• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.17-26
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• 2004

Pest monitoring through field surveys and surveillance helps in forecasting the population build up of pest. It reduces the load of pesticides application and forms the basis of Integrated Pest Management in sericulture. Common sampling techniques for quantifying pest populations and damage caused by them are reviewed emphasizing the need for quick and simple sampling methods. Various direct and indirect sampling methods for establishing pest populations are discussed and methods have been discussed to use indirect sampling method under IPM programme in sericulture. The use of pheromone lures and traps forms one of the important ingredients of integrated pest management, which calls for integration of all available methods in a cost effective and environmental friendly manner offering consistent efficacy. Silk-worms feed on the variety of silk host plants and spin cocoons. Each silk host plant is attacked in the field by number of insect pest species. Several pests are common to mulberry, tasar, oak tasar, muga and eri host plant but pest status and seasonal abundance differs from each crop. The key pests are serious perennially occurring persistent species which cause considerable yield loss every year on large areas and require control measure. Regular occurrence of minor pest is noticed but sudden increase in its population is not known. The occasional pests are sporadic but potential causing sufficient damage. Silk losses due to attack of all the pests have not been calculated. However, information on pest biology and ecology, and control practices being practiced is available but the period of outbreak of major pests and predators on silkworms and its host plant needs to be reinvestigated. Pest and predators forecasting based on surveillance information may provide an opportunity to minimize the losses, particularly to reduce expenditure involved in pest management.

• Proceedings of the National Institute of Ecology of the Republic of Korea
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.60-67
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• 2024

Hitchhiker insect species from international vessels entering Korea in 2022 were monitored. A total of 947 samples of hitchhiker insects were collected using a simple collection method by hand. Among them, 856 individuals were classified as 374 species of 86 families in 10 orders through integrative analysis with DNA barcoding and morphological examination. The rest 91 individuals were identified only to the family level. As a result of examining the distribution of the 374 species (856 individuals), 38 species (71 individuals) were confirmed as not-distributed species in Korea, including six species (11 individuals) as 'regulated species' listed by the Korean Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency. Of 38 not-distributed species, 10 species were detected multiple times (at least twice). Accordingly, it is necessary to strengthen monitoring of the area around the port of entry along with continuous surveillance to prevent invasion of species detected multiple times. For monitoring alien hitchhiker insect species, this study provided detection information and biological data for alien species.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.58 no.5
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• pp.551-558
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• 2020

The flaviviruses are small single-stranded RNA viruses that are typically transmitted by mosquitoes or tick vectors and are etiological agents of acute zoonotic infections. The viruses are found around the world and account for significant cases of human diseases. We investigated population of culicine mosquitoes in central region of Korean Peninsula, Incheon Metropolitan City and Hwaseong-si. Aedes vexans nipponii was the most frequently collected mosquitoes (56.5%), followed by Ochlerotatus dorsalis (23.6%), Anopheles spp. (10.9%), and Culex pipiens complex (5.9%). In rural regions of Hwaseong, Aedes vexans nipponii was the highest population (62.9%), followed by Ochlerotatus dorsalis (23.9%) and Anopheles spp. (12.0%). In another rural region of Incheon (habitat of migratory birds), Culex pipiens complex was the highest population (31.4%), followed by Ochlerotatus dorsalis (30.5%), and Aedes vexans vexans (27.5%). Culex pipiens complex was the predominant species in the urban region (84.7%). Culicine mosquitoes were identified at the species level, pooled up to 30 mosquitoes each, and tested for flaviviral RNA using the SYBR Green-based RT-PCR and confirmed by cDNA sequencing. Three of the assayed 2,683 pools (989 pools without Anopheles spp.) were positive for Culex flaviviruses, an insect-specific virus, from Culex pipiens pallens collected at the habitats for migratory birds in Incheon. The maximum likelihood estimation (the estimated number) for Culex pipiens pallens positive for Culex flavivirus was 25. Although viruses responsible for mosquito-borne diseases were not identified, we encourage intensified monitoring and long-term surveillance of both vector and viruses in the interest of global public health.

• BMB Reports
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• v.55 no.11
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• pp.571-576
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• 2022

Advancements in the field of proteomics have provided opportunities to develop diagnostic and therapeutic strategies against various diseases. About half of the world's population remains at risk of malaria. Caused by protozoan parasites of the genus Plasmodium, malaria is one of the oldest and largest risk factors responsible for the global burden of infectious diseases with an estimated 3.2 billion persons at risk of infection. For epidemiological surveillance and appropriate treatment of individuals infected with Plasmodium spp., timely detection is critical. In this study, we used combinations of depletion of abundant plasma proteins, 2-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2-DE), image analysis, LC-MS/MS and western blot analysis on the plasma of healthy donors (100 individuals) and vivax and falciparum malaria patients (100 vivax malaria patients and 8 falciparum malaria patients). These analyses revealed that α1-antichymotrypsin (AACT) protein levels were elevated in vivax malaria patient plasma samples (mean fold-change ± standard error: 2.83 ± 0.11, based on band intensities), but not in plasma from patients with other mosquito-borne infectious diseases. The results of AACT immunoblot analyses showed that AACT protein was significantly elevated in vivax and falciparum malaria patient plasma samples (≥ 2-fold) compared to healthy control donor plasma samples, which has not been previously reported.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.40 no.3
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• pp.335-340
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• 2022

After detection of red imported fire ant (Solenopsis invicta) at Gamman port in Busan in September of 2017, Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency has surveilled invasive ants in the area with a high invasion risk of ants. However, existing surveillance traps have several limitations such as captured ants could escape easily or it is very hard to set up the trap on a hard ground like concrete or asphalt. To solve these problems, we developed a new trap using multiple narrow tubes to attract ants to the inside of the trap and make it hard for ants to escape. The new trap can be easily set up under various conditions. The new trap has more than four times ant capturing efficacy compared to conventional pitfall traps. Our results confirmed that the new trap could prevent captured ants from escaping. We hope that this newly developed trap would contribute to the prevention of invasive ants.

• Research in Plant Disease
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.202-212
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• 2018

Major viruses infecting rice are transmitted by planthoppers such as small brown planthopper (SBPH), brown planthopper (BPH) and white-backed planthopper (WBPH). In this study, we investigated planthoppers captured during 2015 to 2017 by a smart sky net trap (SSNT) system installed in 40 areas in Korea, which is an automatic, rapid and real-time insect surveillance system. The average rates of captured migration plnathoppers was 27.5%, 17.2%, 15.3% and 10.9% in Chungcheongnamdo, Jeollanamdo, Jeollabukdo and Gyeonggido, orderly. The highly migrated month was July for SBPH, July to August for WBPH and August for BPH. To investigate the viruliferous rates of planthoppers of rice during 2015 to 2017, we performed RT-PCR using specific primers for each rice virus. RBSDV was detected from 0.4% in SBPH, while no viruses were detected in BPH and SBPH. Rice planthoppers exist all around in Asia. They can move long distance by wind from southern countries to Korea. Monitoring the migration of rice planthoppers and their viruliferous rates is important to prevent the outbreaks of rice virus diseases.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.45 no.1
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• pp.63-70
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• 2005

African swine fever (ASF) is an infectious disease of domestic and wild pigs for which there is no vaccine in the world. A proper surveillance of viral activity and a timely response to ASF outbreaks depend upon the rapid diagnosis of ASF viral infection. Internationally prescribed enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) is a fast, sensitive test routinely used in the diagnosis of the ASF. However, inactivated whole ASF virus antigen used in this test is a tedious to prepare and has a risk of outside exposure of infectious virus by laboratory accident during the preparation. An ASF virus noninfectious recombinant antigen is a safe and easily produced alternative antigen for use in diagnostic assay. We have cloned the ORF O61R gene of the ASF virus to generate a recombinant baculovirus producing the p12 protein in insect cells under control of the polyhedrin promoter as non-fusion protein. When used in an indirect ELISA, the p12 antigen showed reactivity with all known ASF positive pig sera but not with negative pig sera. Our results indicated that the p12 protein would be one of alternative antigens for diagnosis of the ASF.

• Journal of Bio-Environment Control
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.120-126
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• 2012

Two experiments were designed and executed to measure the effectiveness of the two-fluid fogging system in controlling whiteflies in tomato cultivation. The two-fluid fogging system that lowers temperature and raises humidity in greenhouses provides an eco-friendly method of preventing damages from whiteflies. The first experiment elucidated the effect of fogging treatment on the elimination of whiteflies and investigated the sectional distribution of whiteflies. The second experiment analyzed the vertical distribution, the motility of whiteflies and reduction of the number of whiteflies under the fogging system. The result of the experiments showed that the fogging system lowered the number of whiteflies and decreased their motility significantly. It affected the vertical distribution of whiteflies as well. Based on these experiments, we strongly recommend using the fogging system to prevent and control whiteflies in greenhouses, in addition to installing yellow sticky traps in the areas that have the highest density of whiteflies.