Epidemiology and molecular analysis of group A streptococci from patients involved in food-borne disease outbreaks in Japan between 1996 and 2003.

Daisuke Tanaka, Tomoko Shima, Junko Isobe, Masanori Watahiki*, Masakado Matsumoto, Miyoko Endoh, Rumi Okuno, Kikuyo Ogata and Yoshiyuki Nagai Department of Bacteriology, Toyama Institute of Health, Toyama 939-0363; Department of Microbiology, Aichi Prefectural Institute of Public Health, Nagoya 462-8576; Department of Microbiology, Tokyo Metropolitan Public Health Research Institute, Tokyo 169-0073; and Department of Bacteriology, The Oita Prefectural Institute of Health and Environment, Oita 870-1117, Japan