• Journal of Medicine and Life Science
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.98-102
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• 2020

Influenza is a common disease that causes epidemics yearly due to the influenza virus. If patients with influenza present with rare symptoms, the diagnosis may be delayed and the condition is difficult to treat. A 5-year-old boy presented to the emergency room with fever and cramps. Brain computed tomography showed low attenuation in the thalamus and brain stem, which was suggestive of encephalopathy caused by influenza virus. Another 5-year-old girl visited the emergency room with mild fever and painful calf edema. She was diagnosed with myositis caused by influenza and treated accordingly.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.63-70
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• 2010

Novel influenza A (H1N1) is a newly emerged flu virus that was first detected in April 2009. Unlike the avian influenza (H5N1), this virus has been known to be able to spread from human to human directly. Although it is uncertain how severe this novel H1N1 virus will be in terms of human illness, the illness may be more widespread because most people will not have immunity to it. In this study, we compared the codon usage bias between the novel H1N1 influenza A viruses and other viruses such as H1N1 and H5N1 subtypes to investigate the genomic patterns of novel influenza A (H1N1). Totally, 1,675 nucleotide sequences of the hemagglutinin (HA) and neuraminidase (NA) genes of influenza A virus, including H1N1 and H5N1 subtypes occurring from 2004 to 2009, were used. As a result, we found that the novel H1N1 influenza A viruses showed the most close correlations with the swine-origin H1N1 subtypes than other H1N1 viruses, in the result from not only the analysis of nucleotide compositions, but also the phylogenetic analysis. Although the genetic sequences of novel H1N1 subtypes were not exactly the same as the other H1N1 subtypes, the HA and NA genes of novel H1N1s showed very similar codon usage patterns with other H1N1 subtypes, especially with the swine-origin H1N1 influenza A viruses. Our findings strongly suggested that those novel H1N1 viruses seemed to be originated from the swine-host H1N1 viruses in terms of the codon usage patterns.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.28 no.5
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• pp.809-815
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• 2018

Influenza, which is a highly contagious disease caused by the influenza A virus, continues to be a major health concern worldwide. Although the accurate and early diagnosis of influenza virus infection is important for controlling the spread of this disease and rapidly initiating antiviral therapy, the current influenza diagnostic kits are limited by their low sensitivity. In this study, we developed several new influenza nucleoprotein (NP)-specific monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) and compared their sensitivity and specificity of those with commercially available anti-NP mAbs. Three mAbs, designated M24.11, M34.3, and M34.33, exhibited higher reactivities to recombinant NPs and A/Puerto Rico/8/1934 (H1N1) viral lysates compared with the commercial mAbs, as assessed using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. M34.3 and M34.33 showed higher reactivities with A/California/04/09 (pandemic H1N1) and A/Philippines/2/82 (H3N2) viral lysates than the commercial mAbs. In contrast, M24.11 had marked reactivity with H3N2 but not with pandemic H1N1. Immunofluorescent confocal microscopy showed that the three mAbs effectively detected the presence of influenza virus in lung tissues of mice infected with A/Puerto Rico/8/1934. These results indicate that the newly developed M34.3 and M34.33 mAbs could be useful for the development of influenza diagnostics.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.46 no.10
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• pp.1024-1028
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• 2003

Influenza-associated encephalopathy is regarded as one of the major neurologic disease entities along with those of Reye syndrome, acute necrotizing encephalopathy, and myelitis which are known to be related to influenza virus, mostly type A. And it is being actively researched in Japan as it has caused a tremendous increase in the number of deaths from 1997 to 2002, but it has not been yet reported in the Korean pediatric medical community. It attacks those previously healthy children, who have not been vaccinated. Patients start with such symptoms as fever and common respiratory problems, but within 24 to 48 hours they suffer from seizures with acute mental deterioration, become worse, and suffer multiple organ failures including marked elevated transaminase levels as well as coagulopathy. It induces deaths in a couple of days after the symptoms appear or remains a serious neurologic sequelae. Confirmative diagnosis is used to demonstrate influenza viral infection. We report here a 37 month aged boy who was admitted to our hospital during the last influenza season under the diagnosis of influenza associated encephalopathy on the basis of serologic testing by hemagglutinin inhibition(HI). This is the first report confirmed by increased antibody titer of the influenza A virus in Korea.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.15 no.5
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• pp.924-929
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• 2005

Boiled-water extracts from 101 Korean medicinal plants were tested in vitro for their inhibitory activity against influenza virus type A by means of a modified hemagglutination inhibition test. Thirteen of the 101 extracts exhibited strong anti-influenza virus type A activity at concentrations of less than $780\;{\mu}g/ml$. Out of the above 13 extracts, MW-40 (Chaenomeles speciosa), MW-88 (Citrus junos), and MW-100 (Zingiber officinale) exhibited marked antiviral activity in the concentration range of $0.195\;{\mu}g/ml$ to 100 mg/ml, $0.0487\;{\mu}g/ml$ to 100 mg/ml, and $0.0487\;{\mu}g/ml$ to 100 mg/ml, respectively. The extracts MW-88 and MW-100 were not cytotoxic to red blood cells, whereas MW-40 showed very weak cytotoxicity in the concentration range of 50 mg/ml to 100 mg/ml. Therefore, the present results demonstrate that boiled water extracts of 2 Korean medicinal plants, MW-88 and MW-100, have strong anti-influenza virus type A activity and no cytotoxic effects, and they may inhibit attachment of the virus to the cell and may be used for prophylaxis.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.79 no.2
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• pp.70-73
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• 2016

In late March of 2009, an outbreak of influenza in Mexico, was eventually identified as H1N1 influenza A. In June 2009, the World Health Organization raised a pandemic alert to the highest level. More than 214 countries have reported confirmed cases of pandemic H1N1 influenza A. In Korea, the first case of pandemic influenza A/H1N1 infection was reported on May 2, 2009. Between May 2009 and August 2010, 750,000 cases of pandemic influenza A/H1N1 were confirmed by laboratory test. The H1N1-related death toll was estimated to reach 252 individuals. Almost one billion cases of influenza occurs globally every year, resulting in 300,000 to 500,000 deaths. Influenza vaccination induces virus-neutralizing antibodies, mainly against hemagglutinin, which provide protection from invading virus. New quadrivalent inactivated influenza vaccine generates similar immune responses against the three influenza strains contained in two types of trivalent vaccines and superior responses against the additional B strain.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.58 no.3
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• pp.153-158
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• 2018

Althaea rosea has been used in traditional Chinese medicine to treat numerous diseases, but no studies have investigated its anti-influenza properties to date. In this study, we investigated the anti-influenza effects of Althaea rosea. BALB/c mice orally pretreated with Althaea rosea ($200{\mu}L$, 0.1 mg/mL concentration in phosphate-buffered saline) and followed by infection of influenza A virus nasally showed higher survivability and lower lung virus titer against divergent subtypes of influenza A virus infection. We also found that oral administration of Althaea rosea elicited antiviral innate immune responses in serum, bronchoalveolar lavage fluid, small intestinal fluid, and the lungs. Taken together, these findings suggest that aqueous extracts of Althaea rosea are a potential candidate for use as an anti-influenza drug.

• Korean Journal of Oriental Medicine
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.67-83
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• 1997

In order to search for anti-influenza virus type A agents from Korean medicinal herbs, we selected 100 medicinal herbs, based on a review of the Korean traditional medicine books. Four of 100 Korean medicinal herbs, MM-40, MM-55, MM-63, MM-110, exhibited very strong anti-influenza virus activity. The fractions of four medicinal herbs, which had very strong anti-influenza virus activity, were tested for antiviral activity by means of Haemagglutination inhibition test(HTT), 40% MeOH fraction of MM-40, $H_2O$ fraction of MM-55, 20% fraction of MM-63 3nd $H_2O$ fraction of MM-110 had strong anti-influenza virus activity at the range of $78{\mu}g/ml$ to $156{\mu}g/ml$, 1.56mg/ml to 100mg/ml, 6.25mg/ml to 50mg/ml and $48.7{\mu}g/ml$ to $780{\mu}g/ml$, respectively. These results of HIT indicated that fractions of Korean medicinal herbs might inhibit either attachment of virus to cell surface receptor or penetration of virus into cell during the initial stage of infection. In the cytotoxicity of fractions against red blood cells, 40% MeOH fraction of MM-40, 20% fraction of MM-63 and $H_2O$ fraction of MM-110 showed cytotoxicity at the range of $78{\mu}g/ml$ to 10mg/ml, 50mg/ml to 100mg/ml and $195{\mu}g/ml$ to 100mg/ml, respectively, whereas $H_2O$ fraction of MM-55 did not show cytotoxicity. In order to establish influenza virus adapted animal model, influenza virus type A were passaged 3 and 4 times successively in Balb/c mouse. As a result, we had 4 HA unit titers on the 5 days of 3rd passages and 7 days of 4th passages after infection, respectively.

• Pediatric Infection and Vaccine
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.87-94
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• 2003

Purpose : Respiratory viruses are one of the most infectious agent in human. Acute lower respiratory tract infection(ALRTIs) is associated with significant morbidity and mortality in children. This study is performed to investigate the etiologic organism, age and sex distribution, clinical manifestations and seasonal occurrence of ALRTIs in children. Methods : Viral agent was evaluated with nasopharyngeal aspirates, rhinorrhea and saliva collected from 568 patients. We confirmed viral agents in 54 patients who were younger than 15 year old. They had visited Maryknoll Hospital, Busan in Korea from January, 2002 to December, 2002 for ALRTIs. Results : The viral pathogens identified were Influenza A virus(59.3%), Enterovirus(33.3%), Adenovirus(5.6%), and Influenza B virus(1.9%). Parainfluenza virus and Respiratory syncytial virus were not detected. The occurrence of acute lower respiratory infections was high between 3 & 6 years old. The clinical patterns include pneumonia(51.9%), bronchitis(31.5%), croup(9.3%), bronchiolitis(7.4%). The respiratory viral agents had their characteristic seasonal patterns. Conclusion : Influenza A virus was the most common cause of acute lower respiratory tract infections in Busan area during the 2002. ALRTIs had high occurrence between 3 to 6 years old. And the most common clinical patterns were pneumonia and bronchitis.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.56 no.4
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• pp.165-175
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• 2013

Purpose: There was a global increase in the prevalence of oseltamivir-resistant influenza viruses during the 2007-2008 influenza season. This study was conducted to investigate the occurrence and characteristics of oseltamivir-resistant influenza viruses during the 2007-2008 and 2008-2009 influenza seasons among patients who were treated with oseltamivir (group A) and those that did not receive oseltamivir (group B). Methods: A prospective study was conducted on 321 pediatric patients who were hospitalized because of influenza during the 2007-2008 and 2008-2009 influenza seasons. Drug resistance tests were conducted on influenza viruses isolated from 91 patients. Results: There was no significant difference between the clinical characteristics of groups A and B during both seasons. Influenza A/H1N1, isolated from both groups A and B during the 2007-2008 and 2008-2009 periods, was not resistant to zanamivir. However, phenotypic analysis of the virus revealed a high oseltamivir $IC_{50}$ range and that H275Y substitution of the neuraminidase (NA) gene and partial variation of the hemagglutinin (HA) gene did not affect its antigenicity to the HA vaccine even though group A had a shorter hospitalization duration and fewer lower respiratory tract complications than group B. In addition, there was no significant difference in the clinical manifestations between oseltamivir-susceptible and oseltamivir-resistant strains of influenza A/H1N1. Conclusion: Establishment of guidelines to efficiently treat influenza with oseltamivir, a commonly used drug for treating influenza in Korean pediatric patients, and a treatment strategy with a new therapeutic agent is required.