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Background
The Toxic Micro-Organisms Panel examines algae, bacteria, and fungi that contaminate food and cause human or other animal
diseases and looks for ways to prevent such illnesses.
Types of Exchanges
Panel members routinely exchange cultures as well as laboratory reports and other publications on toxic micro-organisms.
Other exchanges have included botulism toxins, methods for mycotoxin decontamination in commodities, and toxin standards
used in analyses.
Accomplishments
Eight books have been published, most through the sponsorship of international symposia, on topics that have never been
covered of summarized in a book or review. One of these landmark publications introduced pioneering Japanese work on the
food poisoning bacterium Vibrio parahemolyticus to the international scientific community.
Benefits
Through the panel's collaborative efforts, avian botulism has been identified as the cause of epidemic wild waterfowl poisoning
in Japan. Japanese manufacturing processes incorporated into U.S. businesses have increased production efficiency. Also
through panel efforts, U.S. peanut germ plasm and processing methods have been supplied to Japan; seafood poisonings
previously unknown to U.S. researchers have been identified; and bacteria tolerance regulations for use in U.S. and Japanese
meat and poultry industries have been developed.
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