• Korean journal of applied entomology
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• v.61 no.2
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• pp.319-330
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• 2022

Andong is a place to culture the great amount of hot pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) in Korea. This study reports a yearly occurrence (March 31~October 25, 2021) of thrips infesting the hot pepper in Andong. Thrips caught to yellow sticky traps were diagnosed by morphological characters and showed two dominant species: Frankliniella occidentalis and F. intonsa. During this period, a total of 107,874 thrips were caught and included F. occidentalis at about 82%, F. intonsa at about 17%, and the other thrips at about 0.3%. There were two main peaks at May~June and at September~October, respectively, in which the total number of thrips was higher in the second peak and most were F. occidentalis. Interestinly, a low level of thrips occurred during July~August was observed and explained by their susceptibility to high temperatures. A laboratory experiment by exposing thrips to high temperatures showed that thrips were susceptible to temperatures higher than 35℃ and not tolerant to 45℃ for 1 h. Indeed, high temperatures higher than 45℃ were recorded in the greenhouses in Andong during July~August. F. occidentalis was more tolerant to the high temperatures than F. intonsa. On the other hand, the thrips showed the highest occurrence peak at July~August in hot pepper-culturing greenhouse in Kangwon, where the average temperatures were mostly lower than those of Andong and no high temperatures higher than 45℃ were recorded during July~August. A viral disease caused by tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV) was observed in the hot peppers cultured in Andong greenhouses. Multiplex PCR was used to detect the virus along with identification of thrips. With a high record of about 30%, the virus-infected thrips were detected during all the monitoring period. The virulent thrips were identified to be only F. intonsa. These results suggest that F. occidentalis gives a direct damage especially during harvesting period with their high populations while F. intonsa gives indirect damage by transmitting TSWV.

• Pediatric Infection and Vaccine
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.20-32
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• 2023

Purpose: This study aimed to identify the etiology and risk factors of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) requiring hospitalization in Korean children during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Methods: Clinical information of children admitted with CAP to Seoul National University Children's Hospital (SNUCH) between January 1, 2021, and February 28, 2022, was retrospectively collected and analyzed. In addition, the etiologic diagnosis and demographic data of children with CAP who were discharged at the other seven hospitals between January and February 2022 were collected. Pneumonia was diagnosed using strict criteria comprising clinical symptoms, physical examination findings, and chest radiographic findings. Results: Among 91 children hospitalized with CAP at SNUCH during the 14-month period, 68.4% were aged <5 years and 79.1% had underlying diseases. Among the 95 CAP cases, respiratory assistance was required in 70.5%, and the use of a ventilator was required in 20.0%. A total of five patients expired, all of whom were either immunocompromised or had underlying neurological diseases. Neurological diseases and immunosuppression were significantly correlated with respiratory assistance (P=0.003) and death (P=0.014). A total of 55% of the detected respiratory pathogens were viruses, the most common of which was rhinovirus at 35.9%. Among the 169 children hospitalized for CAP at the eight institutions, ≥1 respiratory virus was detected in 92.3%, among which respiratory syncytial virus (79.8%) was the most prevalent. Conclusions: Even during the COVID-19 pandemic, Korean children were hospitalized with CAP caused by seasonal respiratory viral pathogens. Although atypical and pyogenic bacteria were not detected, continuous clinical monitoring and further prospective studies should be conducted.

• Pediatric Infection and Vaccine
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.75-82
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• 2024

Purpose: As the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic ended, the number of patients with respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) pneumonia increased during the spring/summer of 2022. This study aimed to analyze the clinical features and antibiotic usage of children hospitalized for RSV pneumonia in a recently established general hospital in Sejong city. Methods: In this retrospective review, we included inpatients of the Pediatric Department of Chungnam National University Sejong Hospital diagnosed with RSV pneumonia between March 2022 and April 2023. Patients were divided into 2 groups: with and without antibiotic treatment. Demographic data, initial presentations, and clinical courses were reviewed. Results: A total of 116 patients with RSV pneumonia were hospitalized during this period, of which 102 were analyzed, excluding 14 with underlying diseases or who did not fall within the definition of pneumonia. The median age was 17 months. Diagnoses of bacterial infections (acute otitis media and sinusitis) were documented in 9.8% of cases. Intravenous (IV) antibiotics were administered in 46% of cases. The group receiving IV antibiotics showed higher inflammatory levels (C-reactive protein; CRP), more infiltration on initial chest X-rays, and longer fever duration. There was no difference in the length of hospitalization between the groups with and without IV antibiotics. Conclusions: This study showed a tendency for the attending physician to prescribe IV antibiotics to patients with longer fever duration, pulmonary infiltrations on the initial chest X-ray, and higher CRP levels. However, given the high rate of IV antibiotic usage compared to previous studies, care should be taken in antibiotic use.