• CELLMED
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.13.1-13.3
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• 2012

Blood borne infectious diseases are usually a public concern. The transmissions of many diseases are via blood borne mode. Several activities are related to this transmission such as injection, blood transfusion and transplantation. Also, the acupuncture practice can be a possible route for blood borne infectious disease transmission. In this specific review, the author briefly reviews acupuncture and blood borne viral infections.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Fundamentals of Nursing
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.22-32
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• 2018

Purpose: The study was done to examine hemodialysis unit nurses' knowledge on blood-borne infections, compliance and barriers to control and predictors of compliance. Methods: A descriptive correlational study was conducted with 122 nurses from hemodialysis units. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire. The data collection period was May to September, 2017. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, t-test, ANOVA, Pearson correlation, and multiple linear regression. Results: The mean score for knowledge on blood-borne infections was $15.41{\pm}2.01$ out of 19 and the compliance with blood-borne infection control was $4.08{\pm}0.49$ out of 5. Barriers to the performance of blood-borne infections control were lack of time and personal protective devices. Knowledge on blood-borne infection did not correlate with compliance on blood-borne infection control (r=.13, p=.171). Predictors of compliance on blood-borne infections control were 1) infection control education on injuries caused by injection needles (${\beta}=.23$, p=.010), 2) infection control room (${\beta}=.24$, p=.006) and 3) blood exposure experience over the past week (${\beta}=-.24$, p=.005) and explained 22.2% of the variance (F=10.81, p<.001). Conclusion: Findings suggest that to improve the performance of blood-borne infectious disease management, customized education for nurses on blood-borne infection and systematic support related to the infection control room should be given priority.

• Journal of Veterinary Clinics
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.63-67
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• 2012

Mosquitoes are the vectors of a number of viral diseases in cattle, such as Akabane disease, bovine ephemeral fever, Ainovirus infection, Chuzan virus infection, and Ibaraki disease. These diseases are transmitted from an infected animal to a non-infected host via the blood feeding of the vector. In Korea, the National Veterinary Research and Quarantine Services, Ministry for Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries is responsible for planning, implementation, laboratory investigations and reporting the results of the national surveillance program for mosquito-borne bovine diseases (MBD). The surveillance program, which was started in 1993, focused to determine the seroprevalence of each disease in cattle herds in space and time. From the epidemiological point of view, more important component of the surveillance program is to monitor infection rates in vectors for specific pathogens because this information is essential for a more precise understanding the dynamics of these diseases in a given environment and for determining risk of transmission. The aim of this study was to describe and compare methods for estimation of vector infection rates using maximum likelihood (MLE) and minimum infection rate in pooled samples. Factors affecting MLE such as number of pools, pooling size and diagnostic test performance are also discussed, assuming some hypothetical sampling scenarios for MBD.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Service
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.103-110
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• 2006

Ticks cause economic losses to the deer industry by decreasing the growth and production of the farmed animals. The mediation of ticks affects humans and animals by causing contagious disease both directly and indirectly. Blood from farmed deer from the areas near Jangsu branch was collected for screening of infectious protozoa and rickettsial disease. Seventy deer blood samples were collected from 30 different deer farms located in Jinan, Jangsu and Muju. This blood samples were used for blood slide smear examination and hematological analysis. DNA from these samples was extracted and was used for PCR analysis for detection of gene fragments of Theileria spp, Babesia spp, Anaplasma spp and Ehrlichia spp. In the blood slide smear examination and PCR analysis all samples did not show presence of protozoal and rickettsial diseases. Eight blood samples showed anemia, 1 sample showed iron deficiency and 7 samples showed regenerative anemia. Results for PCR analysis showed 2 samples were positive for T orientalis. All DNA samples were negative for Babesia spp, Anaplasma spp, and Ehrlichia spp.

• Journal of Veterinary Clinics
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• v.35 no.5
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• pp.175-177
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• 2018

The objective of this polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based research was to determine the prevalence of vector-borne pathogens in stray cats in Yangju and Gwacheon cities, South Korea. Total 50 stray cats were sampled for this PCR-based survey; 33 samples and 17 samples were collected from Yangju and Gwacheon cities, respectively. Total positive presence rates were 6%, 6% and 24% for hemotropic mycoplasmas, Rickettsia spp. and Babesia spp., respectively in this study. Babesia spp. was the predominant pathogen present in the stray cats of both cities followed by hemotropic mycoplasmas and Rickettsia spp. It is recommended that a large-scale study of the prevalence of infectious agents among stray cats should be undertaken in all regions of South Korea.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.61 no.1
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• pp.72-77
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• 2023

Human babesiosis is a tick-borne disease induced by the genus Babesia and has been significantly reported in the Republic of Korea. This report shows the cases of 2 patients with human babesiosis who traveled to the USA in 2019. The 2 patients experienced fever and had travel histories to babesiosis-endemic regions. The diagnoses of both cases were verified by the identification of Babesia-infected red blood cells on blood smears. One patient was found to be infected with Babesia microti using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for 18S rRNA, which discovered the phylogenetic link to the B. microti strain endemic in the USA. The 2 patients recovered from fever with subsequent hemoparasite clearance. Babesiosis could be diagnosed in anyone with histories of travel to babesiosis-endemic countries and tick bites. Furthermore, Babesia-specific PCR is required for determining geno-and phenotypic characteristics.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.52 no.5
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• pp.507-511
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• 2014

Outbreaks of tick-borne disease cases in Santa Catarina, Brazil are known, but the presence of the pathogen DNA has never been determined. In this study, the first survey of Anaplasma marginale, Babesia bigemina, and Babesia bovis DNA on blood samples of 33 cattle from an outbreak in Ponte Alta Municipality, Santa Catarina, Brazil, has been carried out. A multiplex PCR detected 54.5% of animals were co-infected with 2 or 3 parasites, while 24.2% were infected with only 1 species. The most prevalent agent was B. bigemina (63.6%) followed by A. marginale (60.6%). This is the first report of tick-borne disease pathogens obtained by DNA analysis in Southern Brazil.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.58 no.6
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• pp.647-652
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• 2020

Clonorchis sinensis is the most common fish-borne intestinal parasite in Korea. The aim of the present investigation was to survey the status of C. sinensis infection and analyze associated risk factors in residents of Haman-gun, Gyeongsangnam-do. A total of 5,114 residents from 10 administrative towns/villages voluntarily agreed to participate in the study, which comprised fecal examination, a questionnaire survey for risk factors, ultrasonography, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for cancer biomarker detection in the blood. We detected C. sinensis eggs in 5.3% of the subjects. By region, Gunbuk-myeon had the highest number of residents with C. sinensis eggs. The infection rate and intensity were higher in male than in female residents. Based on the risk factor questionnaire, infection was highly associated with drinking, a history of C. sinensis infection, and the practice of eating of raw freshwater fish. Extension of the bile duct, infection intensity, and cancer biomarker detection significantly correlated with the presence of eggs in the study population. In conclusion, the development of feasible, long-term control policies and strategies for the elimination of C. sinensis in Korea is still required.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.52 no.4
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• pp.443-447
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• 2014

Babesiosis is an emerging tick-borne disease in humans worldwide; however, little is known about the frequency of infection or prevalence of this disease in other parts of the world, excluding North America. In this study, we aimed to investigate Babesia microti infection frequency in a human population in Mongolia. One hundred blood samples were collected from stock farmers living in Khutul city of Selenge province, Mongolia. The sera and DNA from blood samples were evaluated for the presence of B. microti infection by using indirect fluorescent antibody (IFA) tests and PCR. The positive detection rates obtained using the IFA tests and PCR assays were 7% and 3%, respectively. This study is the first to detect of B. microti infections based on antibody seroprevalence or PCR assays for the presence of B. microti DNA in a Mongolian population.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.8 no.3
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• pp.246-249
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• 2017

Health-care workers are at risk of exposure to occupational infections with subsequent risk of contracting diseases, disability, and even death. A systematic collection of occupational disease data is useful for monitoring current trends in work situations and disease exposures; however, these data are usually limited due to under-reporting. The objective of this study was to review literature related to knowledge, risk perceptions, and practices regarding occupational exposures to infectious diseases in Malaysian health-care settings, in particular regarding blood-borne infections, universal precautions, use of personal protective equipment, and clinical waste management. The data are useful for determining improvements in knowledge and risk perceptions among health-care workers with developments of health policies and essential interventions for prevention and control of occupational diseases.