• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• 제49권1호
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• pp.59-64
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• 2011

A survey of mosquitoes, including the vector status of Brugia malayi filariasis and their relative larval density, was conducted from 2002 to 2005 at several southern remote islands of Jeollanam-do (province), Gyeongsangnam-do, and Jeju-do, Korea, where filariasis was previously endemic. Overall, a total of 9 species belonging to 7 genera were collected. Ochlerotatus togoi (formerly known as Aedes togoi), Anopheles (Hyrcanus) group, and Culex pipiens were the predominant species captured at all areas. Oc. togoi larvae were most frequently collected at salinity levels < 0.5% during June and July, with densities decreasing sharply during the rainy season in August. The most likely explanation for the eradication of filariasis in these areas is suggested to be an aggressive treatment program executed during the 1970s and the 1990s. However, high prevalence of the vector mosquitoes may constitute a potential risk for reemerging of brugian filariasis in these areas.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• 제47권4호
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• pp.323-335
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• 2009

A successful experience of lymphatic filariasis control in the Republic of Korea is briefly reviewed. Filariasis in the Republic of Korea was exclusively caused by infection with Brugia malayi. Over the past several decades from the 1950s to 2006, many investigators exerted their efforts to detection, treatment, and follow-up of filariasis patients in endemic areas, and to control filariasis. Mass, combined with selective, treatments with diethylcarbamazine to microfilaria positive persons had been made them free from microfilaremia and contributed to significant decrease of the microfilarial density in previously endemic areas. Significant decrease of microfilaria positive cases in an area influenced eventually to the endemicity of filariasis in the relevant locality. Together with remarkable economic growth followed by improvement of environmental and personal hygiene and living standards, the factors stated above have contributed to blocking the transmission cycle of B. malayi and led to disappearance of this mosquito-borne ancient disease in the Republic of Korea.

• 한국임상수의학회지
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• 제16권2호
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• pp.506-508
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• 1999

An one-year-old, female pointer dog with conjunctival hyperemia, corneal opaque and ocular pain in right eye was referred to Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital, Chungbuk National University. In the ophthalmic examination the worm was observed in anterior chamber, The heart worm antigen test was positive. A modified Knott's test was negative. The values of complete blood count and serum chemistry (TP, BUN, creatinine, AST, ALT, ALP, albumin, globuline) showed normal ranges. Any abnormality was not detected in the heart using a thoracic radiography and cardiac sonography. Therefore, this dog was diagnosed as ocular filariasis. The worm was removed by surgical incision through a limbus of cornea. The closure of limbal incision was sutured in a simple interrupted suture pattern with 6-0 silk and the eye was reinflated with sterile saline solution. Antibiotics and dexamethasone ophthalmic solution were applied to right eye every 24 hours for 7 days. To prevent latent filariasis, ivermectin was also administered on day 14 of operation. The heart worm antigen test on day 60 was negative. The dog was successfully cured.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• 제46권3호
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• pp.119-125
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• 2008

Lymphatic filariasis, transmitted by mosquitoes is the commonest cause of lymphedema in endemic countries. Among 120 million infected people in 83 countries, up to 16 million have lymphedema. Microfilariae ingested by mosquitoes grow into infective larvae. These larvae entering humans after infected mosquito bites grow in the lymphatics to adult worms that cause damage to lymphatics resulting in dilatation of lymph vessels. This earliest pathology is demonstrated in adults as well as in children, by ultrasonography, lymphoscintigraphy and histopathology studies. Once established, this damage was thought to be irreversible. This lymphatic damage predisposes to bacterial infection that causes recurrent acute attacks of dermato-lymphangio-adenitis in the affected limbs. Bacteria, mainly streptococci gain entry into the lymphatics through 'entry lesions' in skin, like interdigital fungal infections, injuries, eczema or similar causes that disrupt integrity of skin. Attacks of dermato-lymphangio-adenitis aggravates lymphatic damage causing lymphedema, which gets worse with repeated acute attacks. Elephantiasis is a late manifestation of lymphatic filariasis, which apart from limbs may involve genitalia or breasts. Lymphedema management includes use of antifilarial drugs in early stages, treatment and prevention of acute attacks through 'limb-hygiene', antibiotics and antifungals where indicated, and physical measures to reduce the swelling. In selected cases surgery is helpful.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• 제53권3호
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• pp.355-359
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• 2015

Hydatid disease imposing serious threat on human health and great loss in live-stock pastoralism remains a major public health problem in western China. To assess and monitor the effect of control program on transmission dynamics, we used the prevalence of cystic echinococcosis in slaughtered sheep at slaughterhouse as an indicator during the period of 2007 to 2013 in Emin County, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, China. The results showed a significant decline trend of prevalence in all age groups during the 7 years when the control program was implemented; particularly, the rate was reduced by 72% after first 3 years. Among the sheep slaughtered, the age distribution evidenced that the prevalence increased significantly as the sheep grew older. The baseline data indicated that the rate was 4.5% at the age <1, 6.7% at age 2~, and reached to the highest 17.9% at age ${\geq}4$ years. Earlier response to the intervention pressure was seen in the sheep at the younger age. Significant decline started from 2008 at the age <1, from 2009 at age of 1~, 2010 at 2~ to 3~, and the latest, in 2012 at age ${\geq}4$. This study demonstrated that the prevalence of cystic echinococcosis in slaughtered sheep may be used as an indicator to assess and monitor the transmission status during and after control program providing information for betterment of performance to sustain control strength.

• 통합자연과학논문집
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• 제9권4호
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• pp.268-274
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• 2016

Filariasis causing nematode Brugia malayi is shown to harbor wolbachia bacteria as symbionts. The sequenced genome of the wolbachia endosymbiont from B.malayi (wBm) offers an unprecedented opportunity to identify new wolbachia drug targets. Hence the enzyme carbonic anhydrase from wolbachia endosymbiont of Brugia malayi (wBm) which is responsible for the reversible interconversion of carbon dioxide and water to bicarbonate and protons (or vice versa) is chosen as the drug target for filariasis. This enzyme is thought to play critical functions in bacteria by involving in various steps of their life cycle which are important for survival, The 3D structure of wBm carbonic anhydrase is predicted by selecting a suitable template using the similarity search tool, BLAST. The BLAST results shows a hexapeptide transferase family protein from Anaplasma phagocytophilum (PDB ID: 3IXC) having 77% similarity and 54% identity with wBm carbonic anhydrase. Hence the above enzyme is chosen as the template and the 3D structure of carbonic anhydrase is predicted by the tool Modeller9v7. Since the three dimensional structure of carbonic anhydrase from wolbachia endosymbiont of Brugia malayi has not yet solved, attempts were made to predict this protein. The predicted structure is validated and also molecular docking studies are carried out with the suitable inhibitors that have been solved experimentally.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• 제26권4호
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• pp.255-262
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• 1988

근래에 전남 신안군 대흑산도 및 소흑산도와 제주도에서 보고된 주민의 microfilaria(mf) 양성률은 각각 평균 11.5%, 11.l%, 0.5%였다. 저자 등은 흑산도와 본토와의 중계항인 전남 신안면 도초면(도)에서 1987년 7월 주민들의 microfilaria 양성률을 조사하였다. 이 섬의 해숭암당에서 Aedes togoi가 채집되었다. Mf 조사 방법은 Ae. togoi 서식처에 가까운 4 개 부락(화도, 지남, 지북, 지동)의 주민 195명(남 102, 여 93)을 21:00∼01:00시 사이에 호별 방문하여 채혈하고 후속도말(20mm3)한 후 Giemsa 염색하고 검경하였다. 검사 결과 전 표본이 음성이었으며 이 지역에서 사상충증의 분석는 흑산도에만 한국되어 있을 것으로 추측되었다. 저자 등은 또한 1988년 5월 과거 사상충증의 유행도가 높았던 제주도 남제주군 남원면 태흥리, 서귀포시 하예(예)동, 북제주군 애월읍 구엄리 및 신엄리의 4개 부락에서 주민 357명 (남 167, 여 190)에 대하여 상기 도초도에서와 동일한 방법으로 microfilaria를 조사하였던 바 단 1건의 mf 양성자(52재, 남)가 태흥리에서 발견되었고(1/180 또는 0.6%), mf 밀도는 l1/20 mm3이었다. 상기와 같이 제주도에서 사상충증의 소멸이 관련된 제 인자를 구명코자 1988년 9월 태흥리에서 미충학적 조사와 주민의 생활양태의 일단을 관찰한 결과는 아래와 같다. Ae. togoi의 서식처는 여전히 많아 Ae. togoi 개체군의 절대밀도에는 변동이 없는 것으로 사료되나 주간 가옥 내 휴식 모기 밀도(평균 매 가옥당 0.4)와 인/모기 접촉도(man-mosquito contact)는 부락주거 지역의 확대, 인구의 증가, 생활수준의 향상등에 의해 감소되었음이 나타났다(indoor human biting catches-0.2/man/hour, outdoor-0/man/hour) (상대적 밀도의 감소를 의미). 총 20가구의 표본 조사에서 19가구는 모기향, 에어로졸 사용과 함께 모기장(전가족 보호 가능한 수)을 사용하고 있었으며 이와 같은 양호한 개인 방어(personal protection) 는 옥내 흡혈성(endophagy)을 가진 Ae. togoi의 매개 능률을 결정적으로 저지하는 결과를 가져왔다고 생각된다.

• 대한수의학회지
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• 제43권3호
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• pp.517-520
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• 2003

Prevalence of microfilariae, Dirofilaria immitis, Dirofilaria repens, Acanthocheilonema dracunculoides from 506 German Shepherd dogs reared in Korea was investigated by modified Knott's test to detect circulating microfilaria and by acid-phosphatase staining for differentiation of each microfilaria species. In the modified Knott's test, 74 of 506 dogs (14.6%) were microfilaria positive, and the prevelance of each species of microfilaria was 90.5% (67 of 74 samples) for D. immitis, 5.4% (4 of 74 samples) for duplicate infection with D. immitis and D. repens and 4.1% (3 of 74 samples) for mixed infection with D. immitis, D. repens and A. dracunculoides. It was considered that the paying attention to the existence not only D. immitis but also other microfilariae were needed in canine filariasis.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• 제47권1호
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• pp.49-52
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• 2009

Clinical manifestations of extralymphatic disease caused by filariasis are varied and range from symptoms due to tropical pulmonary eosinophilia to hematuria, proteinuria, splenomegaly, and rarely arthritis. Disseminated microfilaremia in association with loculated lung cyst and empyema is of rare occurrence and to the best of our knowledge has not been documented in the literature so far. We report here a case of disseminated microfilaremia due to Wuchereria bancrofti infection accompanied by a lung cyst and empyema in a 21-year-old Indian man.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• 제53권6호
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• pp.777-783
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• 2015

The nitric oxide (NO) formation and intrinsic nitrosation may be involved in the possible mechanisms of liver fluke-associated carcinogenesis. We still do not know much about the responses of inducible NO synthase (iNOS) induced by Clonorchis sinensis infection. This study was conducted to explore the pathological lesions and iNOS expressions in the liver of mice with different infection intensity levels of C. sinensis. Extensive periductal inflammatory cell infiltration, bile duct hyperplasia, and fibrosis were commonly observed during the infection. The different pathological responses in liver tissues strongly correlated with the infection intensity of C. sinensis. Massive acute spotty necrosis occurred in the liver parenchyma after a severe infection. The iNOS activity in liver tissues increased, and iNOS-expressing cells with morphological differences were observed after a moderate or severe infection. The iNOS-expressing cells in liver tissues had multiple origins.