• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
• /
• v.15 no.2
• /
• pp.166-171
• /
• 2002

The main objective of the present study is to estimate the crossbreeding parameters in respect to serum lysozyme level in broilers. The experiment involved a complete $4{\times}4$ diallel design using four synthetic broiler lines namely Coloured Synthetic Male Line (CSML), White Synthetic Male Line (WSML), Coloured Synthetic Female Line (CSFL) and Naked Neck Line (NNL). The lyophilised Micrococcus lysodeikticus suspension was used to detect the lysozyme level in the serum of birds. The data were analysed by least-squares method to find the effects of genetic and non-genetic factors using appropriate model. The crossbreeding parameters for this trait were estimated by complete diallel model assuming the effect of each synthetic line as fixed. The results indicated that additive and non-additive genetic variation attributed to minor genes at many loci is important for the genetic control of serum lysozyme level in chickens. Total non-additive components of variance also showed significant amount of heterosis in crossbred progenies, and therefore exploitation of non-additive component of variance is possible for improvement in serum lysozyme level in broilers. The overall results suggested that for commercial broiler production system, the selection for specialised line on the basis of serum lysozyme level and subsequent crossing of parent lines could enhance the immunocompetence status in relation to serum lysozyme level in crossbred chickens.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
• /
• v.67 no.3
• /
• pp.239-243
• /
• 2009

Delftia acidovorans is a gram-negative motile rod found ubiquitously in soil and in water. Confirmed isolation from clinical infections is rare, and has been documented mostly in immunocompromised patients or those with indwelling catheters. A 53-year-old man was referred for the evaluation of a huge mass-like lesion found incidentally by chest X-ray. The lesion occupied more than half of the right lung and was diagnosed as a large loculated pleural effusion by CT scan. Bloody pus was drained through a percutaneous catheter, and D. acidovorans, identified by the Vitek GN card and confirmed by amplification of 16S ribosomal RNA and sequencing analysis, was isolated repeatedly from the drained pus. The patient was treated with imipenem/cilastatin to which the organism was sensitive. This is a rare report of chronic empyema associated with D. acidovorans in the respiratory system of an immunocompetent patient.

• The Korean Journal of Medicine
• /
• v.93 no.6
• /
• pp.556-559
• /
• 2018

Intestinal tuberculosis is an infection of the gastrointestinal tract by the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex. To the best of our knowledge, solitary intestinal tuberculosis accompanied by intestinal obstruction, particularly in the middle of the small intestine, is extremely rare. We report a case of solitary jejunal tuberculosis in a 49-year-old man with no underlying disease. He was admitted a few days after the onset of diffuse abdominal discomfort. Upon evaluation, we initially considered a malignancy of the distal jejunum with ileus due to the presence of a mass. Therefore, he underwent laparoscopic resection of the small bowel. Unexpectedly, the histologic specimen showed a chronic caseating granulomatous lesion with acid-fast bacilli. Ultimately, he was diagnosed with solitary jejunal tuberculosis. He was successfully treated with anti-tuberculosis drugs without any complications.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
• /
• v.81 no.6
• /
• pp.1529-1536
• /
• 2020

Invasive pulmonary aspergillosis (IPA) has been known to occur in immunocompromised patients, but has been rarely reported in immunocompetent patients. In immunocompetent patients, pulmonary fungal infections are not initially considered. This results in diagnosis and treatment delays, as well as poor prognosis. We report a case and serial CT findings of IPA in an immunocompetent 29-year-old male after congenital heart disease surgery.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
• /
• v.73 no.5
• /
• pp.278-281
• /
• 2012

A 47-year old man visited our hospital because of purulent sputum for 3 months. Chest X-ray showed destruction of both the upper lungs, and bronchoscopy revealed inflammatory change with whitish plaque on the left main bronchus through upper division of the left upper lobe. Tracheobronchial aspergillosis (TBA) was finally diagnosed as a result of histologic and microbiologic examination. However, he went abroad without medication before the diagnosis was made and visited again 10 months later. Follow-up bronchoscopy showed complete regression of the previously noted endobronchial lesion. We describe this case to consider the role of antifungal treatment in immunocompetent hosts, as well as to discuss a rare condition; TBA resolved spontaneously.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
• /
• v.74 no.6
• /
• pp.269-273
• /
• 2013

Mucormycosis is a rare fungal disease that holds a fatal opportunistic fungal infection in diabetes mellitus, hematological malignancy, and immunocompromised host. Isolated pulmonary mucormycosis is extremely rare. Optimal therapy is a combined medical-surgical approach and a management of the patient's underlying disease. Herein, we report a case-study of isolated pulmonary mucormycosis which was being presented as multiple lung nodules in a patient with no underlying risk factors. Considering that the patient had poor pulmonary functions, we treated him with only antifungal agent rather than a combined medical-surgical approach. After treatment with antifungal agent for six months, the nodules of pulmonary mucormycosis were improved with the prominent reductions of size on the computed tomography.

• Nutritional Sciences
• /
• v.5 no.4
• /
• pp.203-210
• /
• 2002

Aster scaber $T_{HUNB}$ (AST ; Charm-chui), a potent herbal medicinal plant, has a long tradition of use, being harvested as a wild plant, is said to stimulate appetite, and may act as a diuretic, antifebrile agent and painkiller. This study was conducted to investigate the immunomodulative effects of AST In mice, using in vitro and in vivo experiments. The immunomodulative effects were studied in vitro by measuring the proliferation of mice splenocytes and the production of three kinds of cytokines (IL-$\beta$, IL-6, and TNF-$\alpha$) by mice peritoneal macrophages which were cultured with sequential fractions of AST methanol extract (methanol, hexane, chlo-roform, ethylacetate, butanol and water). In an in vivo experiment using mice, different concentrations of AST water extract were orally administrated every other day for two weeks. The production of cytokines (IL-1$\beta$, IL-6, and TNF-$\alpha$) secreted by activated macrophages, and the proliferation of mice splenocytes, were used as indices for immunocompetence. In vitro supplementation using six fractions of AST in the range of 1 to 100$\mu$ g/ml enhanced splenocyte proliferation by 10.5% to 53% compared to the control. IL-1$\beta$production was significantly increased with the supplementation of butanol and water extracts of AST. Higher levels of IL-6 and TNF-$\alpha$production were detected with supplementation of methanol, ethylacetate, butanol or water extracts at the concentration of 100$\mu$ g/ml. In the in vivo study, the highest proliferation of splenocytes was seen in the mice orally administrated with the AST water extract at the concentration of 500mg/kg body weight. In the case of cytokine production, there were no significant differences in the production of IL-1$\beta$and IL-6 among the treated groups and the control. However, TNF-$\alpha$released by activated peritoneal macrophages were augmented by the oral administration of AST water extract. These results indicate that AST may enhance the immune functions by regulating splenocyte proliferation and cytokine production capacity in mice.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
• /
• v.75 no.6
• /
• pp.260-263
• /
• 2013

Invasive aspergillosis has emerged as a major cause of life-threatening infections in immunocompromised patients. Recently, patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, who have been receiving corticosteroids for a long period, and immunocompetent patients in the intensive care unit have been identified as nontraditional hosts at risk for invasive aspergillosis. Here, we report a case of invasive pulmonary aspergillosis after influenza in an immunocompetent patient. The patient's symptoms were nonspecific, and the patient was unresponsive to treatments for pulmonary bacterial infection. Bronchoscopy revealed mucosa hyperemia, and wide, raised and cream-colored plaques throughout the trachea and both the main bronchi. Histologic examination revealed aspergillosis. The patient recovered quickly when treated systemically with voriconazole, although the reported mortality rates for aspergillosis are extremely high. This study showed that invasive aspergillosis should be considered in immunocompetent patients who are unresponsive to antibiotic treatments; further, early extensive use of all available diagnostic tools, especially bronchoscopy, is mandatory.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
• /
• v.47 no.5
• /
• pp.697-703
• /
• 1999

Mycobacterium celatum is a recently described nontuberculous mycobacterium. Even though pulmonary or lymphatic infection cases were reported previously in human, the clinical significance of the infection with M. celatum is not yet understood completely. Mast infections with this species occurred in the patients with suppressed cell-mediated immunity such as AIDS, and there are only a few cases of pulmonary infection with M. celatum in immunocompetent adults or infants in the world. In Korea, mycobacterial pulmonary infection is a major problem of respiratory disease but, there has been no pulmonary infection with M. celatum reported. We report, to our knowledge, the first Korean case of pulmonary infection with M. celatum, which was identified by rpoB genomic sequencing.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
• /
• v.74 no.5
• /
• pp.231-234
• /
• 2013

Aspergillus causes a variety of clinical syndromes in the lung including tracheobronchial aspergillosis, invasive aspergillosis, chronic necrotizing pulmonary aspergillosis, allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis, and aspergilloma. Aspergilloma usually results from ingrowths of colonized Aspergillus in damaged bronchial tree, pulmonary cyst or cavities of patients with underlying lung diseases. There are a few reports on endobronchial aspergilloma without underlying pulmonary lesion. We have experienced a case of endobronchial aspergilloma associated with foreign body developed in an immunocompetent patient without underlying lung diseases. A 59-year-old man is being hospitalized with recurring hemoptysis for 5 months. X-ray and computed tomography scans of chest showed a nodular opacity in superior segment of left lower lobe. Fiberoptic bronchoscopy revealed an irregular, mass-like, brownish material which totally obstructed the sub-segmental bronchus and a foreign body in superior segmental bronchus of the lower left lobe. Histopathologic examinations of biopsy specimen revealed fungal hyphae, characteristic of Aspergillus species.