• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.56 no.3
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• pp.281-285
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• 2018

Cryptosporidium is the most common protozoan that can infect a wide range of animals, including mammals and birds. Avian Cryptosporidium spp. can cause enteric and respiratory diseases which can be fatal in birds and some species are zoonotic. Companion birds have the potential as reservoir due to their close contact with humans. Pet shops are the major source of companion birds. However, few reports are available regarding Cryptosporidium spp. infection among companion birds kept in pet shops. The present study reports the prevalence and molecular characteristics of Cryptosporidium spp. among companion birds kept in pet shops in Japan. A total of 265 fresh fecal samples were obtained from birds kept in 4 pet shops; these birds belonged to 41 species in 3 bird orders. A nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay targeting the small subunit rRNA gene was employed for the detection of Cryptosporidium spp. A total of 24 samples (9.1%) were positive, and Cryptosporidium spp. were detected from all pet shops. The prevalence of Cryptosporidium spp. in each of the bird orders was 6.5% (10/153) in Psittaciformes, 14.4% (13/90) in Passeriformes, and 4.5% (1/22) in Galliformes. Based on sequence analysis, 13 (54.2%) isolates were classified to C. galli, 8 (33.3%) were avian genotype III, and the remaining 3 (12.5%) were C. baileyi. No infection with zoonotic C. meleagridis and no coinfection with multiple Cryptosporidium spp. and/or genotypes were observed. The zoonotic potential of Cryptosporidium spp. infecting companion birds kept in pet shops in Japan is likely to be low.

• Korean Journal of Poultry Science
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.89-99
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• 2010

Newcastle disease (ND), caused by Newcastle disease virus (NDV), has caused periodic epidemics in Korea at an interval of 3 to 5 years until the early 2000s. At least five distinct genotypes of NDV have been responsible for epizootic episodes in Korea; genotype III virus (before the 1970s), genotype V (the mid-1980s), genotype VI (the late 1980s to early 1990s), genotype VIIa (the mid-1990s), and genotype VIId viruses (the late 1990s to present). Recent epidemic strains of NDV (VIId viruses) shared geographical features with neighboring countries such as China and Japan. These VIId viruses as well as genotypes III and V viruses were viscerotropic and highly virulent for chickens. Antigenic variation occurred between VIId field viruses and LaSota vaccine strain, as found in other epidemic strains in past in Korea. Nevertheless the commercial vaccine was considered to effectively protect vaccinated birds from mortality against VIId viruses as well as other viruses belonging to genotypes III and V.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.19 no.8
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• pp.1095-1099
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• 2006

Leptin and IGFBP-3 are two proteins that play an important role in growth and metabolism of the animals. They are also involved in the immune function of animals and, thus, are candidate genes for the study of association with immune functions. Polymerase Chain Reaction-Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) of these two genes was done to screen 64 crossbred (Holstein Friesian${\times}$Hariana) female calves of one year of age. From each RFLPs (fragments) three genotypes were observed. In all the RFLPs the mutant homozygotes were very less in numbers and, hence, were excluded from the least squares analysis. The serum IgG level was estimated using SRID assay. The mean level of serum IgG was $28.83{\pm}2.73mg/ml$. The effect of these identified genotypes on serum IgG level of calves at one year of age was analysed using least squares analysis. The HaeIII RFLP-AB genotype had significantly (p<0.05) higher serum IgG level ($31.86{\pm}3.05$) than the HaeIII RFLP-AA ($25.62{\pm}2.96$) genotype. There was no significant effect of leptin genotypes on the IgG level. The present results indicated a role of the IGFBP-3 gene on serum IgG level of cattle calves.

• Proceedings of the Korea Society of Poultry Science Conference
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• 2005.11a
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• pp.44-52
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• 2005

The study, using sequence analysis and phylogenetic relationship of the fusion protein gene, divided the Korean epizootic isolates of Newcastle disease virus (NDV) into several lineages to determine the molecular epidemiology of the virus. A 695 base pair fragment was amplified by polymerase chain reaction between matrix protein gene and fusion protein gene of 30 Korean NDV isolates, which were isolated from field outbreaks of Newcastle disease between 1949 and 2002. All isolates showed the amino acid sequence 112 R-R-Q/R-K-R116 at the C-terminus of the F2 protein and phenylalanine (F) at the N-terminus of the F1 protein, residue 117. These amino acid sequences were identical to a known virulent motif. The region of the F gene between nucleotides 47 and 435 was compared by phylogenetic analysis. Based on nucleotide sequence, the Korean NDV isolates belonged to genotype III, V, VI and VII corresponding to isolates in 1949, 1982 to 1984, 1988 to 1997, and 1995 to 2002, respectively. These data showed that genotypes of five Korean Newcastle disease epizootics had replaced each other serially (III, V, VI and VII) in chronological order. Further, the five Korean Newcastle disease epizootics were closely related with the Necastle disease panzootics or Newcastle disease epizootics in other countries. Present study showed that the Korean genotype V isolated before 1984 was related with European Newcastle disease epizootics in the 1970s, whereas the Korean genotype VI and VII isolated after 1988 were more closely related with Far East Newcastle disease epizootics, especially Newcastle disease3 epizootics in Japan, Taiwan and China. Since 1988, the genotype VI and VII of Far East origin were dominant in South Korea. That might be due to the increased trade of agricultural products including poultry among Far East Asian countries.