New studies reveal that the mysterious Kawasaki disease, an illness which affects young children and is most common in Japan, could be caused by an airborne toxin which is blown into Japan from northeast China, researchers said Monday.

Kawasaki disease can occur worldwide but happen most often in Japan than any other country. Eighty percent of global cases have also been reported as affecting children under five years old.

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Symptoms of the disease are fever, rash, and peeling fingernails, with 25 percent of cases leading to coronary aneurisms which can cause long-term heart issues in young children.

Although experts have discovered a way to treat Kawasaki disease, the cause is still unknown.

However, studies show that air blowing in from an agricultural region of northeast China have caused spikes in outbreaks of the disease in Japan, leading authorities to draw a connection between the two.

Scientists tested the air two to three kilometers over Japan and found the airborne toxin to be Candida, a dominant fungus which is the most common cause of human fungal infections around the globe.

When tested on laboratory mice, Candida has revealed symptoms linked to coronary artery syndrome which highly resembles Kawasaki disease.

It is believed that the toxin is picked up by winds from areas where grain farming is common and is carried to Japan where it affects genetically susceptible children.

Children appear to be falling sick within two days of shifts in wind patterns, also providing evidence of a short incubation period.

There is no way for experts to prevent children from contracting the illness, but the disease is not contagious and with proper treatment most children fully recover within a matter of weeks.

The malady was first discovered in 1967 by Japanese pediatrician Tomisaku Kawasaki and has been reported in children across Asia as well as in the United States and Western Europe.