Temporary closure and disinfection can rapidly reduce levels of infectious virus in these settings.

Background Many novel tick-borne viruses have been discovered by deep-sequencing technology in recent years; however, their medical significance is unknown. Methods We obtained clinical data of a patient from Xinjiang, China. Possible pathogens were detected by metagenomic analysis; the causative pathogen Tacheng tick virus 1 (TcTV-1) was found and further confirmed by reverse transcriptase–polymerase chain reaction, viral culture, and sequence analyses. Epidemiological investigation was conducted in the local human population, domestic animals, and ticks by serological/molecular methods. Results A 62-year-old woman with a history of tick bite in Qinghe, Xinjiang, presented with fever and rashes. These symptoms were relieved after clinical treatment. TcTV-1 (strain QH1) was isolated from the patient’s cerebrospinal fluid, throat swabs, and urine on day 47 after illness onset. Although the blood and urine showed viral RNA positive on day 73 after illness onset, the virus was only isolated from urine. Serological detection revealed a virus neutralizing antibody titer of 1:40 and 1:80 on day 47 and 73 after illness onset, respectively. No coinfection with other pathogens was detected, suggesting TcTV-1 may be the potential causative pathogen. We detected anti–TcTV-1 antibodies (immunoglobulin G: 10.1%; immunoglobulin M: 4.8%) in the local human population. The viral RNA was also found in cattle (4.9%), sheep (9.2%), and ticks, including Dermacentor marginatus (14.3%), Dermacentor silvarum (11.8%), Dermacentor nuttalli (6.7%), and Hyalomma asiaticum (4.8%). Conclusions TcTV-1 may be associated with a febrile illness syndrome, and epidemiological data of the virus in humans and animals necessitate disease surveillance of TcTV-1 infection in China.

Aflatoxin B 1 (AFB 1) contamination in foods is an important health challenge for low-and middle-income countries in subtropical regions. AFB 1 has been detected in a variety of foodsin Guangzhou, while the risk of dietary exposure is unknown. this study aimed to assess the probabilistic risk of dietary exposure to AFB 1 contamination in food stuffs in Guangzhou by using margin of exposure (MOE) and quantitative liver cancer risk approaches. A total of1854 AFB 1-contaminated foodstuffs were sampled in supermarkets, agricultural markets, retail shops, and family workshops from 11 districts of Guangzhou, and AFB 1 content was determined by HPLC-fluorescence detector. In total, 9.9% (184/1854) of the test samples had AFB 1 concentrations above the limit of detection. Home-made peanut oil had the highest AFB 1 concentration, with a mean value of 38.74 ± 47.45 μg kg −1. The average MOE levels of Guangzhou residents ranged from 100 to 1000. The risk of liver cancer was 0.0264 cancers (100,000 population year) −1. the health risks of suburban people were higher than those of urban people, and home-made peanut oil was the main contributorto dietary exposure to AFB 1 among suburban residents in Guangzhou. The production of home-made peanut oil should be supervised to reduce the risk of AFB 1 exposure. Aflatoxins (AFs) are mycotoxins produced by the common fungi Aspergillus flavusand Aspergillus parasiticus 1 and have been found in a wide range of crops such as maize, peanut, and walnut and their derived products 2. There are four major aflatoxins (AFB 1 , AFB2, AFG1, and AFG2) produced by the two fungi that commonly found in contaminated crops 3-5. AFB 1 and AFB 2 can be produced by A. flavus (both S and L strains) and A. parasiticus, whileAFG 1 and AFG 2 can be produced by A. flavus S strains and A. parasiticus 5,6. AFB 1 is considered the most toxic carcinogenwhich is classified as Group 1 human carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC)that induces mainly liver cancer 7-9 and to a lesser degree rectal cancer 10. AFB 1 is commonly found in cereals and nuts 11 , and it has attracted concern in lessdeveloped tropical regions 12-15. Previous studies showed that AFs were found in 5%-30%of raw peanuts and peanut products in major peanut-producing regions in China 16. Since some crops susceptible to AFs contamination, such as peanuts, are commonly consumed, it is hard to achieve zero exposure to AFs. Therefore, it is important to reduce the exposure to total AFsby establishing regulatory limits to AFs.The Codex Alimentarius Commission, the Joint Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), and the World Health Organization (WHO) Food Standards Program jointly adopted a maximum level of 15 μg kg − 1 for total AFsin unprocessed peanuts 17. The European Commission regulation (EC) No. 1881/2006 set a maximum limit for AFB 1 of 2 μg kg −1 for peanuts and cereals that are intended for direct consumption 18. In China, the National Food Safety Standard set the limit of 20 µg kg −1 for AFB 1 in peanut and its pro...

Lead exposure is associated with a wide range of adverse effects on human health. The principal exposure route in the general population is through the diet. In this study, we estimate the dietary lead intake and associated health risks among the residents of Guangzhou, China. Data on lead concentrations were derived from the food safety risk monitoring system, which included 6339 samples from 27 food categories collected in 2014–2017. Food consumption data were taken from a 2011 dietary survey of 2960 Guangzhou residents from 998 households. Dietary lead intake was estimated by age group (3–6, 7–17, 18–59, and ≥60 years), and relevant health risks were assessed using the margin of exposure (MOE) method. The mean and 95th percentiles (P95) of dietary lead intake were respectively 0.7466 and 2.4525 μg/kg body weight per day for preschool children aged 3–6 years; 0.4739 and 1.5522 μg/kg bw/day for school children aged 7–17 years; 0.3759 and 1.1832 μg/kg bw/day for adults aged 18–59 years; and 0.4031 and 1.3589 μg/kg bw/day for adults aged ≥60 years. The MOE value was less than 1 for preschool children at the mean exposure level and for all age groups at the P95 exposure level. Rice and its products, leafy vegetables, and wheat flour and its products were found to be the primary food sources of lead exposure. Our findings suggest that the health risk from dietary lead exposure is low for Guangzhou residents overall, but that young children and consumers of certain foods may be at increased risk. Continued efforts are needed to reduce the dietary lead exposure in Guangzhou.

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