• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
• /
• v.18 no.6
• /
• pp.429-434
• /
• 2009

Environmental specimen bank (ESB) is a new tool to assess ecosystem in environmental impact assessment (EIA). ESB looks at changes in the concentration of pollutants in human and environmental specimens over long periods of time through retrospective analysis of archived samples. Korea started to design its National Environmental Specimen Bank (NESB) in 2007 and planned to launch an operational pilot project by 2010. NESB prepares five Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) of shoots of Red and Korean pine, leaves of Mongolian oak, Pigeon's egg, and Common carp's muscle out of 14 planned specimens in 2009. ESB contributes to monitoring the effectiveness of EIA projects and policies by providing a time capsule through ecosystem assessment of representative species. This study reviews ecosystem assessment in EIA and the ESB establishment in Korea and probes NESB applications in ecosystem assessment.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
• /
• v.45 no.2
• /
• pp.169-180
• /
• 2012

The ESBs (Environmental Specimen Banks) have monitoring functions for the contemporary environmental qualities and also offer the future generation tangible information on the past environment by preserving the specimens. This entails the sampling of the representative specimen for each distinctive ecosystem, which is performed under a strict and stipulated procedure and a condition that does not allow any change in the component so that a retrospective analysis can be readily done even in the distant future. It has been more than 30 years that some developing countries started collecting a broad spectrum of specimens to vindicate the effectiveness of an environmental policy and to monitor the long-term variations of background concentrations of environmental pollutants. Though being late, the National Institute of Environmental Research (NIER), Korea, has successfully launched the National Environmental Specimen Bank (NESB) in 2009 equipped with its state-of-the-art automated cryogenic tanks. Since then, the researchers at the NESB have been doing their best to excel the existing ESBs around the world by learning and improving the expertise. To do so, they conducted a pilot study for developing and testing their own Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) based on the analysis of the examples of the other ESBs. The problems from the pilot study had been reviewed to improve the SOP to meet the requirements for an ESB, that is to say, preserving representative environmental specimens in cryogenic condition and enhancing the analytical method. Furthermore, they also need to prepare themselves to address the future challenges by providing some additional functions, which makes it distinguishable from the other ESBs. If successful, this will be a step further to be recognized as a full-fledged member of the ESB society of the world.

• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
• /
• v.17 no.4
• /
• pp.225-233
• /
• 2008

An Environmental Specimen Bank (ESB) is an archive for samples that can be used to document and assess the quality of the environment in which we live. An ESB program looks at changes in the concentration of human and environmental specimens over long periods of time through retrospective analysis of archived samples of a particular area collected at regular intervals. The idea of ESB was first proposed by German and American scientists in the early 1970s and has been established since 1979 in Germany, USA, and Japan. Korea plans to establish a National Environmental Specimen Bank (NESB) in 2010. The NESB will be able to assess and improve the quality of analytical measurements as well as to compare the past and current environmental quality as a time capsule. The concept and design for the NESB facility was developed and its Standard Operation Procedures (SOPs) are being developed based on an evaluation of ESBs and SOPs of Germany, USA, and Japan. Environmental specimens proposed for banking are based on typical representatives of every level of the food chain from each type of ecosystem that are widely distributed thus enabling comparisons between different sampling areas. Through retrospective analysis of environmental specimens, the NESB will improve the reliability of environmental monitoring, ecological risk assessment, and health impact assessment.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
• /
• v.53 no.4
• /
• pp.239-243
• /
• 2013

Tigers are one of the most endangered species over the world and protected internationally or locally. However, they are still traded illegally for the Traditional East Asia Medicine or souvenirs / mementos as well as fake products. In the present study, to identify the species of the specimen known as the tiger's genitalia that was sold for mementos in China, two approaches of genetic tools and morphological comparisons were applied. On the basis of the entire sequences of mitochondrial cytochrome b gene (1,140 bp), the result of nucleotide comparisons showed that the specimen examined here is matched with banteng, Bos javanicus (Identities = 1,138/1,140; 99%). In addition, the examination of external morphological characters revealed that the genitalia of the specimen is much more similar to the one of cows, not to tigers. The outcomes highlighted that there are still some fake products of tigers traded in market and molecular genetic tools could help identifying species of wildlife products.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
• /
• v.54 no.4
• /
• pp.503-507
• /
• 2016

The genus Spirometra belongs to the family Diphyllobothriidae and order Pseudophyllidea, and includes intestinal parasites of cats and dogs. In this study, a plerocercoid labeled as Spirometra mansonoides from the USA was examined for species identification and phylogenetic analysis using 2 complete mitochondrial genes, cytochrome c oxidase I (cox1) and NADH dehydrogenase subunit 3 (nad3). The cox1 sequences (1,566 bp) of the plerocercoid specimen (USA) showed 99.2% similarity to the reference sequences of the plerocercoid of Korean Spirometra decipiens (GenBank no. KJ599679), and 99.1% similarity in regard to nad3 (346 bp). Phylogenetic tree topologies generated using 4 analytical methods were identical and showed high confidence levels with bootstrap values of 1.00, 100%, 100%, and 100% for Bayesian inference (BI), maximum-likelihood (ML), neighbor-joining (NJ), and maximum parsimony (MP) methods, respectively. Representatives of Diphyllobothrium and Spirometra species formed a monophyletic group, and the sister-genera status between these species was well supported. Trapezoic proglottids in the posterior 1/5 region of an adult worm obtained from an experimentally infected cat were morphologically examined. The outer uterine loop of the uterus coiling characteristically consisted of 2 complete turns. The results clearly indicated that the examined Spirometra specimen from the USA matched to S. decipiens very well, and indicated possible presence of the life cycle of this species in this region.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
• /
• v.58 no.6
• /
• pp.653-660
• /
• 2020

Spirometra tapeworms (Cestoda: Diphyllobothriidae) collected from carnivorous mammals in Tanzania were identified by the DNA sequence analysis of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (cox1) and internal transcribed spacer 1 (ITS1), and by morphological characteristics. A total of 15 adult worms were collected from stool samples and carcasses of Panthera leo, Panthera pardus, and Crocuta crocuta in the Serengeti and Selous ecosystems of Tanzania. Three Spirometra species: S. theileri, S. ranarum and S. erinaceieuropaei were identified based on morphological features. Partial cox1 sequences (400 bp) of 10 specimens were revealed. Eight specimens showed 99.5% similarity with Spirometra theileri (MK955901), 1 specimen showed 99.5% similarity with the Korean S. erinaceieuropaei and 1 specimen had 99.5% similarity with Myanmar S. ranarum. Sequence homology estimates for the ITS1 region of S. theileri were 89.8% with S. erinaceieuropaei, 82.5% with S. decipiens, and 78.3% with S. ranarum; and 94.4% homology was observed between S. decipiens and S. ranarum. Phylogenetic analyses were performed with 4 species of Spirometra and 2 species of Dibothriocephalus (=Diphyllobothrium). By both ML and BI methods, cox1 and ITS1 gave well supported, congruent trees topology of S. erinaceieuropaei and S. theileri with S. decipiens and S. ranarum forming a clade. The Dibothriocephalus species were sisters of each other and collectively forming successive outgroups. Our findings confirmed that 3 Spirometra species (S. theileri, S. ranarum, and S. erinaceieuropaei) are distributed in the Serengeti and Selous ecosystems of Tanzania.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
• /
• v.36 no.3
• /
• pp.209-212
• /
• 2003

Because of advances of technologies in the field of genmic epidemiology in the recent years, specimen collection, storage and analysis became an essential part of research methodologies. DNA is now being used in epidemiologic studies to evaluate genetic risk factors and specimens other than the fresh whole blood can De used for PCR. Therefore, All nucleated cells, such as buccal swabs and urine specimens, are suitable for DNA analysis. For an unlimited source of genomic DNA, EBV transformation of lymphocytes can be used for immortalization. However, the type of specimen collected in genomic epidemiologic studies will depend on the study where the epidemiologist play a leading role for the design. We also briefly described various finds of analysis for SNP that is an essential part of the genomic epidemiology.

• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
• /
• v.22 no.6
• /
• pp.745-751
• /
• 2013

Environmental Specimen Banks (ESBs) have been established widely in the world since 1979 for monitoring long-term bio-accumulation of environmental pollutants. The ESBs perform the retrospective analysis of representative biological samples collected regularly and store them in cryogenic condition. In Korea, National Environmental Specimen Bank (NESB) was established in 2009. Since then, NESB had prepared the standard operating procedures (SOPs) for the seven kinds of specimens (Red Pine (Pinus densiflora), Common Carp (Cyprinus carpio), and etc.) for monitoring the effect of environmental pollution on the terrestrial ecosystem and river ecosystem. In 2012, NESB added Black-tailed Gull (Larus crassirostris)'s eggs to the list of the environmental specimen for monitoring marine environmental pollution. In this study, we sampled the eggs of the Black-tailed Gull on two islands (Baekryeongdo of the West Sea and Hongdo of the South Sea). Especially, we selected eggs which remained in the early stages of embryo development for certifying the consistent and stable monitoring for environmental pollutants in egg contents. However, it was not considered to classify an order of eggs per clutch in this study. It is known that the concentration variations of pollutants exist among eggs in one clutch. Therefore, it is needed to consider the positions of eggs in the laying sequences to meet the objective of bioaccumulation monitoring. We collected 30 eggs in each site but the amount may be insufficient to achieve storage target (over 2,000 g). Therefore, we need to consider an optimal sampling size.

• Animal Systematics, Evolution and Diversity
• /
• v.25 no.3
• /
• pp.269-273
• /
• 2009

On 28 April 2008, a male Himalayan Swiftlet (Aerodramus brevirostris) was captured and examined at a night roost of swallows on Hongdo Island, Jeollanam-do, Korea. This is the first record of this species from Korea confirmed by specimen examination. We describe morphological features and some phylogenetic notes of the Himalayan Swiftlet found.

• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
• /
• v.21 no.2
• /
• pp.327-338
• /
• 2012

Environmental specimen banks provide the baselines for the scientists and decision makers to do research using the past and present specimens to expect the possible contaminant implications of the future. Many chemicals that are considered harmless now but not found may be found and pose threats in the future. Collected specimens of animals and plants should be conserved without contamination for future analysis. To ensure the availability of samples for the retrospective analysis, the establishment and maintenance of specimen banks in the developing and developed nations has become absolutely necessary. National Environmental Specimen Bank (NESB) established at National Institute of Environmental Research (NIER) in 2009. For the application of NESB, several activities such as standard operating procedures (SOPs) development have been prepared. This study applied the guidelines for sampling and sample treatment of five environmental specimens which had been prepared from 2007 to 2009. The target species were shoots of red pine and Korean pine, leaves of Mongolian oak, eggs of domestic pigeon and muscles and livers of common carp. The NESB will enhance the quality of environmental assessment and environmental monitoring based on real time and retrospective analysis.