• Journal of fish pathology
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.25-33
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• 2014

Hydrolase activities of excretory-secretory products (ESP) and somatic extracts (SE) from Anisakis simplex sensu stricto (s.s.) and Anisakis pegreffii larvae were investigated by using API ZYM kit. In esterase group, acid phosphatase showed high activity from both of A. simplex (s.s.) and A. pegreffii. Esterase (C4) showed activity only from SE and A. simplex (s.s.) showed higher activity than A. pegreffii. Alkaline phosphatase, acid phosphatase and naphthol-AS-BI-phosphohydrolase showed higher activity in 3rd stage larvae than in 4th stage larvae of both species. In aminopeptidase group, only leucine arylamidase showed remarkable activity in SE of both anisakid species, and A. simplex (s.s.) SE showed higher activity than A. pegreffii SE. In glycosidase group, N-acetyl-${\beta}$-glucosaminidase, ${\alpha}$-mannosidase, ${\alpha}$-fucosidase showed higher activity in A. simplex (s.s.) than A. pegreffii, and 4th larvae showed higher activity than 3rd larvae. These differences in hydrolase activity of anisakid nematodes larvae are thought to be due to different metabolism such as growth, moulting, digestion and feeding.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.61 no.3
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• pp.240-250
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• 2023

The genus Anisakis is among the most significant parasites to public health, as it causes anisakiasis, a parasitic infection in humans resulting from consuming raw or undercooked seafood. Although the infection status of Anisakis in second intermediate hosts, such as marine fishes and cephalopods, and humans have been severally reported in Korea, no information about the definitive host in Korean waters is available. In 2014, 2 adult gastric nematodes were collected from a common minke whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) found in the East Sea, Korea. These worms were identified as A. simplex sensu stricto (s.s.) by comparing the mitochondrial COX2 marker with previously deposited sequences. Phylogenetic and phylogeographic analyses of A. simplex (s.s.) worldwide revealed 2 distinct populations: the Pacific population and the European waters population. This is the first report on adult Anisakis and its definitive host species in Korea. Further studies on Anisakis infection in other cetacean species and marine mammals in Korean seas are warranted.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.52 no.4
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• pp.383-389
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• 2014

Anisakiasis, a human infection of Anisakis L3 larvae, is one of the common foodborne parasitic diseases in Korea. Studies on the identification of anisakid larvae have been performed in the country, but most of them have been focused on morphological identification of the larvae. In this study, we analyzed the molecular characteristics of 174 Anisakis type I larvae collected from 10 species of fish caught in 3 different sea areas in Korea. PCR-RFLP and sequence analyses of rDNA ITS and mtDNA cox1 revealed that the larvae showed interesting distribution patterns depending on fish species and geographical locations. Anisakis pegreffii was predominant in fish from the Yellow Sea and the South Sea. Meanwhile, both A. pegreffii and A. simplex sensu stricto (A. simplex s.str.) larvae were identified in fish from the East Sea, depending on fish species infected. These results suggested that A. pegreffii was primarily distributed in a diverse species of fish in 3 sea areas around Korea, but A. simplex s.str. was dominantly identified in Oncorhynchus spp. in the East Sea.

• Journal of fish pathology
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.421-427
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• 2010

Anisakid nematodes third stage larvae were isolated from the muscles of masou salmon (Oncorhynchus masou). Fish were purchased from Jumunjin fishery market in Gangneung. Four Anisakid third stage larvae were isolated from 4 fish. Molecular identification of the isolated worms was conducted by PCR-RFLP analysis of ribosomal DNA internal transcribed spacer region and direct sequencing of mitochondrial DNA cox2 gene. As results, all the tested individual worms were identified as Anisakis simplex (sensu stricto). This is the first report of molecular detection of anisakid worms in salmonid fishes in Korea.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.53 no.3
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• pp.349-353
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• 2015

Anisakis simplex sensu stricto (s.s.), Anisakis pegreffii, Anisakis berlandi (=A. simplex sp. C), and Anisakis typica are the 4 major species of Anisakis type I larvae. In the Republic of Korea (Korea), A. pegreffii, A. berlandi, and A. typica larvae in fish hosts has seldom been documented. In this study, molecular analysis was performed on Anisakis larvae from the sea eels (Astroconger myriaster), the major source of human anisakiasis in Korea, collected from Tongyeong City, a southern coastal area of Korea. All 20 sea eels examined were infected with Anisakis type I larvae (160 larvae; 8 per fish). Their species were analyzed using PCR-RFLP patterns and nucleotide sequences of internal transcribed spacers (ITS1, 5.8 subunit gene, and ITS2) and mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase 2 (cox2). Most (86.8%; 112/129) of the Anisakis type I larvae were A. pegreffii, and 7.8% (10/129) were A. typica. The remaining 5.4% (7/129) was not identified. Thus, A. pegreffii is the major species of anisakid larvae in sea eels of the southern coast of Korea.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.57 no.2
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• pp.207-211
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• 2019

Anisakiasis is a zoonotic disease induced by anisakid nematodes, and endoscopic inspection is used for a diagnosis or remedy for it. Anisakis simplex, Anisakis physeteris, and Pseudoterranova decipiens had been reported to be the major species causing human infections, particularly, in Japan. However, in Korea, recent studies strongly suggested that Anisakis pegreffii is the major species of human infections. To support this suggestion, we collected anisakid larvae (n=20) from 20 human patients who were undergone gastrointestinal endoscopy at a health check-up center in Korea, and molecular identification was performed on the larvae using PCR-RFLP analysis and gene sequencing of rDNA ITS regions and mtDNA cox2. In addition, anisakid larvae (n=53) collected from the sea eel (Astroconger myriaster) were also examined for comparison with those extracted from humans. The results showed that all human samples (100%) were identified as A. pegreffii, whereas 90.7% of the samples from the sea eel were A. pegreffii with the remaining 9.3% being Hysterothylacium aduncum. Our study confirmed that A. pegreffii is the predominant species causing human anisakiasis in Korea, and this seems to be due to the predominance of this larval type in the fish (sea eels) popularly consumed by the Korean people. The possibility of human infection with H. aduncum in Korea is also suggested.