• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.54 no.1
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• pp.1-8
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• 2016

Laboratory workers, in resource-poor countries, still consider PCR detection of Giardia lamblia more costly and more time-consuming than the classical parasitological techniques. Based on 2 published primers, an in-house one-round touchdown PCR-RFLP assay was developed. The assay was validated with an internal amplification control included in reactions. Performance of the assay was assessed with DNA samples of various purities, 91 control fecal samples with various parasite load, and 472 samples of unknown results. Two cysts per reaction were enough for PCR detection by the assay with exhibited specificity (Sp) and sensitivity (Se) of 100% and 93%, respectively. Taking a published small subunit rRNA reference PCR test results (6%; 29/472) as a nominated gold standard, G. lamblia was identified in 5.9% (28/472), 5.2%, (25/472), and 3.6% (17/472) by PCR assay, $RIDA^{(R)}$ Quick Giardia antigen detection test (R-Biopharm, Darmstadt, Germany), and iodine-stained smear microscopy, respectively. The percent agreements (kappa values) of 99.7% (0.745), 98.9% (0.900), and 97.7% (0.981) were exhibited between the assay results and that of the reference PCR, immunoassay, and microscopy, respectively. Restriction digestion of the 28 Giardia-positive samples revealed genotype A pattern in 12 and genotype B profile in 16 samples. The PCR assay with the described format and exhibited performance has a great potential to be adopted in basic clinical laboratories as a detection tool for G. lamblia especially in asymptomatic infections. This potential is increased more in particular situations where identification of the parasite genotype represents a major requirement as in epidemiological studies and infection outbreaks.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.50 no.2
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• pp.103-111
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• 2012

Intestinal giant-cystic disease (IGCD) of the Israel carp (Cyprinus carpio nudus) has been recognized as one of the most serious diseases afflicting inland farmed fish in the Republic of Korea, and Thelohanellus kitauei has been identified as the causative agent of the disease. Until now, studies concerning IGCD caused by T. kitauei in the Israel carp have been limited to morphological and histopathological examinations. However, these types of diagnostic examinations are relatively time-consuming, and the infection frequently cannot be detected in its early stages. In this study, we cloned the full-length 18S rRNA gene of T. kitauei isolated from diseased Israel carps, and carried out molecular identification by comparing the sequence with those of other myxosporeans. Moreover, conventional PCR and real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR) using oligonucleotide primers for the amplification of 18S rRNA gene fragment were established for further use as methods for rapid diagnosis of IGCD. Our results demonstrated that both the conventional PCR and real-time quantitative PCR systems applied herein are effective for rapid detection of T. kitauei spores in fish tissues and environmental water.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.40 no.1
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• pp.56-62
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• 2000

Pasteurella multocida is kind of commensal bacteria in the upper respiratory tract of pigs. It is classified toxigenic and nontoxigenic strains based on the production of dermonecrotic toxin. Toxigenic strain is most associated with atrophic rhinitis which brings great economical loss in swine industry. However, toxigenic and nontoxigenic strains do not differ by diagnostic biochemical reaction or morphology. One of recently developed techniques, PCR detects the toxigenic P multocida. Amplification of an 846-nucleotide fragment of toxA gene was developed. The fragment amplified by PCR was detected in P multocida type D not type A. The PCR amplification was as sensitive as it could detect 1 pg of P multocida DNA. We compared the result of the PCR with the enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in a test for 40 swine nasal swabs. All of these isolates were toxin negative based on the ELISA while 2 isolates were detected in the PCR technique. in addition to accuracy, as required for rapid detection from contaminated nasal swabs, toxigenic P multocida was recovered efficiently from contaminated culture without inhibition of the PCR. The results show that the PCR detection of toxigenic P multocida directly form nasal swabs are feasible.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• v.47 no.4
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• pp.309-315
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• 2020

Advances in biotechnology have led to progress in crop genetic engineering to improve agricultural productivity. The use of genetically modified (GM) crops has increased, as have consumers' and regulators' concerns about the safety of GM crops to human health, and ecological biodiversity. As such, the identification of GM crops is a critical issue for developers and distributors, and their labeling is mandatory. Multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) has been developed and its use validated for the detection and identification of GM crops in quarantine. Herein, we established a simultaneous detection method to identify four GM maize events. Event-specific primers were designed between the junction region of transgene and genome of four GM maize lines, namely 5307, DAS-40278-9, MON87460, and MON87427. To verify the efficiency and accuracy of the multiplex PCR we used specificity analysis, limit of detection evaluation, and mixed certified reference materials identification. The multiplex PCR method was applied to analyze 29 living, modified maize volunteers collected in South Korea in 2018 and 2019. We performed multiplex PCR analysis to identify events and confirmed the result by simplex PCR using each event-specific primer. As a result, rather than detecting each event individually, the simultaneous detection PCR method enabled the rapid analysis of 29 GM maize volunteers. Thus, the novel multiplex PCR method is applicable for living modified organism volunteer identification.

• Genomics & Informatics
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.4.1-4.6
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• 2020

Transposable elements (TEs) constitute approximately half of Bovine genome. They can be a powerful species-specific marker without regression mutations by the structure variation (SV) at the time of genomic evolution. In a previous study, we identified the Hanwoo-specific SV that was generated by a TE-association deletion event using traditional PCR method and Sanger sequencing validation. It could be used as a molecular marker to distinguish different cattle breeds (i.e., Hanwoo vs. Holstein). However, PCR is defective with various final copy quantifications from every sample. Thus, we applied to the droplet digital PCR (ddPCR) platform for accurate quantitative detection of the Hanwoo-specific SV. Although samples have low allele frequency variation within Hanwoo population, ddPCR could perform high sensitive detection with absolute quantification. We aimed to use ddPCR for more accurate quantification than PCR. We suggest that the ddPCR platform is applicable for the quantitative evaluation of molecular markers.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.329-335
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• 2004

To develop a biomarker for the monitoring of the contamination of estrogenic endocrine disrupters in the aquatic environment, reverse transcription -polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) analysis of vitellogenin (Vg) mRNA expression was optimized in Bombina orientalis, a Korean red bellied toad species. Based on partial cDNA sequences of both Vg and beta actin genes of B. orientalis, specific primers for RT-PCR of Vg and beta actin mRNAs were developed. Semiquantitative RT-PCR of the Vg mRNA in liver was optimized using a beta actin mRNA as an internal control in both sexes. In female RT-PCR using $1\;\mu{g}$ of the liver cDNA resulted in a linear increment in the PCR product of Vg from 18 to 34 cycles of amplification. In male, on the contrary, the RT- PCR product was first detected at 30 cycles of amplification and a linear increment was observed from 30 to 40 cycles of amplification, suggesting that male B. orientalis expresses minute amount of Vg mRNA which is a $2^{-12}$ equivalent of female. In conclusion, the optimized protocol for semiquantitative RT-PCR analysis of Vg mRNA level in B. orientalis male liver will be useful for the environmental monitoring the xenoestrogen contamination in the freshwater environment in Korea.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Pathology
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.1-5
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• 2002

A1celaphine herpesvirus 1 (AHV-1) is a causative agent of malignant catarrhal fever which is a fatal and a lymphoproliferative syndrome. AHV-1 is a gamma herpesvirus, which induces frequent latent infection and often difficult to detect its antigens or specific nucleic acids because of its low viral copies in the infected tissues. A new method, in situ PCR, is developed for the detection of AHV-1 nucleic acid in this study. Target sequences of AHV-1 open reading frame 50 gene were detected within AHV-1 infected MDBK cells. As compare with other molecular biological methods for the detection of AHV-1, in situ PCR was found to be more sensitive than in situ hybridization and to be less sensitive than nested PCR. However, nested PCR cannot afford to observe and differentiate AHV-1 infected cells. In situ PCR amplifies a target sequence within cells that can be visualized microscopically with increased sensitivity compared to detection by in situ hybridization. In situ PCR has wide applications for sensitive localization of low copy AHV-1 viral sequences within cells to investigate the role of viruses in a variety of clinical conditions and also provide the rapid, sensitive, and specific detection of AHV-1 infection.

• Food Science of Animal Resources
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.158-165
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• 2011

A sensitive reverse transcriptase-PCR (RT-PCR) method to detect viable Escherichia coli O157:H7 in milk was established. The primer sets were designed based on the nucleotide sequences of the rfbE (per) and wbdN genes in the O157 antigen gene cluster of E. coli O157:H7. RT-PCR using five different primer sets yielded DNA with sizes of 655, 518, 450, and 149-bp, respectively. All five of the E. coli O157:H7 strains were detected by RT-PCR, but 11 other bacterial species were not. The sensitivity of RT-PCR was improved by adding yeast tRNA as a carrier to the crude RNA extract. The RT-PCR amplifying the 149-bp DNA fragment was the most sensitive for detecting E. coli O157:H7 and the most refractory to the bactericidal treatments. Heat treatment at $65^{\circ}C$ for 30 min was the least inhibitory of all bactericidal treatments. Treatment with RNase A strongly inhibited the RT-PCR of heated milk but not unheated milk. This study described RT-PCR methods that are specific and sensitive with a detection limit of 10 E. coli O157:H7 cells, and showed that pre-treating milk samples with RNase A improved the specificity to detect viable bacteria by RT-PCR.

• Toxicological Research
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.81-87
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• 2016

Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) is produced by Aspergillus flavus growing in feedstuffs. Early detection of maize contamination by aflatoxigenic fungi is advantageous since aflatoxins exert adverse health effects. In this study, we report the development of an optimized conventional PCR for AFB1 detection and a rapid, sensitive and simple screening Real-time PCR (qPCR) with SYBR Green and two pairs of primers targeting the aflR genes which involved aflatoxin biosynthesis. AFB1 contaminated maize samples were divided into three groups by the toxin concentration. Genomic DNA was extracted from those samples. The target genes for A. flavus were tested by conventional PCR and the PCR products were analyzed by electrophoresis. A conventional PCR was carried out as nested PCR to verify the gene amplicon sizes. PCR-RFLP patterns, obtained with Hinc II and Pvu II enzyme analysis showed the differences to distinguish aflatoxin-producing fungi. However, they are not quantitative and need a separation of the products on gel and their visualization under UV light. On the other hand, qPCR facilitates the monitoring of the reaction as it progresses. It does not require post-PCR handling, which reduces the risk of cross-contamination and handling errors. It results in a much faster throughout. We found that the optimal primer annealing temperature was $65^{\circ}C$. The optimized template and primer concentration were $1.5{\mu}L\;(50ng/{\mu}L)$ and $3{\mu}L\;(10{\mu}M/{\mu}L)$ respectively. SYBR Green qPCR of four genes demonstrated amplification curves and melting peaks for tub1, afIM, afIR, and afID genes are at $88.0^{\circ}C$, $87.5^{\circ}C$, $83.5^{\circ}C$, and $89.5^{\circ}C$ respectively. Consequently, it was found that the four primers had elevated annealing temperatures, nevertheless it is desirable since it enhances the DNA binding specificity of the dye. New qPCR protocol could be employed for the determination of aflatoxin content in feedstuff samples.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.38 no.5
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• pp.347-355
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• 2023

In this study, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) were compared in terms of their ability to detect shiga-toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC). Various foods were artificially inoculated with STEC to evaluate the limit of detection (LOD), limit of quantification (LOQ), sensitivity, specificity, and efficiency of PCR and LAMP. The LODs were ≤10⁴ and ≤10³ CFU/mL for PCR and LAMP, respectively. The LOQs did not differ between PCR and LAMP. However, of the four considered food types, the sensitivities differed by a maximum of 11.1% for seasoned meat and by a minimum of 8.1% for ground beef. LAMP had higher sensitivity than that of PCR and 100% specificity for all four food types. Therefore, LAMP is a reliable molecular method for detecting STEC as comparable to PCR assay, and its specificity and sensitivity are superior to those of PCR, depending on the food type.