• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.58 no.2
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• pp.147-152
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• 2020

Malaria is a potent burden on public healthcare worldwide due to requiring rapid diagnosis and treatment. Nowadays, prompt diagnosis with rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) has been widely accepted as an effective diagnostic technique in malaria-endemic countries, primarily due to their easy operation, fast output, and straightforward interpretation. The global availability and use of RDTs have gradually grown over recent decades as field-applicable diagnostic tests for the reliable confirmation of malaria infection and proper case management. This study was conducted to evaluate diagnostic performance of 3 commercially available malaria RDT kits : BIOCREDIT^TM Malaria Ag Pf(pLDH), Malaria Ag Pf(pLDH/pHRPII), and Malaria Ag Pf/Pv(pLDH/pLDH) (where pLDH and pHRPII stand for plasmodium lactate dehydrogenase and histidine-rich protein 2, respectively) for the specific detection of Plasmodium falciparum. A total of 1,129 blood samples including 95 blood samples, confirmed as vivax malaria infection by microscopic examinations and a nested-PCR method, were tested for falciparum malaria infection. The overall sensitivity and specificity of Malaria Ag Pf(pLDH/pHRPII), Malaria Ag Pf/Pv(pLDH/pLDH), and Pf(pLDH) for P. falciparum were 99.0% and 100%, 95.8% and 100%, and 100% and 100%, respectively. It is proposed that the 3 RDT kits perform reliable level of diagnostic accuracy of detection for P. falciparum parasites.

• Journal of Animal Environmental Science
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.53-62
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• 1996

This experiment was conducted to investigate the effect of the reuse of sawdust fermented with swine excretion as bed material on the growth performance of pigs. The sawdust which was already fermented with swine excretion in the pig house for eight months was transported to a fermentation facility for secondary fermentation. A total of 96 pigs with average 30kg of initial body weight were randomly assigned in the $2{\times}2$ factorial design with two levels(0%, 1.5%) of probiotics added for secondary fermentation and two levels(0%, 1.5%) of probiotics in feed. The results obtained are as follows : 1. Total-nitrogen(T-N), $K_2O$, total-carbon(T-C), and carbon/nitrogen(C/N) in sawdust bed showed no significant difference within treatments, but phosphate increased by 57% in average compared to the initial. 2. There was no significant difference in temperature in the sawdust bed treatments. 3. The internal parasite eggs detected were Trichuris suis, Strong. ransomi, Ascaris suum, Coccidia and Balantidium coli. 4. The utilization period of sawdust fermented with swine excretion was 52, 26, 16, 4, 5, 3 days, respectively, with increase of body weight. 5. Average daily gain and feed conversion were significantly improved by adding probiotics in the feed(P<0.05), but there was no difference between fermented sawdust with or without probiotics. 6. There was no significant difference in carcass weight and backfat thickness of pig among treatments(P>0.05).

• Journal of fish pathology
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.129-137
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• 2013

The study surveyed infection rate of Kudoa septempunctata parasitized in the trunk muscle of olive flounder, Paralichthys olivaceus, cultured in Jeju Island and wild fish species caught in the coastal area around Jeju Island during 2012. Among 143 olive flounder that were randomly sampled from 26 different culture farms, K. septempunctata was detected in 7 fish samples (4.9%) from 4 different culture farms, showing no typical Kudoa infestation. However, K. septempunctata was not detected in olive flounder fry sampled from hatcheries and 8 species of wild fish. In addition, we compared 3 different sampling sites on trunk muscle of 7 Kudoa positive fish that included head part, tail part and entire muscle. Among 7 fish, K. septempunctata was detected in 3 fish that were sampled from head part; while 4 fish from tail part of trunk muscle. However, all 7 fish were positive when sampled from entire muscle. Thus, we suggest that it will be more efficient to use entire muscle sample than sampling partial muscle parts for detection of K. septempunctata.

• Journal of Sericultural and Entomological Science
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• v.50 no.2
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• pp.116-121
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• 2012

Cordyceps and its allies fungi has been described as a secret medicine that gives eternal youth and a long life. Some species of Cordyceps are sources of biochemicals, such ascordycepin, with interesting biological and pharmacological properties. Hence, it has been studied to uncover its pharmacological effect. We attempted to study the formation of fruiting bodies and to develop means of mass production Korean isolate of Paecilomyces tenuipes has been inoculated into silkworms, where it reproduced using culture container, mini-kit successfully. Culture container, mini-kit is composed of a cylinder-shaped body and lid. The container is made of translucent polyethylene terephthalate. The size of the container is $82{\times}75mm$, reduced by 10 times as compared with the conventional culture kit. The mini kit has many advantages - high culture amount, ability of maintaining optimal humidity, parasite-free cultivation and high-end appearance. With the kit, the optimal cultivation condition is under $22^{\circ}C$, culture period of 53 days. And synnemata of P. tenuipes could be kept fresh for 14 days at the temperature of under $10^{\circ}C$. Therefore, the Min-kit can be used in both ways as a culture container and a packing kit for end-user customers.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.57 no.3
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• pp.303-308
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• 2019

Toxoplasma gondii is an apicomplexan parasite that can cause toxoplasmosis in a wide range of warm-blooded animals including humans. In this study, we analyzed seroprevalence of T. gondii among 467 school children living in the rural areas of Pyin Oo Lwin and Naung Cho, Myanmar. The overall seroprevalence of T. gondii among school children was 23.5%; 22.5% of children were positive for T. gondii IgG, 0.4% of children were positive for T. gondii IgM, and 0.6% of children were positive for both T. gondii IgG and IgM. Geographical factors did not significantly affect the seroprevalence frequency between Pyin Oo Lwin and Naung Cho, Myanmar. No significant difference was found between males (22.2%) and females (25.0%). The overall seroprevalence among school children differed by ages (10 years old [13.6%], 11-12 years old [19.8%], 13-14 years old [24.6%], and 15-16 years old [28.0%]), however, the result was not significant. Polymerase chain reaction analysis for T. gondii B1 gene for IgG-positive and IgM-positive blood samples were negative, indicating no direct evidence of active infection. These results collectively suggest that T. gondii infection among school children in Myanmar was relatively high. Integrated and improved strategies including reinforced education on toxoplasmosis should be implemented to prevent and control T. gondii infection among school children in Myanmar.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.52 no.5
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• pp.461-467
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• 2019

Several studies investigating the prevention and treatment of external parasites in farmed olive flounder Paralichthys olivaceus have found that the anticoccidial agent toltrazuril sulfone is an effective antiparasitic. Prior to undertaking a full-scale study, we developed analytical methods to detect the levels of toltrazuril and toltrazuril sulfone in farmed flounder samples using liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). This analysis showed that LC-MS/MS changed the mobile phase and collision energy of toltrazuril and toltrazuril sulfone. This was validated using established conditions. Sample pre-treatment for this process involved extraction with dichloromethane and purification by liquid-liquid extraction in formic acid, acetonitrile, and h-hexane, followed by determination of all compounds by LC-MS/MS. Separation was achieved within 10 min by gradient elution using a Capcell Pak C18 ($3.0{\mu}m$, $100{\times}2.0mm$) analytical column (Shiseido UG 120V) with a mixture of 0.1% (v/v) formic acid and acetonitrile. Multiple reaction monitoring was used for selective detection of toltrazuril and toltrazuril sulfone. This method yields satisfactory results for linearity, precision, and limits of quantification. Therefore, the method established in our study will serve as a basis for further research on parasite control by toltrazuril and toltrazuril sulfone.

• Journal of Apiculture
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.15-26
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• 2019

Tracheal mite (Acarapis woodi) is an internal parasite that is parasitic on the bronchus of adult bees and sucks fluid from the trachea. Since its first report by Rennie, it has been spread throughout Europe and in some Asian regions, with adjacent Japan and China reported in 2011 and 2012, respectively. Korea detected specific genes of A. woodi in 2015, but only one of 99 samples has been identified and the being of A. woodi has not been confirmed. In this study, we established a specific nested PCR method to confirm for detecting low-copy number of A. woodi-specific gene in bee samples. As a result, A. woodi-specific COI gene was amplified in 15 of 23 samples, and they were judged positive by melting point analysis and sequencing analysis. Although we could not observe the existence of the mites in bees, our results suggest that tracheal mit might exist in nature.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.60 no.4
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• pp.241-246
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• 2022

Felids are the unique definitive host of Toxoplasma gondii. The intestine of felid is the only site for initiating Toxoplasma gondii sexual reproduction. T. gondii excretes millions of infectious oocysts from the intestine, which are the primary source of infection. There are many difficulties in developing vaccines and drugs to control oocyst excretion due to the lack of an appropriate experimental model. Here, we established an in vitro feline intestinal epithelial cell (IEC) infection system and an efficient animal model of T. gondii Chinese 1 genotype, Wh6 strain (TgCtwh6). The Kunming mice brain tissues containing TgCtwh6 cysts were harvested 42-day post-infection. The bradyzoites were co-cultured with cat IECs in vitro at a ratio of 1:10. Five 3-month-old domestic cats were orally inoculated with 600 cysts each. The oocysts were detected by daily observation of cat feces by microscopy and polymerase chain reaction. We found that the parasite adhered and invaded cat IECs in vitro, transformed into tachyzoites, and then divided to form rose-like structures. These parasites eventually destroyed host cells, escaped, and finished the asexual reproduction process. Schizonts associated with sexual reproduction have not been observed during development in vitro cultured cells. However, schizonts were detected in all infected cat intestinal epithelial cells, and oocysts were presented in all cat feces. Our study provides a feasible cell model and an efficient infection system for the following studies of T. gondii sexual reproduction, and also lays a foundation to develop drugs and vaccines for blocking excretion and transmission of oocysts.

• Journal of fish pathology
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.113-120
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• 2022

Scuticociliatosis caused by Miamiensis avidus is a very important parasitic disease in olive flounder farming industry. The aim of this study was to determine effect of combined treatment with blue LED (light-emitting diode) illumination and formalin on olive flounder (Paralichthys olivaceus) infected with M. avidus. Different intensity of 405 nm LED (20, 40, and 60 μmol·m^-2·s^-1) was illuminated on 2.2×10⁴ cells/well of M. avidus in a 24 well microplate for 24 h. Also, 2.4×10⁴ cells/well of M. avidus were exposed to varying combinations of 60 μmol·m^-2·s^-1 of 405 nm LED and serial 10-fold dilutions of formalin (from 10 to 100 ppm) for 15, 30, 45, and 60 min. Surviving M. avidus were counted using a hemocytometer. For in vivo test, flounder acclimatized at 11-12 practical salinity unit (psu) were challenged with 2×10⁶ cells/ml of M. avidus by immersion method for 1 h. Then, fish were moved and divided into four groups; "F" group, treated with formalin at 50 ppm; "L" group, treated with 60 μmol·m^-2·s^-1 of 405 nm LED; "C" group, treated with combination of the two methods; and the control group. After treatment for 30 min, fish were transferred to new tanks (salinity = 11-12 psu) and observed for 3 weeks. As a result, illumination of 405 nm LED at 60 μmol·m^-2·s^-1 killed 100% of M. avidus after 12 h, while 67% and 90% of the scuticociliate died at 20 and 40 μmol·m^-2·s^-1, respectively, after 24 h exposure. One hundred percent of M. avidus was killed at 90, 80, 80 and 70 ppm after exposure to formalin for 15, 30, 45 and 60 min, respectively. However, combined method (e.g., 60 μmol·m^-2·s^-1 of 405 nm-LED plus 50 ppm formalin) killed the parasite within 30 min. From in vivo test, similarly, survival rates of fish challenged with M. avidus were 100%, 43%, 29% and 0% in the C, F, L, and control groups, respectively. Results obtained in this study demonstrates that the combined treatment method has clear synergistic effect on scuticociliatosis in fish.

• Journal of Marine Life Science
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.96-100
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• 2018

Clonorchis sinensis is a main parasite that infects humans by making freshwater fish as an intermediate host in South Korea. There are so many reports about the infestation status of Clonorchis sinensis metacercariae (CsMc) in freshwater fish living in the river, but there are a few studies of fish in the lake. In this study, we examined CsMc in Cyprinid fish sampled from Soyang Lake, Namyang Lake, Andong Lake and Chunchun Lake from 2016 to 2017. Metacercaria of trematodes were found from Hemiculter eigenmanni and Carassius auratus in Namyang Lake, and Zacco platypus and Opsarichthys uncirostris in Soyang Lake. As a result of PCR using Clonorchis sinensis specific primer sets, it was confirmed that the metacercariae from Hemiculter eigenmanni in Namyang Lake was CsMc. This study provides information on CsMc infestation status of Cyprinid fish in four lakes and it is the first report of CsMc infestation in Namyang Lake.