• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.58 no.3
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• pp.301-308
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• 2020

Owing to global climate change, the global resurgence of vector-borne infectious diseases and their potential to inflict widespread casualties among human populations has emerged as a pivotal burden on public health systems. Tsutsugamushi disease (scrub typhus) in the Republic of Korea is steadily increasing and was designated as a legal communicable disease in 1994. The disease is a mite-borne acute febrile disease most commonly contracted from October to December. In this study, we tried to determine the prevalence of tsutsugamushi disease transmitted by chigger mites living on rodents and investigated their target vector diversity, abundance, and distribution to enable the mapping of hotspots for this disease in 2015. A total of 5 species belonging to 4 genera (109 mites): Leptotrombidium scutellare 60.6%, L. pallidum 28.4% Neotrombicula tamiyai 9.2%, Euschoengastia koreaensis/0.9%), and Neoschoengastia asakawa 0.9% were collected using chigger mite collecting traps mimicking human skin odor and sticky chigger traps from April to November 2015. Chigger mites causing tsutsugamushi disease in wild rodents were also collected in Hwaseong for the zoonotic surveillance of the vector. A total of 77 rodents belonging to 3 genera: Apodemus agrarius (93.5%), Crocidura lasiura (5.2%), and Micromys minutus (1.3%) were collected in April, October, and November 2015. The most common mite was L. pallidum (46.9%), followed by L. scutellare (18.6%), and L. orientale (18.0%). However, any of the chigger mite pools collected from rodent hosts was tested positive for Orientia tsutsugamushi, the pathogen of tsutsugamushi disease, in this survey.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.59 no.5
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• pp.523-529
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• 2021

The endemicity of zoonotic trematode metacercariae (ZTM) was investigated with total 871 freshwater fishes (19 species) from Deokcheon-gang (a branch stream of Gyeongho-gang) in Sancheong-gun, Gyeongsangnam-do, Korea for 3 years (2018-2020). All fishes were examined with the artificial digestion method. The metacercariae of Clonorchis sinensis (CsMc) were detected in 233 (36.3%) out of 642 fish in 11 positive fish species (PFS), and their infection intensity was 27 per fish infected (PFI). Especially, in index fish, Puntungia herzi, of CsMc infection, prevalence was 64.2% and infection intensity was 37 PFI. Metagonimus spp. metacercariae (MsMc) were found in 760 (87.5%) out of 869 fish in 18 PFS and their infection intensity was 228 PFI. In sweet smelt, Plecoglossus altivelis, the prevalence of MsMc was 97.6% and their infection intensity was 3,570 PFI. Centrocestus armatus metacercariae were detected in 209 (29.4%) out of 710 fish in 8 PFS and their infection intensity was 1,361 PFI. Echinostoma spp. metacercariae were found in 293 (42.6%) out of 688 fish in 15 PFS and their infection intensity was 5 PFI. Metacercariae of Clinostomum complanatum and Metorchis orientalis were also detected in 2.7% and 21.2% fish in 4 PFS and their infection intensities were 3.1 and 3.4 PFI respectively. By the present study, it was confirmed that some species of ZTM including CsMc and MsMc are more or less prevalent in fishes from Deokcheon-gang in Sancheong-gun, Gyeongsangnam-do, Korea.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.102 no.2
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• pp.300-304
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• 2013

Pine wilt disease caused by pine wood nematode, Bursaphelenchus xylophilus (Steiner et Buhrer) Nickle, has become the most serious threat to pine trees in Korea since 1988. Pine wood nematode is transferred to healthy trees by Monochamus alternatus (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) during its maturation feeding and female oviposition. A typical control method against insect vectors in Korea is fumigation of the dead trees by using metam-sodium SL (25%). However, this method is not environment friendly because of the forest contamination by chemical application and destroying landscape by plastic cover. Portable Bark Remover (PBR) was invented to reduce these environmental problems. The vectors oviposit under the bark of the newly dead trees only. Debarking infested trees prevents the vectors from laying eggs and eventually, they can not complete their life cycle. The PBR is a modified debarking device that is attached on the top of the electrical chain saw, which allows ease and rapid debarking of the infested trees. The new method by PBR is expected to be more economic and effective than other conventional methods such as "crushing", "burning" and "fumigation".

• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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• v.52 no.4
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• pp.364-371
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• 2020

The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is conducting surveillance of climate change vectors across all regions in Korea to counteract the spread of these vectors. As a part of this surveillance project, wild rodents were captured using traps to investigate the spread of chigger mites, the vector of Tsutsugamushi disease, across Jeonbuk, Jinan region, and to conduct studies on pathogens. Twenty samplers were used to sample chigger mites weekly from September to November in four different locations. Six hundred and eleven chigger mites of eight varying types were captured. The largest number of captured chigger mites was N. tamiyai, with 434 samples (71.0%). With the addition of 66 wild rodents captured from traps, 3,050 chigger mites were sampled, which yielded a Chigger index of 46.2. The monthly Chigger index was highest in November with a value of 206.1. the result of the test conducted in the presence of pathogens showed two positive results, each from May and September, out of all 85 pools. This result was aligned with the increased frequency in tsutsugamushi disease cases in spring and fall seasons.

• Korean journal of applied entomology
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• v.16 no.2 s.31
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• pp.87-92
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• 1977

A barley virus disease has been severe in central Korea since 1963. To investigate the causal virus, examination of host ranges, transmission by insect vectors and · electron microscopy were conducted. In electron microscopy, particles identical with northern cereal mosaic virus were observed. The size of baciliform particles ranged from 300nm to 370nm in length and 57-60nm in diameter. The virus was transmitted by the small brown planthopper Laodelphax striatellus (Fallen). The latent period in the vector was seven to nineteen days, with 10 days the most prevalent. Barley, corn, wheat, rye, and oats were susceptible to the virus when inoculated by the insect vectors. It was concluded that the disease agent of the barley disease in Korea is northern cereal mosaic virus. This is the first known report of this disease in Korea.

• Journal of Veterinary Clinics
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.63-67
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• 2012

Mosquitoes are the vectors of a number of viral diseases in cattle, such as Akabane disease, bovine ephemeral fever, Ainovirus infection, Chuzan virus infection, and Ibaraki disease. These diseases are transmitted from an infected animal to a non-infected host via the blood feeding of the vector. In Korea, the National Veterinary Research and Quarantine Services, Ministry for Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries is responsible for planning, implementation, laboratory investigations and reporting the results of the national surveillance program for mosquito-borne bovine diseases (MBD). The surveillance program, which was started in 1993, focused to determine the seroprevalence of each disease in cattle herds in space and time. From the epidemiological point of view, more important component of the surveillance program is to monitor infection rates in vectors for specific pathogens because this information is essential for a more precise understanding the dynamics of these diseases in a given environment and for determining risk of transmission. The aim of this study was to describe and compare methods for estimation of vector infection rates using maximum likelihood (MLE) and minimum infection rate in pooled samples. Factors affecting MLE such as number of pools, pooling size and diagnostic test performance are also discussed, assuming some hypothetical sampling scenarios for MBD.

• BMB Reports
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• v.53 no.11
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• pp.565-575
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• 2020

Gene therapy is emerging as a treatment option for inherited genetic diseases. The success of this treatment approach greatly depends upon gene delivery vectors. Researchers have attempted to harness the potential of viral vectors for gene therapy applications over many decades. Among the viral vectors available, gutless adenovirus (GLAd) has been recognized as one of the most promising vectors for in vivo gene delivery. GLAd is constructed by deleting all the viral genes from an adenovirus. Owing to this structural feature, the production of GLAd requires a helper that supplies viral proteins in trans. Conventionally, the helper is an adenovirus. Although the helper adenovirus efficiently provides helper functions, it remains as an unavoidable contaminant and also generates replication-competent adenovirus (RCA) during the production of GLAd. These two undesirable contaminants have raised safety concerns and hindered the clinical applications of GLAd. Recently, we developed helper virus-free gutless adenovirus (HF-GLAd), a new version of GLAd, which is produced by a helper plasmid instead of a helper adenovirus. Utilization of this helper plasmid eliminated the helper adenovirus and RCA contamination in the production of GLAd. HF-GLAd, devoid of helper adenovirus and RCA contaminants, will facilitate its clinical applications. In this review, we discuss the characteristics of adenoviruses, the evolution and production of adenoviral vectors, and the unique features of HF-GLAd as a new platform for gene therapy. Furthermore, we highlight the potential applications of HF-GLAd as a gene delivery vector for the treatment of various inherited genetic diseases.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.248-258
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• 2012

Potato (Solanum tuberosum) is one of the most important food crops worldwide and yields of potato can be affected by virus infection. While more than 40 viruses have been found in potato, only nine viruses (potato leafroll virus, potato viruses A, M, S, V, X and Y, potato moptop virus and tobacco rattle virus) and one viroid (potato spindle tuber viroid) have a significant economic impact on potato, worldwide. This review describes the geographical distribution of the most important viruses infecting potato and the genes for resistance or tolerance that have been identified against these various infectious agents. In some cases such resistance genes have been found only in other Solanum species. Few genes for resistance to the vectors of these viruses have been obtained and even fewer have been deployed successfully. However, transgenic resistance in potato has been achieved against seven of these disease agents.

• Journal of Forest and Environmental Science
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• v.36 no.3
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• pp.255-258
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• 2020

Pine wilt disease (PWD) caused by pine wood nematode (PWN), Bursaphelenchus xylophilus, which is transmitted by Monochamus alternatus and M. saltuarius, is a serious threat to coniferous forests in the Northern Hemisphere, including Korea. The efficacy of abamectin and emamectin benzoate for preventing the PWD in the field and its effect on the vectors Monochamus alternatus and M. saltuarius (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) were evaluated. An experimental plot was delimited, of which consists of Japanese red pine (Pinus densiflora) forest in South Korea, and trunk injection trials were made with abamectin and emamectin benzoate. Branches of each tree were collected, and are subsequently subjected to the analysis of residues for both nematicides. Results obtained in this study showed that abamectin and emamectin benzoate showed over 90% mortality at the recommended concentration after 6 days and 8 days, respectively. Consequently, it was found that both insecticides have a higher effect on the susceptibility and persistence of two vectors of PWD, M. alternatus and M. saltuarius feeding on branches of the trees, and its application by trunk injection is confirmed as an option for pine wilt disease management programs in Korea.

• Journal of Yeungnam Medical Science
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• v.39 no.4
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• pp.269-277
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• 2022

The amyloid hypothesis has been considered a major explanation of the pathogenesis of Alzheimer disease. However, failure of phase III clinical trials with anti-amyloid-beta monoclonal antibodies reveals the need for other therapeutic approaches to treat Alzheimer disease. Compared to its relatively short history, optogenetics has developed considerably. The expression of microbial opsins in cells using genetic engineering allows specific control of cell signals or molecules. The application of optogenetics to Alzheimer disease research or clinical approaches is increasing. When applied with gamma entrainment, optogenetic neuromodulation can improve Alzheimer disease symptoms. Although safety problems exist with optogenetics such as the use of viral vectors, this technique has great potential for use in Alzheimer disease. In this paper, we review the historical applications of optogenetic neuromodulation with gamma entrainment to investigate the mechanisms involved in Alzheimer disease and potential therapeutic strategies.