptake grass and a potential replacement for orchardgrass in Japan. The use of tall fescue might reduce the amount of potassium fertilizer needed in contaminated grasslands.

Genome Sequences of Rotavirus A Strains Ty-1 and Ty-3, Isolated from Turkeys in Ireland in 1979.

To obtain complete genome sequences of turkey rotavirus A strains Ty-1 and Ty-3, we sequenced the gene segments that had not been decoded previously. The genotype constellations of the respective strains were determined to be G17-P[38]-I4-R4-C4-M4-A16-N4-T4-E4-H4 and G7-P[35]-I4-R4-C4-M4-A16-N4-T4-E11-H14. Notably, their VP4 and NSP5 genes were classified into novel genotypes.