• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
• /
• v.51 no.6
• /
• pp.613-619
• /
• 2013

Angiostrongyliasis, caused by Angiostrongylus cantonensis infection, is a food-borne parasitic disease. Its larvae evoke eosinophilic inflammation in the central nervous system, but can also cause pathological changes in the eyes. Among ocular angiostrongyliasis cases, the incidence of optic neuritis is low and only few sporadic reports exist. Some patients with optic neuritis developed obvious hypopsia or even vision loss, which would seriously influence the quality of life of patients. Prompt treatment of optic neuritis caused by A. cantonensis is the key factor for minimizing the incidence of serious complications of this disease. In this review, we first provide a comprehensive overview of ocular angiostrongyliasis, and then focus on the clinical features of optic neuritis caused by A. cantonensis.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
• /
• v.48 no.4
• /
• pp.297-301
• /
• 2010

Recently, emerging waterbome protozoa, such as microsporidia, Cyclospora, and Cryptosporidium, have become a challenge to human health worldwide. Rapid, simple, and economical detection methods for these major waterborne protozoa in environmental and clinical samples are necessary to control infection and improve public health. In the present study, we developed a multiplex PCR test that is able to detect all these 3 major waterborne protozoa at the same time. Detection limits of the multiplex PCR method ranged from $10^1$ to $10^2$ oocysts or spores. The primers for microsporidia or Cryptosporidium used in this study can detect both Enterocytozoon bieneusi and Encephalitozoon intestinalis, or both Cryptosporidium hominis and Cryptosporidium paNum, respectively. Restriction enzyme digestion of PCR products with BsaBI or BsiEI makes it possible to distinguish the 2 species of microsporidia or Cryptosporidium, respectively. This simple, rapid, and cost-effective multiplex PCR method will be useful for detecting outbreaks or sporadic cases of waterborne protozoa infections.

• Pediatric Infection and Vaccine
• /
• v.2 no.2
• /
• pp.200-206
• /
• 1995

Myocarditis refers to inflammation, necrosis, or myocytolysis that may be due to many infectious, connective tissue and many other causes affecting the myocardium or involvement of the endocardium or pericardium. The most common manifestation is congestive heart failure, although arrhythmias and sudden death may be the first sign of myocarditis. Viral myocarditis is typically a sporadic but occasionally epidemic illness, noted as an acute potentially fulminant disease of 1-to 4-wk-old infants, as an acute but more benign myopericarditis of toddlers and young children. The most common casuative agent in viral myocarditis is Coxsackievirus and the outcome of the biopsy-proven chronic dilated cardiomyopathy associated with Coxsackievirus is poor without therapy. Myocarditis may be confirmed by percutaneous endomyocardial biopsy and the viral myocarditis may be diagnosed by the serological viral study with the clinical manifestations. He was admitted for the management of tachyarrhythmias occurred suddenly without prodromal symptoms and signs and diagnosed as viral pancarditis by serological Coxsackievirus study, echocardiogram, chest x-ray, EKG and other clinical manifestations.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.29 no.6
• /
• pp.999-1007
• /
• 2019

Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) was first identified in Saudi Arabia in 2012 and related infection cases have been reported in over 20 countries. Roughly 10,000 human cases have so far been reported in total with fatality rates at up to 40%. The majority of cases have occurred in Saudi Arabia with mostly sporadic outbreaks outside the country except for the one in South Korea in 2015. The Korean MERS-CoV strain was isolated from the second Korean patient and its genome was fully sequenced and deposited. To develop virus-specific protective and therapeutic agents against the Korean isolate and to investigate molecular determinants of virus-host interactions, it is of paramount importance to generate its full-length cDNA. Here we report that two full-length cDNAs from a Korean patient-isolated MERS-CoV strain were generated by a combination of conventional cloning techniques and efficient Gibson assembly reactions. The full-length cDNAs were validated by restriction analysis and their sequence was verified by Sanger method. The resulting cDNA was efficiently transcribed in vitro and the T7 promoter-driven expression was robust. The resulting reverse genetic system will add to the published list of MERS-CoV cDNAs and facilitate the development of Korean isolate-specific antiviral measures.

• Journal of Veterinary Clinics
• /
• v.27 no.3
• /
• pp.209-215
• /
• 2010

Canine coronavirus (CCV) is a cause of sporadic outbreaks of enteritis in dogs. This study was performed to carry out epidemiological investigation on the recent outbreaks of CCV enteritis of dogs and determined the potential prognostic factors affecting the survival of dogs. The 131 (34.4%) out of 381 fecal samples collected from dogs with enteritis were positive for CCV by RT-PCR. The fecal samples contained genotype I (30.5%), genotype II (29.0%), and both genotypes (40.5%) of CCV. The majority of dogs with CCV infection ranged 6-18 weeks of age. Age over 18 weeks was significantly associated with higher survival rate (P < 0.05). Of the clinical signs examined, dogs without anorexia were significantly higher survival rate (P < 0.01). The 90.1% of dogs with CCV infection were co-infected by CCV and CPV-2. From the results of this study, it can be concluded that CCV infection is widespread in the Korean dog population and CCV may be attributed to be one of the important agents causing enteritis in pups.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
• /
• v.51 no.6
• /
• pp.747-749
• /
• 2013

The 2 principal species of hookworms infecting humans are Necator americanus and Ancylostoma duodenale. Case studies on zoonotic hookworm infections with Ancylostoma ceylanicum and/or Ancylostoma caninum are known mainly from Asian countries. Of these 2 zoonotic species, only A. ceylanicum can develop to adulthood in humans. In the present study, we report a molecular-based survey of human hookworm infections present in southern and northeastern Thailand. Thirty larval hookworm samples were obtained from fecal agar plate cultures of 10 patients in northeastren Thailand and 20 in southern Thailand. Partial ITS1, 5.8S, and ITS2 regions of the ribosomal DNA genes were amplified using PCR. The amplicons were sequenced, aligned, and compared with other hookworm sequences in GenBank database. The results showed that, in Thailand, N. americanus is more prevalent than Ancylostoma spp. and is found in both study areas. Sporadic cases of A. ceylanicum and A. duodenale infection were seen in northeastern Thailand.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.13 no.1
• /
• pp.155-158
• /
• 2003

In early 2002, over 200 people in the city of Pusan. Korea suffered from paratyphoid fever resulting from Salmonella Paratyphi A Infection. Antimicrobial susceptibility tests and Xbal pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFCE) were conducted to 54 Salmonella Paratyphi A isolated from humans during the period of 1998 to 2002. Most of the isolates ($83\%$) were only nalidixic acid-resistant and $78\%$ were X 1 PFGE patterns. Also, we measured the MIC of ciprofloxacin and screened gyrA mutation(5) using allele- specific PCR and restriction fragment length polymorphism (AS-PCR-RFLP). The representative 5 isolates in 2002 and 1 isolate in 2000 were $1{\mu}g/ml$ of MIC and had mutation at the 83rd codon in gyrA. These data suggest that the outbreak in the early 2002 might have been due to dissemination of the strain present In 2000. Also, decreased susceptibility to ciprofloxacin was partly due to the mutation at the 83rd codon in gyrA.

• Journal of Veterinary Clinics
• /
• v.27 no.4
• /
• pp.402-406
• /
• 2010

Bovine leukemia virus (BLV) is a delta-retrovirus which causes chronic lymphocytosis in cattle. BLV infections have been divided into two groups such as enzootic bovine leukosis (EBL) and sporadic bovine leukosis (SBL) according to the clinical symptoms in infected cattle. The conventional detection method of BLV was hematological procedure which is determining lymphocytosis in the suspected animals. Recently several sensitive methods were developed to detect antibody to BLV and nucleic acid of the BLV from infected cattle. In this study we have compared the difference of positive rates between agar gel immunodiffusion (AGID) and enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) which are using for BLV antibody detection methods. The positive detection rate of ELISA test was 7.4% greater than the positive rate of AGID. The discrepancy of the positive rate between ELISA and AGID were showed in the group of age over one year old to under three year old group. The result from each test agreed very well in the group of over 5 year old cattles. The serological test is very useful method to select the infected cattle for the eradication or control of the disease in the infected herd. But it has a limit by interference of the maternal antibody from the cow of under 6 month old. This study shows that 16.2% of these ages group showed BLV gene positive by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method. The result suggests that ELISA test need to be used with PCR to clarify misinterpretation of positive animals by antibody response due to the natural infection from maternally derived antibody in calves of under 6 months old.

• Journal of Veterinary Science
• /
• v.23 no.3
• /
• pp.33.1-33.10
• /
• 2022

Background: Endemic circulation of human-specific hepatitis E virus (HEV) genotypes 1 and 2 may occult the importance of sporadic zoonotic HEV transmissions in Africa. Increasing numbers of studies reporting anti-HEV antibodies in cattle and the discovery of infectious HEV in cow milk has raised public health concern, but cattle exposure has seldom been investigated in Africa. Objectives: This study aimed at investigating the role of cows in the epidemiology of HEV in Burkina Faso and farmers habits in terms of dairy product consumption as a prerequisite to estimate the risk of transmission to humans. Methods: Sera from 475 cattle and 192 pigs were screened for the presence of anti-HEV antibodies while HEV RNA in swine stools was detected by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. Data on mixed farming, dairy product consumption and selling habits were gathered through questionnaires. Results: The overall seroprevalence in cattle was 5.1% and herd seroprevalence reached 32.4% (11/34). Herd seropositivity was not associated with husbandry practice or presence of rabbits on the farms. However, herd seropositivity was associated with on-site presence of pigs, 80.7% of which had anti-HEV antibodies. The majority of farmers reported to preferentially consume raw milk based dairy products. Conclusions: Concomitant presence of pigs on cattle farms constitutes a risk factor for HEV exposure of cattle. However, the risk of HEV infections associated with raw cow dairy product consumption is currently considered as low.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
• /
• v.48 no.3
• /
• pp.175-179
• /
• 2012

Adenoviruses are an important cause of respiratory tract infections, particularly in infants, young children, and immuno-compromised patients. In this study, we investigated the characteristics of adenoviruses isolated from outpatients with acute respiratory illness in Gyeonggi province of South Korea during 2009-2011. Adenoviruses were detected in 102 of 1,622 (6.3%) specimens by using PCR or real-time PCR with viral specific primers. 76 isolates were obtained from 102 specimens using the A549 cells. Serotypic distributions of isolated adenovirus were analyzed by sequencing of hexon gene. Six different serotypes were identified, which included adenovirus serotypes 1-6. Adenovirus 3 (n=40, 52.6%) was the predominant serotype. The predominant types of adenovirus every year were serotypes 1 and 3 in 2009, serotype 3 in 2010, and serotype 5 in 2011, respectively. Adenoviruses 1, 2, 4, 5, and 6 were isolated sporadically throughout the study period. Adenovirus 3 was present both during outbreaks and in sporadic cases. These results indicate that adenovirus 3 played major causative agent of adenovirus outbreaks in Gyeonggi province of South Korea during 2009-2011. Continuous surveillance for specific serotypes of adenovirus that can cause outbreaks is important.