• Korean Journal of Veterinary Service
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• v.44 no.2
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• pp.93-102
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• 2021

In this study, a total of 9,449 hard ticks were collected once a month from April to October 2020 from a neighborhood park in Daejeon by flagging & dragging method and CO₂ manned trap method. The collected ticks were classified according to the Yamagutsi search table using a stereoscopic microscope and molecular biological analysis of four pathogens (SFTSV, Anaplasma spp., Ehrlichia spp., Borrellia spp.). As a result of the study, Haemaphysalis longicornis were collected the most in all areas of the five boroughs at a rate of 82 to 96 percent, while adults were collected the most in May to July, nymphs were collected the most in April to June, and larvae from August to October at a rate of 78 percent to 98 percent. In pathogens, three cases of SFTSV were detected, showing a minimum infection rate (MIR) of 0.46%, while Anaplasma spp. and Ehrlichia spp. were detected one each, with 0.15% and Borrelia spp. with a minimum infection rate of 0.46%. The detected SFTSV showed 99.9% homogeneity with the KF781490 detected in Cheongwon-gun, Chungbuk Province, Anaplasma spp. showed 99.0% homogeneity with JN990105 detected in China, and Erhlichia spp. showed 98.9% genetic similarity with U96436 separated from the U.S. In this study, the distribution status and pathogen infection rate of the hard ticks in the Daejeon area are analyzed and provided as basic data for the prevention of the hard tick-borne infectious disease.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.43 no.1
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• pp.145-150
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• 2003

To determine effectively the chitinolytic activity of rCHT1 from the hard tick H. longicornis expressed in baculovirus-mediated Spodoptera frugtperda (Sf) 9 cells, a simple and sensitive assay system was established in solid phase using agarose gel containing ethylene glycol chitin as substrate. The various factors affecting the efficacy of the assay were also investigated. The effects of various temperature, dosages of proteins, pH of media and time courses of reaction were examined to verify the sensitivity of assay for chitinolytic activity of rCHT1 protein. It was found that the optimal reactive conditions were $37^{\circ}C$ of temperature, 12 to 15 hours of reactive times, $0.1{\mu}g$ of protein concentration and pH 5 to 7 of media. Using the assay system designed, the functional activities of H. longicornis rCHT1l protein could be evaluated simply and sensitively.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.53 no.1
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• pp.85-93
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• 2015

Proteomic tools allow large-scale, high-throughput analyses for the detection, identification, and functional investigation of proteome. For detection of antigens from Haemaphysalis longicornis, 1-dimensional electrophoresis (1-DE) quantitative immunoblotting technique combined with 2-dimensional electrophoresis (2-DE) immunoblotting was used for whole body proteins from unfed and partially fed female ticks. Reactivity bands and 2-DE immunoblotting were performed following 2-DE electrophoresis to identify protein spots. The proteome of the partially fed female had a larger number of lower molecular weight proteins than that of the unfed female tick. The total number of detected spots was 818 for unfed and 670 for partially fed female ticks. The 2-DE immunoblotting identified 10 antigenic spots from unfed females and 8 antigenic spots from partially fed females. Matrix Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization-Time of Flight Mass Spectrometry (MALDI-TOF) of relevant spots identified calreticulin, putative secreted WC salivary protein, and a conserved hypothetical protein from the National Center for Biotechnology Information and Swiss Prot protein sequence databases. These findings indicate that most of the whole body components of these ticks are non-immunogenic. The data reported here will provide guidance in the identification of antigenic proteins to prevent infestation and diseases transmitted by H. longicornis.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.53 no.6
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• pp.789-793
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• 2015

In order to explore tick proteins as potential targets for further developing vaccine against ticks, the total proteins of unfed female Dermacentor silvarum were screened with anti-D. silvarum serum produced from rabbits. The results of western blot showed that 3 antigenic proteins of about 100, 68, and 52 kDa were detected by polyclonal antibodies, which means that they probably have immunogenicity. Then, unfed female tick proteins were separated by 12% SDS-PAGE, and target proteins (100, 68, and 52 kDa) were cut and analyzed by LC-MS/MS, respectively. The comparative results of peptide sequences showed that they might be vitellogenin (Vg), heat shock protein 60 (Hsp60), and fructose-1, 6-bisphosphate aldolase (FBA), respectively. These data will lay the foundation for the further validation of antigenic proteins to prevent infestation and diseases transmitted by D. silvarum.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.61 no.2
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• pp.172-182
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• 2023

At the time of host attachment, ticks are very sensitive to histamine, but during rapid blood sucking they paradoxically require histamine. Using a rabbit model, we studied the effects of histamine and antihistamine during attachment and fast-feeding in different life stages of Haemaphysalis longicorns. We examined how they responded to histamine and antihistamine by analyzing the detachment rate, histology of feeding lesions, and post-feeding behavior. A significant difference (P<0.01) was found in the detachment rate between experimental and control treatments throughout the observation period. Ticks exhibited a higher detachment rate (30.1%) at 12 h after histamine application during attachment time and on antihistamine-treated skin (25.4%) at 96 h during fast-feeding. After feeding on histamine-treated rabbits, the fully engorged body weights of larvae and nymphs were 0.7±0.36 mg and 3.5±0.65 mg, respectively. An average increase in body weight of 0.6±0.05 mg and 3.2±0.30 mg was observed for larvae and nymphs compared to the respective control weights. Nymphs and adults engorged after antihistamine treatment had an average body weight of 1.3±0.54 mg and 54±0.81 mg, respectively. An average decrease in body weight was observed in antihistamine-treated H. longicornis compared with control nymphs (3.3±0.42 mg) and adults (174±1.78 mg). Skin biopsies were collected after treatment, and differential histopathological characteristics were found between the treatment and control groups. Tick-infested skin collected from rabbits in the antihistamine-treated group lacked erythrocytes in the feeding pool, indicating that antihistamine impaired tick fast-feeding stage.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.59 no.1
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• pp.103-108
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• 2021

To date, there is no report on the genetic diversity of ticks in these regions. A total of 370 representative ticks from the south and east regions of Kazakhstan (SERK) and Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (XUAR) were selected for molecular comparison. A fragment of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (cox1) gene, ranging from 631 bp to 889 bp, was used to analyze genetic diversity among these ticks. Phylogenetic analyses indicated 7 tick species including Hyalomma asiaticum, Hyalomma detritum, Hyalomma anatolicum, Dermacentor marginatus, Rhipicephalus sanguineus, Rhipicephalus turanicus and Haemaphysalis erinacei from the SERK clustered together with conspecific ticks from the XUAR. The network diagram of haplotypes showed that i) Hy. asiaticum from Almaty and Kyzylorda Oblasts together with that from Yuli County of XUAR constituted haplogroup H-2, and the lineage from Chimkent City of South Kazakhstan was newly evolved; and ii) the R. turanicus ticks sampled in Israel, Almaty, South Kazakhstan, Usu City, Ulugqat and Baicheng Counties of XUAR were derivated from an old lineage in Alataw City of XUAR. These findings indicate that: i) Hy. asiaticum, R. turanicus and Ha. erinacei shared genetic similarities between the SERK and XUAR; and ii) Hy. marginatum and D. reticulatus show differences in their evolution.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.62 no.1
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• pp.151-156
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• 2024

Bovine borreliosis, caused by Borrelia theileri which is transmitted via hard tick bites, is associated with mild clinical symptoms, such as fever, lethargy, hemoglobinuria, anorexia, and anemia. Borrelia theileri infects various animals, such as cattle, deer, horses, goats, sheep, and wild ruminants, in Africa, Australia, and South America. Notably, no case of B. theileri infection has been reported in Korean cattle to date. In this study, 101 blood samples were collected from a Korean indigenous cattle breed, among which 1.98% tested positive for B. theileri via nested PCR. The obtained sequences exhibited high homology with B. theileri strains identified in other regions. Phylogenetic analysis of 16S rRNA confirmed the B. theileri group affiliation; however, flagellin B sequences exhibited divergence, potentially due to regional evolutionary differences. This study provides the first molecular confirmation of B. theileri infection in Korean livestock. Further isolation and nucleotide sequence analyses are necessary to better understand the presence of B. theileri strains in cows in Korea.

• Korean journal of applied entomology
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• v.59 no.3
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• pp.233-241
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• 2020

Several hard tick species in Ixodidae are medically important pests that transmit infectious disease including severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS). In Korea, the number of SFTS patients continues to steadily increase since its first report in 2013, and Gyeongsangbuk-do (province) is the second most frequent area of SFTS patient occurrence. In order to investigate the distribution of ticks in Sangju city, we collected ticks using the flagging method from 26 sites comprising urban green area, vulnerable area of management, and rural area, and examined SFTS virus from the collected ticks in 2019. Based on Collection Index (CI = tick number / 1 h / 2 people), CI 143 ticks, including Haemaphysalis longicornis, Haemaphysalis flava, and Ixodes nipponensis, were collected; the most abundant species among the three tick species was H. longicornis (CI 138, 96.5%). Ninety two percent (CI 131) of ticks were collected in vulnerable area of management, where people cannot easily enter and are not managed by city hall, whereas only 8.4% (CI 12) were collected in the urban green area and rural area. Regarding SFTS virus detection, virus was not investigated from 26 pools containing CI 143 ticks. The results of this study are expected to be used as a recommendation for ensuring the safety of local residents from tick-borne diseases.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society for Technology of Plasticity Conference
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• 2005.10a
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• pp.467-471
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• 2005

In this paper, experimental methods about the flow behavior of thin polymer film by various edge patterns in the spin coating process for stable cover layer coating of a blu-ray disc is described. The blu-ray disc, a next-generation optical disc format over 25GB, consists of a 1.1m thick substrate and a 0.1mm tick cover layer. Generally, cover layer on the blu-ray disc is made by the polymer spin coating process. However, it is hard to secure sufficient coating uniformity around the rim on the cover layer. In order to get the uniform thickness deviation and to minimize the bead around the rim, the edge of the disc substrate can be modified into various patterns, such as normal plain, trench, step and chamfer pattern, etc, around the rim on the disc and experimented with various parameters, such as surface tension, viscosity, coating time, temperature and rotation speed, etc. And the optimal shape of the rim was tried to get by 3 dimensional computer simulation of the polymer expulsion process.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society for Technology of Plasticity Conference
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• 2005.05a
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• pp.113-116
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• 2005

In this paper, a computational and experimental analysis about the flow behavior of thin polymer film in the spin coating process for stable cover layer coating of a blu-ray disc is described. The blu-ray disc, a next-generation optical disc format over 25GB, consists of a 1.1mm thick substrate and a 0.1mm tick cover layer. Generally, cover layer on the blu-ray disc is made by the polymer spin coating process. However, it is hard to secure sufficient coating uniformity around the rim on the cover layer. In order to get the uniform thickness deviation and to minimize the bead around the rim, the edge of the disc substrate can be modified into various shapes around the rim on the disc and analyzed with various parameters, such as surface tension, viscosity, and rotation speed, etc. The optimal shape of the rim was tried to get by 3 dimensional computer simulation of the polymer expulsion process.