• Journal of the Korea Society of Computer and Information
• /
• v.23 no.10
• /
• pp.135-141
• /
• 2018

In this paper, we propose to evaluate the effect of resistin-like molecule alpha ($Relm{\alpha}$) on the progression of anemia of inflammation. Anemia of inflammation is a common feature of inflammatory disorders, including chronic kidney disease, infections, and rheumatoid arthritis. $Relm{\alpha}$ is highly up-regulated in various inflammatory states, especially those involving asthma, intestinal inflammation, and parasitic diseases, and regulates the pathogenesis of those diseases. However, the role of $Relm{\alpha}$ in anemia of inflammation is unknown. To explore the roles of $Relm{\alpha}$ in anemia of inflammation in vivo, we generated mouse model of the disease by injecting 0.25 mg/kg lipopolysaccharides (LPS) intraperitoneally into $Relm{\alpha}-deficient$ and wild-type (WT) mice daily for 10 days. Research data was expressed as differences between LPS-treated $Relm{\alpha}-deficient$ and WT mice by a two-tailed non-parametric Mann-Whitney U-test using GraphPad Instat program. The results of the study are as follows: LPS-treated $Relm{\alpha}-deficient$ mice had significantly (p<0.05) lower hemoglobin contents, hematocrit levels and red blood cell indices including mean corpuscular volume, mean corpuscular hemoglobin than WT controls. This decrease was accompanied by significant (p<0.05) increase in total white blood cell and monocyte counts in the blood. However, there was no significant difference in mRNA levels of hepatic hepcidin and renal erythropoietin between the two animal groups. Taken together, these results indicates that $Relm{\alpha}$ deficiency exacerbates the anemia by increasing inflammation, suggesting therapeutic value of $Relm{\alpha}$ in the treatment of anemia of inflammation.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
• /
• v.52 no.2
• /
• pp.166-173
• /
• 2002

Transient peripheral eosinophilia occurs in several disorders, such as allergic diseases, cancer, and parasitic infections. However, in most cases, their presence is not accompanied by tissue destruction or organ dysfunction. In certain disease states, eosinophils can accumulate in any organ in the body and cause tissue destruction as a result of the eosinophil infiltration or the toxic effects of the degranulated proinflammatory products. Idiopathic hypereosinophilic syndrome is a rare disorder characterized by persistent eosinophilia of an unknown origin, usually associated with a dysfunction of organs such as the heart, lung, skin, and nervous system. Idiopathic hypereosinophilic syndrome usually has an indolent course over a period of several months. However, in some cases, they have grave symptoms if vital organs such as heart and lung are infiltrated. Here we report a case of idiopathic hypereosinophilic syndrome presenting acute pulmonary edema involving the heart, bone marrow, and lung with a review of the relevant literatures.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
• /
• v.45 no.2 s.142
• /
• pp.121-128
• /
• 2007

Arthrostoma miyazakiense (Nematoda: Ancylostomatidae) is a hookworm species reported from the small intestines of raccoon dogs (Nyctereutes procyonoides) in Japan. Five Korean raccoon dogs (N. procyonoides koreensis) caught from 2002 to 2005 in Jeollanam-do (Province), a southeastern area of South Korea, contained helminth eggs belonging to 4 genera (roundworm, hookworm, whipworm, and Capillaria spp.) and cysts of Giardia sp. in their feces. Necropsy findings of 1 raccoon dog revealed a large number of adult hookworms in the duodenum. These hookworms were identified as Arthrostoma miyazakiense based on the 10 articulated plates observed in the buccal capsule and the presence of right-sided prevulval papillae. Eggs of A. miyazakiense were $60-65{\times}35-40{\mu}m$ (av, $62.5{\times}35{\mu}m$), and were morphologically indistinguishable from those of Ancyiostoma caninum. The eggs were cultured to infective 2nd stage larvae via charcoal culture, and 100 infective larvae were used to experimentally infect each of 3 mixed-bred puppies. All puppies harbored hookworm eggs in their feces on the 12th day after infection. This is the first report thus far concerning A. miyazakiense infections in raccoon dogs in Korea, and the first such report outside of Japan.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
• /
• v.58 no.2
• /
• pp.173-179
• /
• 2020

Leishmaniasis is a prevalent cause of death and animal morbidity in underdeveloped countries of endemic area. However, there is few vaccine and effective drugs. Antimicrobial peptides are involved in the innate immune response in many organisms and are being developed as novel drugs against parasitic infections. In the present study, we synthesized a 5-amino acid peptide REDLK, which mutated the C-terminus of Pseudomonas exotoxin, to identify its effect on the Leishmania tarentolae. Promastigotes were incubated with different concentration of REDLK peptide, and the viability of parasite was assessed using MTT and Trypan blue dye. Morphologic damage of Leishmania was analyzed by light and electron microscopy. Cellular apoptosis was observed using the annexin V-FITC/PI apoptosis detection kit, mitochondrial membrane potential assay kit and flow cytometry. Our results showed that Leishmania tarentolae was susceptible to REDLK in a dose-dependent manner, disrupt the surface membrane integrity and caused parasite apoptosis. In our study, we demonstrated the leishmanicidal activity of an antimicrobial peptide REDLK from Pseudomonas aeruginosa against Leishmania tarentolae in vitro and present a foundation for further research of anti-leishmanial drugs.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
• /
• v.58 no.4
• /
• pp.475-479
• /
• 2020

Tegumental and excretory-secretory proteins are reported as diagnostic antigens for human opisthorchiasis. Rhophilin associated tail protein1-like (OvROPN1L) protein of Opisthorchis viverrini sperm tail showed potential as a diagnostic antigen. The OvROPN1L recombinant fragments were assayed for diagnostic antigenicity for human opisthorchiasis using indirect ELISA. The strongest antigenic region was a N-terminus peptide of M1 - P56. One synthetic peptide (P1, L3-Q13) of this region showed the highest antigenicity to opisthorchiasis. Sera from other parasitic infections including Strongyloides stercoralis, hookworm, Taenia spp, minute intestinal flukes, Paragonimus spp showed lower reactivity to P1. Peptide P1 is located in the disordered N-terminus of ROPN1L supporting its suitability as linear epitope. In the Platyhelminthes the N-terminal sequence of ROPN1L is diverging with taxonomic distance further suggesting that peptide P1 has potential as diagnostic tool in the genus Opisthorchis/Clonorchis. It should be further evaluated in combination with peptides derived from other O. viverrini antigens to increase its diagnostic power.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
• /
• v.57 no.4
• /
• pp.417-422
• /
• 2019

From October 2015 to August 2018, tapeworm proglottids were obtained from 10 patients who were residents of Daegu and Gyeongbuk provinces and had a history of raw beef consumption. Most of them had no overseas travel experience. The gravid proglottids obtained from the 10 cases had 15-20 lateral uterine branches. A part of internal transcribed spacer 1 (ITS1) DNA of the 10 cases, amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and digested with AleI restriction enzyme, produced the same band pattern of Taenia saginata, which differentiated from T. asiatica and T. solium. Sequences of ITS1 and cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (cox1) showed higher homology to T. saginata than to T. asiatica and T. solium. Collectively, these 10 cases were identified as T. saginata human infections. As taeniasis is one of the important parasitic diseases in humans, it is necessary to maintain hygienic conditions during livestock farming to avoid public health concerns.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
• /
• v.59 no.3
• /
• pp.227-233
• /
• 2021

Eosinophilic meningitis is defined as the presence of more than 10 eosinophils per µl in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), or eosinophils accounting for more than 10% of CSF leukocytes in patients with acute meningitis. Parasites are the most common cause of eosinophilic meningitis worldwide, but there is limited research on patients in Korea. Patients diagnosed with eosinophilic meningitis between January 2004 and June 2018 at a tertiary hospital in Seoul, Korea were retrospectively reviewed. The etiology and clinical characteristics of each patient were identified. Of the 22 patients included in the study, 11 (50%) had parasitic causes, of whom 8 (36%) were diagnosed as neurocysticercosis and 3 (14%) as Toxocara meningitis. Four (18%) patients were diagnosed with fungal meningitis, and underlying immunodeficiency was found in 2 of these patients. The etiology of another 4 (18%) patients was suspected to be tuberculosis, which is endemic in Korea. Viral and bacterial meningitis were relatively rare causes of eosinophilic meningitis, accounting for 2 (9%) and 1 (5%) patients, respectively. One patient with neurocysticercosis and 1 patient with fungal meningitis died, and 5 (23%) had neurologic sequelae. Parasite infections, especially neurocysticercosis and toxocariasis, were the most common cause of eosinophilic meningitis in Korean patients. Fungal meningitis, while relatively rare, is often aggressive and must be considered when searching for the cause of eosinophilic meningitis.

• Journal of agricultural medicine and community health
• /
• v.1 no.1
• /
• pp.10-21
• /
• 1976

The traditional application of night soil to vegetable gardens and rice paddies results in a most wide spread condition of parasitism, with a variety of helminths found in Korea. In addition to the above fact, the peculiar habit of the consumption of raw vegetables, fish, crustaceans and mammals provides a means of infestations of helminths. During the last sixty years numerous reports were found on the prevalence of helminths amongst the Korean population in different parts of the country, and it was generally recognized that ascariasis, hookworm disease, filariasis, clonorchiasis and paragonimiasis constitute the important helminthic disease in Korea. In practical measures of parasite control activities the main measures are summarized as mass-treatment, night-soil disposal and transmission control. Among the three, the mass-treatment has been commonly applied, however, no reduction of transmission has been obtained by treatment of a population. Therefore, the ultimate eradication of parasites will depend upon the application of comprehensive environmental sanitation measures. The basic environmental measures will be concerned with (a) the safe disposal of human excreta, (b) the provision of adequate and safe water supplies in such a way as to promote a higher standard of personal hygiene in the population, and (c) the prevention of food contamination by faecal material. Additional environmental measures will deal with the improvement of housing and housing hygiene and with general community development. Community development means social and cultural as well as economic development. The control measures on the parasitic endemic diseases, such as clonorchiasis and paragonimiasis are the good examples for community health development in Korea. The control of Clonorchis and Paragonimus infections are theoretically very simple, as the infection can only invade the human body by way of encysted metacercaria which are taken into the body when eating passive intermediate hosts(fishes, crabs and crayfishes). Although prophylactic measures in the case of the infections deal with above merely consist the fishes in cooking or submerging in hot water before eating them, it is exceedingly difficult to carry out such simple measures in face of century old traditions, to which the relatively primitive population clings with great tenacity. There is no one universally applicable method of control. The choice of methods must be dictated by the nature of the environment. the habit and custom of the people. the pattern of transmission and the resources of the country. There must exist a well organized public health infrastructure. Since a control programme is of necessity on a longterm basis and continuity in its implementation is essential. An investigation should be made on the prevalence of the diseases and its relationships to irrigation engineering, freshwater ecology, agricultural methods, hydro-electric schemes, and the development of communities in affected areas. In conclusion, however. the control of clonorchiasis and paragonimiasis in Korea is not an impossible task. A combination of efforts with major emphasis on health education and mass chemotherapy coupled with governmental aid in enforcing legislative public health measures could reduce the diseases. Health education in particular attempts following four things: (a) It supplies a person with enough general knowledge about a disease to make the preventive measures. (b) It makes a person feel sufficiently about the importance of his own health to make him alter his behavior and adopt these preventive measure. (c) It makes him concerned for the health others. (d) It tries to make him feel so strongly about the first three that be supports and even initiates preventive action by the community. Educational efforts should be directed primarily toward school children because it is during the early years that most persons become infected, and also because children are less entrenched in their food habits so that, the educational process should be involved at various levels in successive changes of knowledge, attitude, beha viour, habit and custom of their lives. The most parasitic endemic diseases are related to community diseases. In caring for a sick community. the first stage is to gather epidemiological data, the next is to make inferences from it-to make the community diagnosis. The third is to prescribe community treatment or community health action part of a community health action programme. The community health action is the sum of the steps decided upon to remedy the critical features revealed by the community diagnosis. Action takes various forms; health education is the most important.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
• /
• v.20 no.2
• /
• pp.179-197
• /
• 1980

A survey was made from March 1978 through Feb. 1979 to know infection rate of parasites and incidence of diseases in 1968 cattle of 240 rearing and fattening cattle herds (1746 Korean native cattle, 186 Holstein, 34 Charolais and 2 Hereford) raising in 28 cities and counties of Gyeongbug district. The results obtained are summarized as follows: 1. The rate of nematoda infection was about 49.0% in the examined cattle. These nematodes were identified as Mecistocirrus sp., Oesophagostomum sp., Bunostomum sp., Trichostrongylus spp., Strongyloides sp. and other 3 species. Infection rate of nematoda in fattening and breeding cattle was higher than that in rearing calves, 44.3% of the positive cattle were infected with 2 to 5 species, and incidence of mixed infection was high in fattening cattle. 2. The rate of coccidal infection was 10.9%. Eimeria $z{\ddot{u}}rni$, Eimeria bovis and Eimeria bukidnonensis were mainly found in the examined cattle. The infection rates of cocidia in Holstein, breeding Korean cows, rearing Korean calves and fattening Korean cattle were 27.3%, 15.8%, 11.2% and 9.1%, respectively. 3. The rate of trematoda was 14.6% with Fasciola spp. (11.2%), Eurytrema spp. (2.0%), and Paramphistomum spp. infections (1.4%). Breeding Korean cows, fattening Korean cattle, Holstein and rearing Korean calves indicated 47.4%, 26.4%, 18.2% and 6.3% incidence of trematoda infections, respectively. of trematoda positive cattle, 76.6% were infected with Fasciola spp., 4. The rate of Theileria and Babesia infection was 62.7% in the examined cattle. Of these positive cattle 5.4% were infected with both parasites, 57.3% with Theileria, and 1.3% of rearing Korean calves and 22.6% of Holstein were found to have parasitized erythrocytes over 1.0%. 5. The incidence of diseases in 1968 cattle of 240 herds was 564 cattle (28.7%) of 154 herds (64.2%). of the diseases observed of skin occurred in 354 cattle (18.0%) of 61 herds (25.4%), diseases of respiratory system in 121 cattle (6.1%) of 34 herds (14.2%), diseases of digestive system in 38 cattle (1.9%) of 22 herds (9.2%), diseases of eye in 21 cattle (1.1%) of 13 herds (5.4%), diseases of urogenital system in 8 cattle (0.4%) of 8 herds (3.3%) and the other diseases in 24 cattle (1.2%) of 22 herds (9.2%). 6. Diseases of skin in 1968 cattle of 240 herds werds were observed in the highest incidence. Ringworm was observed in 13.3% of the examined herds, rearing Korean calves and Holstein showed high incidence. Scabies caused by Chorioptes bovis and alopecia localis along with infestation of lice (Damalinia bovis, Linognathus vituli) were observed in fattening Korean cattlein winter. 7. Diseases of respiratory system occurred frequently in rearing Korean cattle and Holstein. In the diseases of digestive system acute indigestion occurred in fattening Korean cittle, enteritis in rearing Korean calves and Holstein, and coccidiosis in rearing Korean calves maninly. 8. Infectious keratoconjunctivitis occurred in a fattening Korean cattle herd, sterility (2.0%) in breeding Korean cows, and theileriosis in Holstein calves were also occurred. In addition, poisoning and heat stroke were observed in several cattle.

• ALGAE
• /
• v.22 no.4
• /
• pp.287-295
• /
• 2007

Infection of free-living dinoflagellates by endoparasitic dinoflagellates of the genus Amoebophrya are thought to have significant impacts on host population dynamics and have long been proposed to be a potential biological agent for controlling harmful algal bloom (HAB). To understand the impact of Amoebophrya on particular host species, however, it is necessary to quantify aspects the parasites life cycle. Here we used cultures of Amoebophryahost systems from Jinhae Bay, Korea to determine, parasite generation time, and dinospore survival and infectivity. The proportion of host cells infected by Amoebophrya sp. changed sharply from 5% to 87% with increasing dinospore:host inoculation ratios. In the absence of H. triquetra, most free-living dinospores died within 72 hours and their ability to infect host cells decreased remarkably in a day. The relatively short free-living phase of Amoebophrya suggests that the spread of infections is most likely to occur during seasons of high host abundance, as that is when dinospores have the greatest chance of encountering host cells. Infection of host cells inoculated with dinospores during the day was higher than when inoculated during the night, suggesting that infection rates might be related to environmental light conditions and/or diurnal biological rhythm of host species. Total generation times of parasite strains from a thecate dinoflagellate Heterocapsa triquetra were nearly the same regardless of dinospore:host inoculation ratios, representing 54 ± 0.5 h in a 1:1 ratio and 55 ± 1.2 h in a 20:1 ratio. Dinospore production of Amoebophrya sp. infecting Heterocapsa triquetra was estimated to be 125 dinospores per a strain of Amoebophrya sp. There is a growing need to maintain a variety of host-parasite systems in culture and to examine their autecology under various environmental conditions. Such studies would be very helpful in understanding ecological role of these parasites, their overlooked importance in the flow of material and energy in marine ecosystem, and their practical use as biological control agents applied directly to areas affected by HAB.