• Journal of applied mathematics & informatics
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• v.32 no.5_6
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• pp.555-566
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• 2014

In this paper, we formulate two chemostat type models of phytoplankton and zooplankton population dynamics with instant nutrient recycling to study the role of viral infection on phytoplankton. The infection is transmitted only among phytoplankton population and it makes them more vulnerable to predation by zooplankton. It is observe that the chemostat system is very stable in the absence of viral infection but the presence of viral infection make the chemostat system sensitive with respect to the grazing rate of infected-phytoplankton by zooplankton. Further, if the grazing rate is less than certain threshold the system remain stable and exhibits Hopf-bifurcation after crossing it.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.6
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• pp.2643-2646
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• 2012

Objectives: Human papillomavirus (HPV) is the major etiological agent of cervical cancer, a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in women worldwide. Screening strategies for reducing the burden of HPV-mediated carcinogenesis are emerging as an effective means for cervical cancer control and prevention in developing countries. Our study, therefore, aimed to identify HPV infection status in North Indian women during random population screening. Methodology: Cervical/vaginal exfoliated cells and/or Pap smear specimens were collected from 890 women of North Indian ethnicity residing in Lucknow and adjoining areas, during random population screening from June 2009-March 2012. HPV viral loads in clinical specimens were determined by the Hybrid Capture (hc)-2 HPV DNA assay, and subsequently, positive/negative/borderline HPV status was calculated. Results: The HPV incidence in the present study was 11.7%. 751 out of a total of 890 women (84.4%) participating in our HPV screening program were HPV negative (HPV -), 104 (11.7%) tested positive (HPV +) while 35 (3.9%) showed borderline (HPV $^*$) infection status. Furthermore, in the HPV + subjects (N=104), 18 (17.3%) showed strong positivity. We observed that HPV positivity tends to increase with age in North Indian women; the higher the viral load with increasing age, higher is the susceptibility to HPV-mediated cervical cancer. Conclusions: HPV viral load/genotyping may help in identifying women at risk of developing cervical cancer. However, cost-effective HPV screening protocols with a wider population coverage are warranted so as to reduce the burden of cervical cancer in women worldwide in the vaccine-era.

• 한국생태학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2002.08a
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• pp.83-91
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• 2002

The Red Queen hypothesis for the advantage of sex predicts that pathogens will evolve by increasing fitness with frequent encounters with specific host genotypes. In this study, BMV population size, measured as an indicator of fitness, was investigated during repeated passages through the same, or different host genotypes of the crop host, Hordeum vulgare (barley). Overall, mean BMV concentration within individual hosts was significantly higher in genetically homogeneous compared to heterogeneous host passage lines. In addition, BMV populations, passaged through a specific host variety, showed higher growth in that host variety compared to BMV passaged through varying varieties. These results supports the Red Queen hypothesis. However, the decrease in viral populations during passages contradicts the Red Queen. Nevertheless, the results found here show that even under simplified conditions, pathogens do not evolve in simple, predictable ways. Constraints on pathogen evolution may lead to counterintuitive results.

• The Korean Journal of Ecology
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.217-225
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• 2002

The Red Queen hypothesis for the advantage of sex predicts that pathogens will evolve by increasing fitness with frequent encounters with specific host genotypes. In this study, BMV population size, measured as an indicator of fitness, was investigated during repeated passages through the same, or different host genotypes of the crop host, Hordeum vulgare (barley). Overall, mean BMV concentration within individual hosts was significantly higher in genetically homogeneous compared to heterogeneous host passage lines. In addition, BMV populations, passaged through a specific host variety, showed higher growth in that host variety compared to BMV passaged through varying varieties. These results supports the Red Queen hypothesis. However, the decrease in viral populations during passages contradicts the Red Queen. Nevertheless, the results found here show that even under simplified conditions, pathogens do not evolve in simple, predictable ways. Constraints on pathogen evolution may lead to counterintuitive results.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.317-320
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• 2015

H3N8 equine influenza virus (EIV) causes respiratory diseases in the horse population, and it has been demonstrated that EIV can transmit into dogs owing to its availability on receptors of canine respiratory epithelial cells. Recently, we isolated H3N8 EIV from an EIV-vaccinated horse that showed symptoms of respiratory disease, and which has a partially truncated nonstructural gene (NS). However, it is not clear that the NS-truncated EIV has an ability to cross the host species barrier from horses to dogs as well. Here, we experimentally infected the NS-truncated H3N8 EIV into dogs, and monitored their clinical signs and viral load in respiratory organs to determine the virus's transmissibility.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.33 no.5
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• pp.508-513
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• 2017

The complete genome sequence of a Slovak SL-1 isolate of Tomato mosaic virus (ToMV) was determined from the next generation sequencing (NGS) data, further confirming a limited sequence divergence in this tobamovirus species. Tomato genotypes Monalbo, Mobaci and Moperou, respectively carrying the susceptible tm-2 allele or the Tm-1 and Tm-2 resistant alleles, were tested for their susceptibility to ToMV SL-1. Although the three tomato genotypes accumulated ToMV SL-1 to similar amounts as judged by semiquantitative DAS-ELISA, they showed variations in the rate of infection and symptomatology. Possible differences in the intra-isolate variability and polymorphism between viral populations propagating in these tomato genotypes were evaluated by analysis of the capsid protein (CP) encoding region. Irrespective of genotype infected, the intra-isolate haplotype structure showed the presence of the same highly dominant CP sequence and the low level of population diversity (0.08-0.19%). Our results suggest that ToMV CP encoding sequence is relatively stable in the viral population during its replication in vivo and provides further demonstration that RNA viruses may show high sequence stability, probably as a result of purifying selection.

• Plant Resources
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• v.4 no.3
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• pp.192-195
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• 2001

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), the causative agent of AIDS, still continues to spread rapidly in the world population, especially in Africa and Southeast Asia. At present, two kinds of therapeutic approaches are used for treatment of AIDS. One is to target HIV reverse transcriptase, which is responsible for the viral genome transcription. The other is to inhibit HIV pretense PR, which is essential for the processing of viral proteins. Drug combinations based on these approaches can reduce the blood virus to an undetectable level. However, a small amount of virus may lurk inside the immune cells in a dormant state. Another major obstacle of long-term treatment of the disease is remarkable mutation in HIV. Most of the clinical chemotherapeutic agents have one or more of these problems. High cost and harmful side-effects further reduced the desirability of these drugs. In the course our studies on development of anti-HIV agents from natural products, we investigated various crude drugs for their inhibitory activity against HIV-induced cytopathic effects (CPE) in culture cells, HIV-pretense (PR), HIV-reverse transcriptase (RT) including ribonuclease H (RNase H), and HIV integrase (INT). In the present paper, some inhibitory substances relating to the development of anti-HIV agents are reported.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.46 no.5
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• pp.582-588
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• 2013

The impact of global warming on aquatic systems has been a priority research area in the past decade. However, the possibility that increased temperatures will cause shifts in viral disease outbreaks has not been well addressed. In the present study, with increasing water temperature (WT) in the coastal area of Korea, we estimated the possibility of changes in fish viral diseases. From the present time, WT may rise between 0.62 and $1.7^{\circ}C$ by 2050, and the effect on aquaculture could be more adverse than benefitial. Red seabream iridovirus disease (RSIVD) and viral nervous necrosis (VNN) cause high mortality above 22 and $24^{\circ}C$, respectively, and outbreaks could commence earlier and persist for prolonged periods. Nevertheless, the period of occurrence of viral hemorrhagic septicemia (VHS), which outbreaks at a lower WT (< $18^{\circ}C$), could be shorter than the current infectious period. Thermal stress in fish causes reductions in growth and immunocompetence; thus, increases in summer WT can lead to the development of new viral diseases. WT has a strong influence on fish population dynamics; therefore, entry of new viruses and changes in the prevalence of infection can be expected if carrier fishes are introduced or migrate to Korean waters.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.25 no.11
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• pp.1960-1965
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• 2015

Rabbit hemorrhagic disease virus (RHDV) is highly contagious and often causes fatal disease that affects both wild and domestic rabbits of the species Oryctolagus cuniculus. A highly pathogenic RHDV variant (RHDVa) has been circulation in the Korean rabbit population since 2007 and has a devastating effect on the rabbit industry in Korea. A highly pathogenic RHDVa was isolated from naturally infected rabbits, and the gene encoding the VP60 protein was cloned into a baculovirus transfer vector and expressed in insect cells. The hemagglutination titer of the Sf-9 cell lysate infected with recombinant VP60 baculovirus was 131,072 units/50 μl and of the supernatant 4,096 units/50 μl. Guinea pigs immunized twice intramuscularly with a trial inactivated RHDVa vaccine containing recombinant VP60 contained 2,152 hemagglutination inhibition (HI) geometric mean titers. The 8-week-old white rabbits inoculated with one vaccine dose were challenged with a lethal RHDVa 21 days later and showed 100% survival rates. The recombinant VP60 protein expressed in a baculovirus system induced high HI titers in guinea pigs and rendered complete protection, which led to the development of a novel inactivated RHDVa vaccine.

• Kidney Research and Clinical Practice
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• v.37 no.4
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• pp.323-337
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• 2018

Infectious complications have been considered as a major cause of morbidity and mortality after kidney transplantation, especially in the Asian population. Therefore, prevention, early detection, and prompt treatment of such infections are crucial in kidney transplant recipients. Among all infectious complications, viruses are considered to be the most common agents because of their abundance, infectivity, and latency ability. Herpes simplex virus, varicella zoster virus, Epstein-Barr virus, cytomegalovirus, hepatitis B virus, BK polyomavirus, and adenovirus are well-known etiologic agents of viral infections in kidney transplant patients worldwide because of their wide range of distribution. As DNA viruses, they are able to reactivate after affected patients receive immunosuppressive agents. These DNA viruses can cause systemic diseases or allograft dysfunction, especially in the first six months after transplantation. Pretransplant evaluation and immunization as well as appropriate prophylaxis and preemptive approaches after transplant have been established in the guidelines and are used effectively to reduce the incidence of these viral infections. This review will describe the etiology, diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of viral infections that commonly affect kidney transplant recipients.