• Journal of Life Science
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• v.17 no.2 s.82
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• pp.254-259
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• 2007

Biochemical characterization of lectin isolated from fruit of cherry tomato through neutral saline extraction, ammonium sulfate precipitation, and affinity chromatography on Sephadex G-200 was studied. The lectin was agglutinated by trypsin-treated human ABO erythrocytes, and the most pronounced activity of agglutination was observed at B type erythrocyte. The analysis of the lectin by SDS-PAGE showed the high intensity band with molecular weights of 10.7 kDa. The optimal temperature and thermal stability of the lectin was $40^{\circ}C$ and $40-60^{\circ}C$, respectively. The maximal pH of this lectin was pH 7.2.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Service
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.385-391
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• 2007

A novel enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) is described and compared with other established serologic tests for bovine brucellosis, namely the rose bengal test (RBT), the complement fixation test (CFT), and the tube agglutination test (TAT) approved and used in Korea. A total of 109 bovine serum samples were tested using all the 4 assays and analyzed as to specificity, sensitivity, reproducibility and predictive value. The ELISA showed 100% agreement with the CFT. The least agreement between ELISA was observed with the TAT. The agreement between the ELISA and RBT was not significantly different from that observed between the CFT and the ELISA. It is concluded that the new assay would be a good candidate for routine serologic survey for brucellosis in Korea. A protocol combining the ELISA and the CFT would increase the power for detection of serologically positive individuals and herds.

• The Korean Journal of Mycology
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• v.23 no.1 s.72
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• pp.46-52
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• 1995

A lectin was isolated from the fruiting bodies of Lampteromyces japonicus by preparative PAGE and named LJAP (Lampteromyces japonicus antibacterial protein). LJAP was a polymeric protein of more than one hundred kDa consisting of 17-kDa subunits. The amino acid analysis revealed a high content of serine, glycine, and acidic amino acids. LJAP has an excellent antibacterial activity for Escherichia coli, JM 109, K 12, HB 101, and JW 380. By the inhibition assay of the antibacterial activity, a glycoprotein, asialofetuin was confirmed as the best inhibitor. This is the first lectin isolated and characterized its antibacterial and agglutination activities from the family Lampteromyces.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.59 no.2
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• pp.173-178
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• 2021

The DM9 domain is a protein unit of 60-75 amino acids that has been first detected in the fruit fly Drosophila as a repeated motif of unknown function. Recent research on proteins carrying DM9 domains in the mosquito Anopheles gambiae and the oyster Crassostrea gigas indicated an association with the uptake of microbial organisms. Likewise, in the trematode Fasciola gigantica DM9-1 showed intracellular relocalization following microbial, heat and drug stress. In the present research, we show that FgDM9-1 is a lectin with a novel mannose-binding site that has been recently described for the protein CGL1 of Crassostrea gigas. This property allowed FgDM9-1 to agglutinate gram-positive and -negative bacteria with appropriate cell surface glycosylation patterns. Furthermore, FgDM9-1 caused hemagglutination across all ABO blood group phenotypes. It is speculated that the parenchymal located FgDM9-1 has a role in cellular processes that involve the transport of mannose-carrying molecules in the parenchymal cells of the parasite.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.59 no.6
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• pp.651-655
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• 2005

Background : Diagnosing a pulmonary embolism is difficult because its presenting symptoms are nonspecific and there are limitations with all of the objective tests. The D-dimer is known to be a marker of the lysis of intravascular cross-linked fibrin as a result of the activation of the endogenous fibrinolytic pathways, and the D-dimer assay is these an objective method for diagnosing a pulmonary embolism. This study assessed the benefits of the D-dimer test for diagnosing a pulmonary embolism using semiquantitative latex agglutination. Methods : The latex agglutination results of 185 patients were retrospectively reviewed. The D-dimer test was performed at the time a pulmonary embolism was suspected. Ninety patients(group I) were diagnosis with PE through spiral chest CT or a chest CT angiogram, perfusion/ventilation scans, and/or pulmonary angiogram. Ninety-five patients (group II) were found not to have a pulmonary embolism through the above tests. Results : The male to female ratio and mean age in groups I and II was 37:55, and 57 years old to 50:45 and 52 years old, respectively. When the cut off value for a positive D-dimer assay was set to $500{\mu}g$, the sensitivity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value and specificity was 86.7%, 61.4%, 79.3%, and 48.4%, respectively. Conclusion : The semiquantitative latex agglutination method in the D-dimer test has a lower sensitivity and negative predictive value than the well known ELISA test particularly for small emboli. Therefore, this test is not a suitable screening test for excluding a pulmonary embolism.

• Pediatric Infection and Vaccine
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.93-100
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• 1999

Purpose : For evaluation of acute Mycoplasma pneumoniae(M. pneumoniae) pneumonia in children, we have studied the Mycoplasma indirect particle agglutination test, cold hemagglutinin test, ESR, CRP, and total white blood cell counts and it's differential count retrospectively. Methods : The total numbers of patients whom compatible with diagnostic criteria of acute M. pneumoniae peumonia were 56 cases from Jan. to Dec. 1997. The diagnostic criteria were 1) onset of fever(${\geq}38.0^{\circ}C$) and coughing were within 7 days, 2) rhonchi and/or role was audible on chest, 3) pneumonic infiltration on chest X-ray, and 4) M. pneumoniae indirect particle agglutination test titer was higher than 1:640, or initial titer was less than 1:640 but increased more than 4 folds after week. We classified the enrolled patients according to initial antibody titer, such as soup A(${\leq}1:640$) and group B(${\geq}1:320$). We compared group A and B by demographic findings, clinical symptoms and signs, and laboratory findings. Results : 1) The male and female sex ratio was 1:1.4, and average onset age was $5.8{\pm}2.96$ years. 2) The average body temperature on admission was $38.5{\pm}0.1^{\circ}C$ and productive coughing was noticed in 52 cases(93%). 3) The average total white cell counts were $10,470{\pm}877.0/mm^3$ in group B patients, which was significantly higher compared to $7,761{\pm}508.5/mm^3$ in group A(p<0.014). 4) The average value of ESR and CRP were within normal range in both group. 5) The most common site of pneumonic infiltration was right lower lobe of lung in both groups. 6) There were no correlation between antibody titer and cold hemagglutinine titer in patients and cold hemagglutination titer were less than 1:64 in 25 cases(45%). Conclusion : The clinical manifestations of pneumonia, findings of chest x-ray, and indirect particle agglutination test were useful on diagnosis of M. pneumoniae pnumonia onset within 7 days, but cold hemagglutinin test was a little diagnostic meaning.

• The Journal of the Korean Society for Microbiology
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.9-17
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• 1980

In the ecology and epidemiologic studies on various serotypes of atypical mycobacteria(AM), Schaefer's bacterial agglutination test(BA) provided the basis of the serologic procedures. Recently, attempts have been made to modify and to simplify the Schaefer's BA such as a slide agglutination test(Engel & Beerwald, 1970), a "simplified" BA(Reznikov & Leggo, 1972), an agglutination inhibition test(Richards & Eacret, 1972) and "micromethod"(Thoen et al., 1975). The BA, however, was not widely applied as a routine laboratory test mainly because it requires much times and labors to perform and partley because it is not applicable to hydrophobic strains either often encountered in the isolation of AM in the clinical bacteriology or stock strains maintained in the laboratory. On the contrary, fluorescent antibody technique with mycobacteria may have advantages over the BA because it is far more simpler in serologic procedures and is applicable to all strains of mycobacteria regardless of smooth or rough types of cultures. At the present, it is well known that the type-specific antigens are lacking on the surface of rough type of AM compared to that on smooth type of strain, but the antigenicity on the surface of the hydrophobic strains of AM which resulted from a series of subculture and the strain in the laboratory for 3 to 6 months has not been clarified. In this study, an attempt to serotype the hydrophobic strains of M. scrofulaceum serotype 41, 42 and 43 by fluorescent anti-complement(FAC) technique was made. The FAC technique with mycobacteria was also described in detail. In the summary, the complement fixing antibody titres of reference sera to smooth types of homologous serotype was highest, but the antibody titres of reference sera to hydrophobic strains of serotypes, 41, 42 and 43 gave two-to 8-folds lower than those to smooth type of strains. Although the sensitivity of type-specific antigens on the hydrophobic strains to reference sera was much lower, using the two units of reference sera determined by titration with hydrophobic strains, three serotypes, i. e., 41, 42 and 43 were specifically differentiated one another by FAC technique. This result indicated that the hydrophobic strains which were maintained in the laboratory at least for 6 months still retain type-specific antigen detectable by FAC technique.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.83-90
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• 1992

Sensitivity of anti-Texoplasma antibody (IgG) test by enzyme·linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was evaluated in comparison with indirect laten agglutination (ILA) using 2,016 paired human samples of serum and cerebrospinal quid (CSF) . The samples were collected from neurologic patients in Korea with mass lesions in central nervous system(CNS) as revealed by imaging diagnosis(CTIMRI). When the sera were screened for anti-Toxoplasma antibody by ILA, 76 cases (3.8%) were positive (1:32 or higher titers). In the pairs samples of CSF, no positive reactions were observed. When ELISA was performed using PBS extract of Percoll purified tachysoites as antigen, cut-off absorbance was determined as 0.40 for serum and 0.27 for CSF tests. The antibody positive rates by ELISA were 7.0% in serum and 5.6% in CSF Of them, 40 cases(2.0%) showed positive reactions in both serum and CSF, The antibody positive rates were higher in groups older than 40 years, The rates were higher in male(4.7% by ILA, 8.3% by ELISA) than in female(2.2% by ILA, 5.0% by ELISA). The rates in CSF showed no such sex difference. ELISA showed twice higher positive rates when serum was tested, and was sensitive enough to detect specific antibodies in CSF. Etiologic relations between positive antibody tests and CNS lesions remained unknown.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.38 no.2
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• pp.345-352
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• 1998

The diagnosis of brucellosis is currently based on serological and microbiological tests. However, the microbiological isolation and identification have several disadvantages such as time-consuming and laborious, and the serological methods have been reported to cross-react with antigens other than those from Brucella spp. To develop a sensitive and rapid diagnostic method for detection of Brucella species, the genus-specific primers were designed and synthesized from the sequence of gene encoding a 31kDa cell surface protein(BCSP) and a 36kDa outer membrane protein(OMPB) of B abortus. The amplified 711bp and 982bp DNA fragments were only visible in each species of Brucella by PCR method using the BCSP and OMPB primers, respectively. However, PCR product was not obtained with DNA from other Gram-negative bacteria. As little as 1pg of the B abortus genomic DNA could be detected by this PCR method. Using the PCR technique, semen samples from 185 bulls of Brucella-seronegative herds in Cheju island were examined for comparison of this PCR method with conventional methods in 1995. The semen samples from 5 bulls were positive by culture method and PCR, and one was positive and 5 were suspect by semen plasma agglutination test. However, the semen samples obtained from 177 bulls were negative by semen plasma agglutination, culture and PCR methods in 1996. The results of comparison tests suggested that PCR was a better test than agglutination test against semen of bulls. This study indicated that the PCR technique was a valuable for the diagnosis of bovine brucellosis, particulary in bull semens.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.141-149
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• 2000

The etiologic agents of haemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) in Korea are Hantaan and Seoul virus in the genus Hantavirus, family Bunyaviridae. Antibody titers of sera from HFRS patients against Hantaan virus were measured by immunofluorescent antibody technique (IFAT), enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), high density composite particle agglutination (HDPA) and plaque reduction neutralization test (PRNI). PRNT and nested reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (nested RT-PCR) was used for serotypic differentiation of Hantaviruses against Hantaan and Seoul virus. Eight doubtful HFRS patients showed higher fluorescent, IgG ELISA, agglutination and neutralizing antibody titer by IFAT, ELISA IgG, HDPA and PRNT, respectively Five out of them showed high IgM antibody titer by IgM capture ELISA against Hantaan virus, remarkably. Fifteen HFRS patients showed higher fluorescent antibody titer by IFAT. In PRNT, 12 out of them showed high neutralizing antibody titer against HTNV, 2 against SEOV and 1 against both viruses. In nested RT-PCR using serotype specific-primer, 3 out of them showed positive against HTNV and 1 against SEOV.