• Journal of Veterinary Science
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• 제25권4호
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• pp.45.1-45.12
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• 2024

Importance: Although the role of bovine coronavirus (BCoV) in calf diarrhea and respiratory disorders is well documented, its contribution to neurological diseases is unclear. Objective: This study conducted virological investigations of calves showing diarrhea and respiratory and neurological signs. Methods: An outbreak of diarrhea, respiratory, and neurological disorders occurred among the 12 calves in July 2022 in Istanbul, Türkiye. Two of these calves exhibited neurological signs and died a few days after the appearance of symptoms. One of these calves was necropsied and analyzed using molecular and histopathological tests. Results: BCoV RNA was detected in the brain, lung, spleen, liver, and intestine of the calf that had neurological signs by real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. Immunostaining was also observed in the intestine and brain. A 622 bp S1 gene product was noted on gel electrophoresis only in the brain. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that the BCoV detected in this study had a high proximity to the BCoV strain GIb with 99.19% nucleotide sequence homology to the strains detected in Poland, Israel, Türkiye, and France. No distinct genetic lineages were observed when the brain isolate was compared with the respiratory and enteric strains reported to GenBank. In addition, the highest identity (98,72%) was obtained with the HECV 4408 and L07748 strains of human coronaviruses. Conclusions and Relevance: The strain detected in a calf brain belongs to the GIb-European lineage and shares high sequence homology with BCoV strains detected in Europe and Israel. In addition, the similarity between the human coronaviruses (4408 and L07748) raises questions about the zoonotic potential of the strains detected in this study.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• 제54권2호
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• pp.181-185
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• 2016

Human sparganosis is a zoonotic disease caused by infection with larval forms (procercoid/plerocercoid) of Spirometra spp. The purpose of this study was to identify Spirometra spp. of infected snakes using a multiplex PCR assay and phylogenetic analysis of mitochondrial DNA sequence data from the spargana of terrestrial snakes obtained from Korea and China. A total of 283 snakes were obtained that included 4 species of Colubridae comprising Rhabdophis tigrinus tigrinus (n=150), Dinodon rufozonatum rufozonatum (n=64), Elaphe davidi (n=2), and Elaphe schrenkii (n=7), and 1 species of Viperidae, Agkistrodon saxatilis (n=60). The snakes were collected from the provinces of Chungbuk, Chungnam, and Gyeongbuk in Korea (n=161), and from China (n=122). The overall infection rate with spargana was 83% (235/283). The highest was recorded for D. rufozonatum rufozonatum (100%), followed by A. saxatilis (85%) and R. tigrinus tigrinus (80%), with a negative result for E. davidi (0%) and E. schrenkii (0%). The sequence identities between the spargana from snakes (n=50) and Spirometra erinaceieuropaei (KJ599680) or S. decipiens (KJ599679) control specimens were 90.8% and 99.2%, respectively. Pairwise genetic distances between spargana (n=50) and S. decipiens ranged from 0.0080 to 0.0107, while those between spargana and S. erinaceieuropaei ranged from 0.1070 to 0.1096. In this study, all of the 904 spargana analyzed were identified as S. decipiens either by a multiplex PCR assay (n=854) or mitochondrial cox1 sequence analysis (n=50).

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• 제56권1호
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• pp.11-19
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• 2018

In Brazil, visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is expanding and becoming urbanized, especially in non-endemic areas such as the State of Rio Grande do Sul. Considering that infected dogs are the main reservoir for zoonotic VL, this study evaluated the prevalence of canine visceral leishmaniasis (CVL) in the metropolitan area of Porto Alegre, a new area of expansion of VL in Brazil. Serum and plasma from 405 asymptomatic dogs from the municipalities of Canoas (n=107), $S\tilde{a}o$ Leopoldo (n=216), and Novo Hamburgo (n=82) were tested for CVL using immunochromatographic ($DPP^{(R)}$) and ELISA $EIE^{(R)}$ assays (2 assays officially adopted by the Brazilian government for the diagnosis of CVL) and real-time PCR to confirm the results. There was no agreement among serological and real-time PCR results, indicating that the Leishmania infection in asymptomatic animals with low parasite load, confirmed by negative parasitological tests (smears and parasite culture), need to be evaluated by molecular methods. The prevalence of LVC in the metropolitan region of Porto Alegre, confirmed by real-time PCR was 4% (5.6% in Canoas and 4.6% in $S\tilde{a}o$ Leopoldo). The use of molecular method is essential for accurate diagnosis of CVL, especially in asymptomatic dogs in non-endemic areas.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• 제55권2호
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• pp.207-212
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• 2017

Infections of Toxoplasma gondii and Babesia microti are reported in many wild animals worldwide, but information on their incidence and molecular detection in Korean wild fields is limited. In this study, the prevalence of T. gondii and B. microti infection in blood samples of 5 animal species (37 Chinese water deer, 23 raccoon dogs, 6 roe deer, 1 wild boar, and 3 Eurasian badgers) was examined during 2008-2009 in Gangwon-do (Province), the Republic of Korea (=Korea) by using serological and molecular tests. The overall seropositivity of T. gondii was 8.6% (6/70); 10.8% in Chinese water deer, 4.3% in raccoon dogs, and 16.7% in roe deer. PCR revealed only 1 case of T. gondii infection in Chinese water deer, and phylogenic analysis showed that the positive isolate was practically identical to the highly pathogenetic strain type I. In B. microti PCR, the positive rate was 5.7% (4/70), including 2 Chinese water deer and 2 Eurasian badgers. Phylogenetic analysis results of 18S rRNA and the ${\beta}$-tubulin gene showed that all positive isolates were US-type B. microti. To our knowledge, this is the first report of B. microti detected in Chinese water deer and Eurasian badger from Korea. These results indicate a potentially high prevalence of T. gondii and B. microti in wild animals of Gangwon-do, Korea. Furthermore, Chinese water deer might act as a reservoir for parasite infections of domestic animals.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• 제53권6호
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• pp.737-743
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• 2015

In order to examine the prevalence of Cryptosporidium infection in wild rodents and insectivores of South Korea and to assess their potential role as a source of human cryptosporidiosis, a total of 199 wild rodents and insectivore specimens were collected from 10 regions of South Korea and screened for Cryptosporidium infection over a period of 2 years (2012-2013). A nested-PCR amplification of Cryptosporidium oocyst wall protein (COWP) gene fragment revealed an overall prevalence of 34.2% (68/199). The sequence analysis of 18S rRNA gene locus of Cryptosporidium was performed from the fecal and cecum samples that tested positive by COWP amplification PCR. As a result, we identified 4 species/genotypes; chipmunk genotype I, cervine genotype I, C. muris, and a new genotype which is closely related to the bear genotype. The new genotype isolated from 12 Apodemus agrarius and 2 Apodemus chejuensis was not previously identified as known species or genotype, and therefore, it is supposed to be a novel genotype. In addition, the host spectrum of Cryptosporidium was extended to A. agrarius and Crosidura lasiura, which had not been reported before. In this study, we found that the Korean wild rodents and insectivores were infected with various Cryptosporidium spp. with large intra-genotypic variationa, indicating that they may function as potential reservoirs transmitting zoonotic Cryptosporidium to livestock and humans.

• 한국가금학회지
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• 제47권1호
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• pp.9-19
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• 2020

본 연구는 고병원성 조류 인플루엔자 바이러스(high pathogenic avian influenza virus; HPAIV)와 저병원성 조류인플루엔자 바이러스(low pathogenic avian virus; LPAIV)가 감염된 오리의 폐세포에서 보고된 기존 전사체 데이터를 재분석하여 조류 인플루엔자 감염에 대응하는 숙주의 공통 전사체를 발굴하고, 생물정보 분석을 실시하여 바이오 마커로서 가능성을 제시하기 위하여 수행하였다. 이전 연구에서 생산된 microarray 데이터 세트를 재분석하여, HPAIV와 LPAIV가 각각 감염된 오리의 폐세포에서 각각 총 731 및 439개의 차등발현 유전자를 발굴하였다. 이들 차등발현 유전자 중에서, 227개의 유전자가 HPAIV와 LPAIV가 감염된 세포에서 공통적으로 조절되어, 193개의 유전자는 발현이 증가한 반면, 34개의 유전자는 발현이 감소하였다. 생물정보 분석을 통하여 차등발현 유전자들의 기능에 대한 주석달기를 실시하여, 리보솜과 단백질 대사 및 유전자 발현 관련 GO가 풍부해짐을 확인하였다. REACTOME 분석을 통하여 단백질 및 RNA 대사 경로 및 콜라겐 생합성과 변형을 포함한 조직 복구 경로가 조절됨을 확인하였다. 보다 구체적으로, 번역 및 RNA 품질 관리 경로에 관여하는 단백질을 코딩하는 유전자는 HPAIV 및 LPAIV 감염에 반응하여 발현의 증가 또는 감소하는 방향으로 조절되어 AIV가 숙주 번역 기계를 억제함으로써 숙주 방어 시스템을 회피할 수 있거나 번역을 위해 세포질로 내보내기 전에 AIV가 억제될 수 있음을 시사한다. AIV 감염은 바이러스 감염으로 인한 조직의 병변 형성을 조절하는 경로를 활성화시킬 수 있음을 시사한다.

• 대한임상검사과학회지
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• 제51권4호
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• pp.436-443
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• 2019

라임병은 2010년 법정감염병 지정 이후 환자발생이 지속적으로 증가하고 있다. 첫 환자가 보고된 2011년부터 2018년 12월 31일까지 신고된 환자 119명의 신고 자료 및 역학조사서를 국내발생과 해외유입으로 구분하여 분석하였고, ArcGIS Pro를 이용하여 추정 감염 지역에 대한 공간분석을 하였다. 2011년부터 2018년 12월 31일까지 국내발생은 70명(58.8%) 해외유입은 49명(41.2%)이다. 환자 발생은 2017년에 31명(26.0%), 계절은 여름~가을(6~11월)이 91명(76.5%)으로 가장 많았다. 진단일_신고일은 국내발생이 2.8±14.7일, 해외유입이 1.4±4.5일로 차이를 보였고, 임상 증상 중 발열과 발진은 국내발생과 해외유입이 통계적으로 유의하였다(P<0.001). 임상 경과는 초기 국소성 감염 61명(52.1%), 초기 파종성 감염 43명(35.3%), 만성 감염 15명(12.6%)이었다. 국내 추정 감염 지역은 충남 12명(17.1%), 경기 12명(17.1%), 강원 8명(11.4%), 경남 7명(10.0%)으로 지역적인 차이를 보였고, 해외유입은 미국이 21명(42.9%), 유럽이 17명(34.7%)으로 가장 많았다. 라임병 환자는 2016~2018년이 환자수가 증가 하여 발생 지역이 확대된 것으로 추정된다. 해외유입도 증가하고 있어 환자 관리는 더욱 중요할 것으로 판단되며 전 연령에서 환자가 발생하고 있어 홍보 및 예방교육과 역학적 특성 파악은 꾸준히 실시되어야 할 것이다.

• Journal of Veterinary Science
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• 제23권3호
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• pp.33.1-33.10
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• 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.

• Journal of Veterinary Science
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• 제23권1호
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• pp.8.1-8.15
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• 2022

Background: Brucella infection induces brucellosis, a zoonotic disease. The intracellular circulation process and virulence of Brucella mainly depend on its type IV secretion system (T4SS) expressing secretory effectors. Secreted protein BspJ is a nucleomodulin of Brucella that invades the host cell nucleus. BspJ mediates host energy synthesis and apoptosis through interaction with proteins. However, the mechanism of BspJ as it affects the intracellular survival of Brucella remains to be clarified. Objectives: To verify the functions of nucleomodulin BspJ in Brucella's intracellular infection cycles. Methods: Constructed Brucella abortus BspJ gene deletion strain (B. abortus ∆BspJ) and complement strain (B. abortus pBspJ) and studied their roles in the proliferation of Brucella both in vivo and in vitro. Results: BspJ gene deletion reduced the survival and intracellular proliferation of Brucella at the replicating Brucella-containing vacuoles (rBCV) stage. Compared with the parent strain, the colonization ability of the bacteria in mice was significantly reduced, causing less inflammatory infiltration and pathological damage. We also found that the knockout of BspJ altered the secretion of cytokines (interleukin [IL]-6, IL-1β, IL-10, tumor necrosis factor-α, interferon-γ) in host cells and in mice to affect the intracellular survival of Brucella. Conclusions: BspJ is extremely important for the circulatory proliferation of Brucella in the host, and it may be involved in a previously unknown mechanism of Brucella's intracellular survival.

• 한국임상수의학회지
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• 제31권3호
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• pp.206-211
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• 2014

Anaplasmosis 은 흡혈성 절지동물인 진드기, 이파리, 모기 등에 의해 매개되는 리케차성 인수공통 전염병이다. 철새는 anaplasmosis의 매개체인 진드기의 숙주이다. 제주도의 다양한 철새 분류군 중에서 지빠귀과 조류의 진드기 감염률이 높다. 특히 마라도는 봄철 남방구에서 북방구로 이동하는 철새의 중간기착점으로 지리적으로 중요한 위치에 있다. 따라서 본 연구에서는 제주도의 대표적 이동철새인 지빠귀과 새들의 Anaplasma spp. 감염여부를 조사하였다. 우리는 마라도에서 34마리의 혈액과 제주야생동물구조센터에서 구조 채취된 6개의 혈액 시료를 대상으로 하였다. 그 결과, 40개체의 지빠귀 중 7개체가 감염이 확인되었으며, 감염률은 17.5%로 나타났다. 7개체 모두 Anaplasma phagocytophilum으로 동정되었다. 이러한 결과는 제주도를 통과하는 대표적인 철새인 지빠귀과 새들이 A. phagocytophilum을 육지로 전파할 수 있음을 시사하며, 다른 이동성 철새들간의 질병전파의 보균자로 작용할 수 있기에 철새, 텃새 및 가축으로의 전파여부를 지속적으로 모니터링할 필요가 있다.