• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.289-294
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• 2015

The aim of this study was to develop rapid screening method for the identification of Chinese herbal medicine species with similar appearance, Polygonum multiflorum, Cynanchum wilfordii and C. auriculatum, by using genetic markers. As a genetic marker, psbA-trnH gene in chloroplast was selected due to differences in sequence among the three species. Species-specific primers were designed based on the sequences of the marker gene of P. multiflorum, C. wilfordii, and C. auriculatum, and the expected size of PCR products was 160, 147, and 119 bp, respectively. Under the developed conditions, cross-reaction was not detected among these three plant species. To confirm the efficiency of our species-specific primers, the optimized method was applied to a variety of processed products composed of mostly P. multiflorum and C. wilfordii, demonstrating that our method was a rapid and easy screening assay. Our findings suggest this screening method can be utilized to prevent the distribution of economically motivated adulteration food and to improve consumer's right.

• Korean Journal of Plant Resources
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.201-206
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• 2019

Alien invasive species are introduced with or without intent and spreading all over Korea. They are known to have negative effects on biodiversity such as economic and environmental damage and causing decrease or loss of native species. The habitats like wetland, reservoir and riverside are especially in danger of being invaded by alien species due to stress and disturbance. Therefore, Korea National Arboretum is steadily working on research and studies on managing alien invasive species. This research aims to collect basic information of Ludwigia peploides subsp. montevidensis (Spreng.) P.H. Raven which was found near riverside in Suwon-si and is concerned to become an invasive alien species. We expect the description, diagram and pictures of this taxon will be helpful for early detection and effective management.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.54 no.3
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• pp.307-313
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• 2016

Serosurveillance for zoonotic diseases in small mammals and detection of chiggers, the vector of Orientia tsutsugamushi, were conducted from September 2014 to August 2015 in Gwangju Metropolitan Area. Apodemus agrarius was the most commonly collected small mammals (158; 91.8%), followed by Myodes regulus (8; 4.6%), and Crocidura lasiura (6; 3.5%). The highest seroprevalence of small mammals for O. tsutsugamushi (41; 26.3%) was followed by hantaviruses (24; 15.4%), Rickettsia spp. (22; 14.1%), and Leptospira (2; 1.3%). A total of 3,194 chiggers were collected from small mammals, and 1,236 of 3,194 chiggers were identified with 7 species of 3 genera: Leptotrombidium scutellare was the most commonly collected species (585; 47.3%), followed by L. orientale (422; 34.1%), Euchoengastia koreaensis (99; 8.0%), L. palpale (58; 4.7%), L. pallidum (36; 2.9%), Neotrombicula gardellai (28; 2.3%), and L. zetum (8; 0.6%). L. scutellare was the predominant species. Three of 1,236 chigger mites were positive for O. tsutsugamushi by PCR. As a result of phylogenetic analysis, the O. tsutsugamushi strain of chigger mites had sequence homology of 90.1-98.2% with Boryong. This study provides baseline data on the distribution of zoonotic diseases and potential vectors for the development of prevention strategies of vector borne diseases in Gwangju metropolitan area.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.51 no.6
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• pp.689-694
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• 2013

Opisthorchis viverrini and Clonorchis sinensis are parasites known to be carcinogenic and causative agents of cholangiocarcinoma in Asia. The standard method for diagnosis for those parasite infections is stool examination to detect parasite eggs. However, the method has low sensitivity, and eggs of O. viverrini and C. sinensis are difficult to distinguish from each other and from those of some other trematodes. Here, we report a multiplex real-time PCR coupled with high resolution melting (HRM) analysis for the differentiation of O. viverrini and C. sinensis eggs in fecal samples. Using 2 pairs of species-specific primers, DNA sequences from a portion of the mitochondrial NADH dehydrogenase subunit 2 (nad 2) gene, were amplified to generate 209 and 165 bp products for O. viverrini and C. sinensis, respectively. The distinct characteristics of HRM patterns were analyzed, and the melting temperatures peaked at $82.4{\pm}0.09^{\circ}C$ and $85.9{\pm}0.08^{\circ}C$ for O. viverrini and C. sinensis, respectively. This technique was able to detect as few as 1 egg of O. viverrini and 2 eggs of C. sinensis in a 150 mg fecal sample, which is equivalent to 7 and 14 eggs per gram of feces, respectively. The method is species-specific, rapid, simple, and does not require fluorescent probes or post-PCR processing for discrimination of eggs of the 2 species. It offers a new tool for differentiation and detection of Asian liver fluke infections in stool specimens.

• The Korean Journal of Mycology
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• v.27 no.2 s.89
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• pp.132-137
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• 1999

This study was carried out to develop the molecular marker for the detection of Pseudomonas tolaasii, a causative agent of bacterial brown blotch disease of oyster mushroom (Pleurotus ostreatus). When several primers designed from repetitive sequences and pectin lyase genes of bacteria were used to produce DNA polymorphism from different Pseudomonas spp. isolated from edible mushrooms, PEU1 primer derived from pectin lyase gene produced polymorphic bands differentiating P. tolaasii strains from other Pseudomonas species. Two bands, 1.0kb and 0.4kb, found commonly in 6 isolates of P. tolaasii were cloned into pGEM-T vector which were designated as pPTOP1 and pPTOP2, respectively, to use as probe. The 0.4 kb insert of pPTOP2 hybridized to only 6 isolates of P. tolaasii, but did not to the other Pseudomonas species. As few as $1.5{\times}10^3$ colony forming unit (cfu) of P. tolaasii could be detected by dot blot hybridization with the cloned 0.4kb DNA in pPTOP2.

• Journal of Veterinary Clinics
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.329-333
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• 2001

Evaluation on the diagnostic performances of urease test and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for detection of Helicobacter species infection in dogs has rarely been performed in research with site-specific situations, although assessing diagnostic tests is an essential part prior to its practical use in a variety of clinical settings. The clinical value of a diagnostic test may be misjudged and comparisons between different tests may yield misleading conclusions when high within-patient correlations are present. We applied a conceptually simple statistical approach to estimate the sensitivity and specificity of urease test and PCR for detection of Helicobacter species infection in dogs. This approach assumes that responses from three different sampling sites within an animal are correlated where unit for statistical analysis is the site rather than the animal. The sensitivity and specificity of urease test was 0.74% (95% confidence interval, 0.64-0.84) and 0.87 (95% CI, 0.67-1.00), respectively. For PCR, the sensitivity was 0.95(95% CI, 0.89-1.00) and specificity 0.90 (95% CI, 0.70-1.00). Two tests were almost equally specific. Urease test, however, has a lower diagnostic accuracy and thus should only be used after careful validation in terms of sensitivity.

• The Korea Journal of Herbology
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.109-116
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• 2008

Objectives : This study was performed to investigate the discriminative criteria of 6 kinds of Achyranthis Radix by HPLC/DAD. Methods : 20-hydroxyecdysone is isolated by silica gel column chromatography ($CHCl_3$:MeOH, 7:1-1:1 v/v) and identified by nuclear magnetic resonance, A high-performance liquid chromatographic method with diode array detection was used to identify 20-hydroxyecdysone in A. japonica. The analysis was performed using $C_{18}$ column with isocratic elution consisted of 18% acetonitrile and 82% water and the detection was carried out by DAD at 254 nm. 6 kinds of Achyranthis Radix from different locations were extracted in MeOH. Each extracts was analyzed by HPLC in same condition as used in analysis of 20-hydroxyecdysone. The identities of each extracts were determined by comparing the retention time and UV spectrum with that of reference compound. Results : 1. A. japonica and A. bidentata showed the similar patterns of HPLC chromatogram and 20-hydroxycedysone was present in both of them because the peaks having the same retention time and UV spectrum as 20-hydroxyecdysone were shown in the HPLC chromatograms of A. japonica and A. bidentata 2. Cyathula officinalis and C. capitata showed the similar patterns of HPLC chromatogram. The peak having the same retention time and UV spectrum as 20-hydroxyecdysone was shown in the HPLC chromatogram of C. capitata but not shown in the HPLC chromatogram of C. officinalis. 3. Two species of medicinal drugs from Sacheon province showed similar patterns of HPLC chromatogram. Achyranthis Radix from Sacheon(wild) did not have 20-hydroxycedysone but Achyranthis Radix from Sacheon(cultivated) showed the peak having the same retention time as 20-hydroxyecdysone but UV spectrum of the peak was different from that of 20-hydroxyecdysone. Conclusions : These results suggested that 20-hydroxyecdysone could be the discriminative criteria for Achyranthis Radix contain 20-hydroxyecdysone though they belong to different genus and species. And the patterns of HPLC chromatogram also could be the discriminative criteria as the different species of Achyranthis Radix belonging to the same genus showed similar patterns of HPLC chromatogram.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.91-95
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• 2004

For the detection of the oil-degrading bacterium, Nocardia sp. Hl7-1, inoculated during the bioremediation of oil-contaminated soil, a species-specific primer was constructed based on the 16S rDNA sequence of this strain. Two forward primers and two reverse primers were designed and tested against both closely and distantly related bacterial strains. All the primers designed were specific to the Nocardia sp. H17-1. Particularly, primer sets NH169F-NH972R and NH575F-NH972R could be used to detect 50 fg of template DNA and TEX>$1.2${\times}$10^4$ CFU/g of sandy soil. These two PCR primer sets successfully detected the H 17-1 strain in the oil-con-laminated soil samples containing heterogeneous DNA. We also conformed the primer specificity by restriction-enzyme cleavage of the PCR products and denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.55 no.5
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• pp.523-532
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• 2017

A field survey studying intestinal parasites in humans and microbial pathogen contamination at environment was performed in a Laotian rural village to identify potential risks for disease outbreaks. A parasitological investigation was conducted in Ban Lak Sip village, Luang Prabang, Lao PDR involving fecal samples from 305 inhabitants as well as water samples taken from 3 sites of the local stream. Water analysis indicated the presence of several enteric pathogens, i.e., Aeromonas spp., Vibrio spp., E. coli H7, E. coli O157: H7, verocytotoxin-producing E. coli (VTEC), Shigella spp., and enteric adenovirus. The level of microbial pathogens contamination was associated with human activity, with greater levels of contamination found at the downstream site compared to the site at the village and upstream, respectively. Regarding intestinal parasites, the prevalence of helminth and protozoan infections were 68.9% and 27.2%, respectively. Eight helminth taxa were identified in fecal samples, i.e., 2 tapeworm species (Taenia sp. and Hymenolepis diminuta), 1 trematode (Opisthorchis sp.), and 5 nematodes (Ascaris lumbricoides, Trichuris trichiura, Strongyloides stercoralis, trichostrongylids, and hookworms). Six species of intestinal protists were identified, i.e., Blastocystis hominis, Cyclospora spp., Endolimax nana, Entamoeba histolytica/E. dispar, Entamoeba coli, and Giardia lamblia. Questionnaires and interviews were also conducted to determine risk factors of infection. These analyses together with a prevailing infection level suggested that most of villagers were exposed to parasites in a similar degree due to limited socio-economic differences and sharing of similar practices. Limited access to effective public health facilities is also a significant contributing factor.

• Journal of fish pathology
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.259-270
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• 2008

Disease surveillance was performed to monitor the prevalence of fish pathogens in wild marine fish caught in coastal offshore water in Korea. A total of 333 of fish samples were collected at set net or fish market at landing port in Pohang (East Sea), Taean (Western Sea), Goseong and Tongyeong (Southern Sea) and 21 species of pathogens causing clinical infections to farmed fish were investigated. The detection rates of fish pathogens from Mugili formes, Tetraodontiformes, Pleuroneciformes, Sorpaeniformes, erciformes and Clupeiformes were 90.9, 61.1, 47.6, 43.6, 37.2 and 11.8%, respectively. Comparing with prevalence of diseases seasonally, both the detection rates of bacteria and parasite were higher than those of virus in April but the detection rates of parasites were distinctively higher than those of bacteria in August with high water temperature. Virus were detected in fish samples caught in the Western and Southern Sea in April. The detected parasites were Trichodina, Ichthyophthirius, Dactylogyrus, Microcotyle, Bivagina, Caligus, Alella and Myxobolus. Among the bacterial pathogens, Vibrio, Streptococcus, Photobacterium, Psuedomonas were predominant. Viral nervous necrosis virus (VNNV) and flounder lymphocystis disease virus (FLDV) were detected from the 6 species of fish virus examined in this study.