Title of the Symposium

Mycotoxin Contamination: Health Risk and Prevention Project

Time and Venue

The International Symposium will take place at University Convention Hall, "Keyaki Kaikan", Chiba University, 1-33 Yayoi-cho, Inage-ku, Chiba 263-8255, Japan, September 9 - 10, 1999.

Host Organizations

Research Center for Pathogenic Fungi and Microbial Toxicoses, Chiba University
Japanese Association of Mycotoxicology

Scientific Programme

1. Symposia
2. Work-shops
3. Presentation of papers by posters

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1. Symposia
   Fungi have been widely used for production of fermented foods, whereas some species of fungi grow on cereals and feeds, and contaminated them with toxic substances (mycotoxins). Rapid progress has been made in the biosynthetic studies for control of mycotoxin production, methods of elimination of mycotoxins from cereals and foods, and methods of analyzing mycotoxins without using harmful organic solvents. International cooperations have been carried out to preserve human and animal health as well as the natural environment from hazardous chemicals, and the risk assessment of mycotoxin contamination has been made in cancer high risk areas in China. Recently, it has been reported by the news that endophytes, parasites on grass, produce mycotoxins and bring about toxicoses in cattle and other domestic animals. This International Symposium will be held to advance communications and discussions on the recent progress of research, clarifying the risk of mycotoxin contamination and contributing to prevention of mycotoxicoses.

    

   The 1st Session: Regulation of Mycotoxin Biosynthesis

   New information will be provided on biosynthetic mechanisms of trichothecenes, sterigmatocystin and aflatoxins. Presentations will also show that some structures similar to the genes involved in aflatoxin biosynthesis are present in the genomes of nontoxigenic fungi, Aspergillus oryzae and A sojae, which are widely used in Japan for production of fermented foods, and how these genes as well as other genes are similar to or different from those of toxigenic fungi.

   The 2nd Session: Human and Animal Health Risk of Mycotoxins

   New findings on Fusarium mycotoxins will be presented. These are a systematic and experimental assessments of the cancer risk of fumonisins, new hemorrhagic toxins, and mycotoxins as modifying agents on infectious diseases. A risk assessment of mycotoxins on humans in the high occurrence area of hepatic and esophageal cancers in China will be reported.

   The 3rd Session: Elimination of Mycotoxins from Foods

   Efficient methods of reducing mycotoxin contamination have been developed. In this Session will be reported such methods as biocompetition in the field, elimination of contaminated pieces of cereals by sorting method, and removal of mycotoxins during food processing.

   The 4th Session: Endophytes and Endophytic Toxins

   Endophytes are parasites of grasses and some endophytes produce mycotoxins. It is reported by the news that severe toxicoses have occurred in the Japanese farms in which domestic animals were fed imported grasses. In this Session will be reported the circumstances of endophyte toxicoses in United States and New Zealand as well as in Japan. Chemistry of toxins and analytical methods of endophyte toxins will also be presented.

   The 5th Session: Safe and Clean Analysis of Mycotoxins

   Recently, much attention has been focused on environmental pollution by hazardous substances and the use of organic solvents such as benzene and chloroform has been rminimized for reasons of hygiene and safety of workers. Accordingly, trials have been made in many research institutes and laboratories to improve the current methods of analytical chemistry and establish new methods without using hazardous organic solvents. In this Session will be presented the rapid and accurate methods for analyses of mycotoxins in agreement with the theme of establishment of "Safe and Clean 21st Century".

    

   The 1st Session: Regulation of Mycotoxin Biosynthesis

   1. Sterigmatocystin biosynthesis and asexual sporulation in Apsergillus nidulans
      Thomas H. Adams
      Millennium Co., Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA

   2. Genetics of mycotoxin biosynthesis in Fusarium
      Robert H. Proctor
      National Center for Agriculture Utilization Research, USDA, USA

   3. Aflatoxin biosynthesis and search for control of aflatoxin contamination
      Kimiko Yabe
      National Food Research Institute, Japan

   4. Homologs of aflatoxin biosynthetic gene in Aspergillus oryzae and A. sojae
      Ken-Ichi Kusumoto
      Chugoku National Agricultural Experiment Station, Japan

   5. Phylogenetic relationship and classification of mycotoxin producers based on the cytochrome b gene
      Koji Yokoyama
      Chiba University, Japan

   The 2nd Session: Human and Animal Health Risk of Mycotoxins

   1. Cancer risk of fumonisins
      Paul C. Howard
      National Center for Toxicological Research, US FDA, USA

   2. New hemorrhagic toxins produced by Fusarium species: chemistry and toxicology
      Yin-Won Lee
      Seoul National University, Korea

   3. Co-contamination of mycotoxins and phycotoxins in Haimen, a high risk area of primary liver cancer in China
      Yoshio Ueno
      Science University of Tokyo, Japan

   4. Mycotoxins as modifying agents in infectious diseases
      Susumu Kumagai
      National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Japan

   5. A study on mycotoxin contamination in a high risk area of China for human esophageal cancer
      Kagawa University, Japan

   The 3rd Session: Elimination of Mycotoxins from Food

   1. Reduction of aflatoxin contamination on peanut in the field using biocompetitive method
      Richard Cole
      National Peanut Laboratory, USDA, USA

   2. Machine version system for automated detection of aflatoxin contaminated nuts
      Tom C. Pearson
      Cereal Processing Research Unit, Western Regional Research Center, USDA-ARS USA

   3. Prevention of mycotoxin contamination on meat and meat product
      Manifred Gareis
      Institute for Microbiology and Toxicology, Federal Centre for Meat Research, Germany

   4. Near infrared detection of internally moldy nuts
      Susumu Hirano
      Morinaga Confectionary Co., Japan

   5. Reduction of mycotoxin contamination from flour
      Kenji Tanaka
      National Food Research Institute, Japan

   6. Removal of mycotoxins during food processing
      Hisashi Kamimura
      Tokyo Metropolitan Research Laboratory of Public Health, Japan

   The 4th Session: Endophytes and Endophytic Toxins

   1. Endophytes of grasses and associated animal toxicoses in the United States
      Christopher L. Schardl
      University of Kentucky, USA

   2. Neotyphodium - grass interactions
      Gary C. M. Latch
      Pastorial Agriculture Research Institute, New Zealand

   3. Chemistry of endophyte mycotoxins
      Teruhiko Yoshihara
      Hokkaido University, Japan

   4. Current problems of endophyte in Japan
      Hironori Koga
      Ishikawa College of Agriculture, Japan

   5. Ryegrass staggers in Japan induced by consumption of ryegrass straw imported from America
      Shigeru
      Miyazaki Domestic Animals Experiment Station, Japan

   The 5th Session: Safe and Clean Analysis of Mycotoxins

   1. A rapid test for the quantitation of aflatoxin
      John L. Richard
      Romer Laboratories, Inc., USA

   2. Detection of endophite toxins by ELISA assay
      Ian Garthwaite
      Pastorial Agriculture Research Institute, New Zealand

   3. Clean analysis of mycotoxin with HPLC
      Hiroshi Akiyama
      National Institute of Health Sciences, Japan

   4. Detection of fumonisins by ELISA method
      Ayumi Nagahara
      Kikkoman Corporation, Japan

   5. Mycotoxin analysis using immunoaffinity column
      Masahiro Nakajima
      Nagoya City Health Research Institute, Japan

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2. Work-shops

   Rooms will be provided for work-shops

    

3. Presentation of papers by posters

   Panels, 100 cm wide x 150 cm height, will be provided for presentation of papers by posters.

Language

The official language of the symposium will be English.

Organizer of the Symposium

Mitsutaro Akao, Professor
Research Center for Pathogenic Fungi and Microbial Toxicoses, Chiba University
President of Japanese Association of Mycotoxicology
Inohana 1-8-1, Chuo-ku, Chiba 260-8672, Japan
E-mail: akao@myco.pf.chiba-u.ac.jp

Secretary-General

Masakatsu Ichinoe, Professor
Faculty of Domestic Sciences, Tokyo Kasei University
1-18-1 Kaga, Itabashi-ku, Tokyo 173-0003, Japan

Submission of Abstracts

Presenters of papers are requested to make contact with:

Takumi Yoshizawa, Professor
Department of Bioresource Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Kagawa University
Miki-cho, Kita-gun, Kagawa 761-0700, Japan

Abstract receipt deadline is May 31, 1999. An abstract booklet of all scientific presentations will be available at the symposium.

Submission of Manuscripts

Papers presented at the Sessions of Symposium will be published in "MYCOTOXINS", the Official Journal of the Japanese Association of Mycotoxicology. Manuscripts are requested to be addressed to:

Susumu Kumagai, Ph.D.
Editor-in-Chief of "MYCOTOXINS"
National Institute of Infectious Diseases
1-23-1 Toyama, Shinjuku-ku,Tokyo 162-0052, Japan

Manuscripts should reach the Editorial Office by September 9, 1999. Submission of Originals (regular papers) and short communications to "MYCOTOXINS" are welcome. Authors are requested to consult "Instruction to Authors" printed at each issue of the Journal and available through the Editorial Office.