Current Status of Campylobacter Food Poisoning in Japan

摘要

According to the annual food poisoning statistics compiled by the Ministry of Health,Labour and Welfare (MHLW) in Japan, Campylobacter replacedSalmonella and Vibrio parahaemolyticus as the leadingbacterium responsible for food poisoning in 2003. Although in 2006 the number of cases ofCampylobacter food poisoning was 3,439 on the basis of the MHLWstatistics, it was estimated to be 1,545,363 on the basis of active surveillance,suggesting that passive surveillance yields an incidence about 450 times lower than thatrevealed by active surveillance. Epidemiological investigations ofCampylobacter food poisoning in Japan have shown that chicken meat andits products are the most important sources of infection, as is the case in otherindustrialized nations. Over the last two decades, the consumption of fresh raw chickenmeat and liver has been increasing in Japan. Although the MHLW recommends that chickenmeat should only be eaten after thorough cooking, it is likely to account for much of theincreased incidence of human campylobacteriosis. In response to this situation, the ExpertCommittee on Microorganisms/Viruses, Food Safety Commission of Japan, Cabinet Office,Government of Japan (FSCJ) has revised the previous risk profile of C.jejuni /coli in chicken meat by adding new findings for 2018.Moreover, the MHLW revised the Poultry Slaughtering Business Control and Poultry MeatInspection Act in 2014 aiming at stepwise introduction of the Hazard Analysis CriticalControl Point (HACCP) system into poultry processing plants. Subsequently, the Japanesegovernment amended the Food Sanitation Act in 2018, requiring all food business operatorsto implement hygiene control based on HACCP principles as a general rule. This paperreviews the current status of Campylobacter food poisoning due toconsumption of chicken meat in Japan and extracts the issues underlying each step of thefood supply chain in order to examine the implementation of effective measures for riskmanagement.