Publications by authors named "Bok Kyung Ku"

Article Synopsis
  • Staphylococcus hyicus is a bacterium that leads to skin disease in piglets, producing harmful toxins responsible for symptoms of exudative epidermitis, and antimicrobial treatment often fails due to resistance issues.
  • A study examined 17 isolates of S. hyicus from piglets, confirming their identity and analyzing the presence of specific exfoliative toxin genes, with 52.9% of isolates showing these genes, primarily exhB, exhC, and exhD.
  • Results indicated that while all isolates were highly susceptible to certain antibiotics, 82.4% displayed multidrug resistance, highlighting the need for better management and treatment approaches for the skin disease in pigs.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Real-time PCR assays are valuable tools for the rapid and accurate diagnosis of infectious diseases by identifying the nucleic acid sequences of pathogens. Here, we aimed to develop a recombinant plasmid-based standard for validating the sensitivity of different molecular diagnostic methods adopting the Jonstrup assay (J assay). Chimeric plasmid DNA (cpDNA) harboring various pathogen genes and the target site of the J assay was constructed.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Recently, cases of antifreeze poisoning in companion animals, particularly cats, have surged in the Republic of Korea. Ethylene glycol (EG), the toxic primary component of antifreeze, is metabolized into glycolic acid (GA), leading to severe metabolic acidosis, acute kidney injury, and death. Traditional detection methods, although effective, are often time-consuming owing to complex sample preparation.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Cryptosporidium and Giardia duodenalis are common parasites that cause diarrhea in dogs and humans, and a study was conducted to examine their prevalence in shelter dogs in South Korea.
  • Researchers analyzed 345 dog fecal samples and found a prevalence of 6.67% for Cryptosporidium spp., with C. canis being the most common, and 17.68% for G. duodenalis, which was more frequent in dogs with diarrhea.
  • The study discovered regional differences in parasite prevalence and identified specific genetic characteristics of the parasites, offering valuable insights into their distribution and types in shelter dogs.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • The study examines cases of bovine abortions in South Korea caused by an opportunistic bacterium, focusing on its pathological findings, antimicrobial resistance, and genetic traits.
  • Three bovine abortion cases revealed severe lung issues and other infections, with bacterium detected in all affected fetuses; two were attributed solely to the bacterium, while one was associated with a viral coinfection.
  • This marks the first report of such abortions linked to this bacterium in South Korea, highlighting the need for ongoing research to understand its characteristics and resistance patterns.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Bovine abortion is a critical problem in the cattle industry. Identifying causes of abortion is key to establishing appropriate herd management and prevention strategies. We used pathology examinations, detection of etiologic agents, and serology to determine the cause of bovine abortions in Korea.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • The study focused on identifying viral agents linked to reproductive failure in pigs in Korea, using samples from aborted fetuses.
  • Researchers developed multiplex real-time PCR methods for detecting specific viruses associated with pig reproductive issues, achieving high sensitivity and specificity.
  • Findings revealed that the Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus was the most common virus found, while new diagnostic methods showed improved sensitivity for detecting porcine parvovirus.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • - The study reports the first detection of novel swine orthopneumovirus (SOV) infections in South Korea, with a 4.4% detection rate in oral fluid samples from pigs across four provinces.
  • - Two complete genome sequences and one glycoprotein gene sequence of the SOV strains from South Korea show significant genetic similarity (98.2% and 95.4%) to previously identified SOV strains from the USA and China.
  • - A genetic analysis classifies the Korean SOV strains into a distinct group (G2) compared to other orthopneumoviruses, contributing to a better understanding of the virus's genetic diversity and distribution in global pig populations.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Introduction: , , and are gastrointestinal protozoa parasites that cause diarrhea in various animals. However, information regarding the detection and phylogenetic characterization of gastrointestinal protozoa parasites in cats is limited throughout South Korea. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the detection and identify subspecies of gastrointestinal protozoa parasites in cats from South Korea.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

For rapid and reliable detection of porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) from pig clinical samples, a multiplex, real-time, reverse transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification (mqRT-LAMP) was developed using two sets of primers and assimilating probes specific to the PEDV N gene and the gene, which was used as an endogenous internal positive control (EIPC) to avoid false-negative results. The assay specifically amplified both target genes of PEDV and EIPC in a single reaction without any interference but did not amplify other porcine viral nucleic acids. The limit of detection was 10 copies/μL, 100-fold lower than that of a reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and equivalent to that of quantitative/real-time RT-PCR (qRT-PCR).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • * A study on infected Siberian tigers identified the virus strain KTPV-2305, closely related to FPV strains in Korean cats, suggesting transmission from stray cats near the zoo.
  • * Vaccinated tigers contracted the virus due to potential vaccine failure or insufficient immunity, highlighting the need for improved vaccination strategies to protect wild carnivores.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

This study aimed to investigate the pathogenicity of extraintestinal pathogenic Escherichia coli (ExPEC) isolated from dog and cat lung samples in South Korea. A total of 101 E. coli isolates were analyzed for virulence factors, phylogroups, and O-serogroups, and their correlation with bacterial pneumonia-induced mortality was elucidated.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objectives: Clostridioides difficile is an etiological agent of enteric diseases in humans and animals. Animals are considered a potential reservoir due to the genetic and antimicrobial resistance similarities between human and animal C. difficile isolates.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Two 3-month-old goats (Capra aegagrus hircus and C. hircus coreanae) died after ataxia. In both goats, white nodules 3 mm in diameter were scattered from the duodenum to the ileum and well-raised white nodules 2-3 mm-diameter in the mucosa of the small intestine.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • PRRSV (Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus) has significantly impacted the global swine industry due to its frequent genetic changes, making control and diagnosis challenging.
  • Researchers analyzed PRRSV-1 and PRRSV-2 samples collected in Korea from 2018 to 2021 to understand their genetic variations and effectiveness of three RT-PCR tests.
  • The study found that while two RT-PCR assays showed high sensitivity and specificity, the OIE assay performed poorly due to mismatches with Korean PRRSV nucleotide sequences.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) is one of the most important pathogens in the swine industry worldwide. In Korea, Fostera PRRS commercial modified live virus (MLV) vaccines have been used since 2014 to control the PRRSV infection. In this study, two PRRSV-2 strains (20D160-1 and 21R2-63-1) were successfully isolated, and their complete genomic sequences were determined.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Foot-and-mouth (FMD) is endemic in Cambodia with numerous outbreaks in cattle, pigs and other susceptible animal species reported every year. Historically, these outbreaks were caused by the FMD virus (FMDV) of serotype O PanAsia and Mya-98 lineages and serotype A Sea-97 lineage. However, the trans-pool movement of FMDV between inter-pool regions or countries throughout FMD endemic regions has raised concerns regarding infection with the new genotype or serotype of FMDV in Cambodia.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

For serodiagnosis of foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV), monoclonal antibody (MAb)-based competitive ELISA (cELISA) is commonly used since it allows simple and reproducible detection of antibody response to FMDV. However, the use of mouse-origin MAb as a detection reagent is questionable, as antibody responses to FMDV in mice may differ in epitope structure and preference from those in natural hosts such as cattle and pigs. To take advantage of natural host-derived antibodies, a phage-displayed scFv library was constructed from FMDV-immune cattle and subjected to two separate pannings against inactivated FMDV type O and A.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Rapid and specific detection of foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) is a key factor for promoting prompt control of FMD outbreaks. In this study, a real-time reverse transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification (RRT-LAMP) assay with high sensitivity, rapidity and reliability was developed using a targeted gene-specific assimilating probe for real-time detection of seven FMDV serotypes. Positive assay signals were generated within 15 min for the lowest concentration of a standard RNA sample at 62°C; this was substantially faster than that achieved by the OIE (World Organisation for Animal Health)-recommended real-time quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) assay.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) is a highly contagious and economically devastating disease affecting cloven-hoofed livestock worldwide. FMD virus (FMDV) type A is one of the most common causes of FMD outbreaks among the seven FMDV serotypes, and its serological diagnosis is therefore important to confirm FMDV type A infection and to determine FMD vaccine efficacy. Here, we generated monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) specific to FMDV type A via hybridoma systems using an inactivated FMDV type A (A22/Iraq/1964) and found 4 monoclones (#29, #106, #108, and #109) with high binding reactivity to FMDV type A among 594 primary clones.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

In this article, we report the complete genome sequence of foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) strain O/VN1/2014 isolated in Vietnam (Lao Cai) in 2014. The virus belongs to serotype O, topotype South East Asia (SEA), and genotype Mya-98 (O/SEA/Mya-98). It is the latest complete genome information for the genotype O/SEA/Mya-98 in Vietnam since 2009.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Rapid and accurate diagnosis of foot-and-mouth disease viruses (FMDV) is essential for the prompt control of FMD outbreaks. Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and real-time quantitative RT-PCR (qRT-PCR) are used for routine FMDV diagnosis as World Organisation for Animal Health-recommended diagnostic assays. However, these PCR-based assays require sophisticated equipment, specialized labour, and complicated procedures for the detection of amplified products, making them unsuitable for under-equipped laboratories in developing countries.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • A new sensitive and specific assay called sRT-LAMP was created to detect serotype O foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV), targeting the VP3 gene without cross-reacting with other virus serotypes.
  • This assay has a detection limit 100 times lower than previous versions and is ten times more sensitive than RT-PCR, while matching the sensitivity of real-time RT-PCR.
  • Unlike earlier methods that failed to detect many strains of serotype O FMDVs, the improved sRT-LAMP assay showed 100% agreement with RT-PCR results and is effective for diagnosing FMDVs in specific regions, like Korea.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Bovine tuberculosis is a chronic contagious disease responsible for major agricultural economic losses. Abattoir monitoring and trace-back systems are an appropriate method to control bovine tuberculosis, particularly in beef cattle. In the present study, a trace-back system was applied to bovine tuberculosis cases in Korean native Hanwoo beef cattle.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The complete genome sequence of a foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) serotype O virus isolated from Gimje, Republic of Korea, is reported here.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

A PHP Error was encountered

Severity: Warning

Message: fopen(/var/lib/php/sessions/ci_sessionmn3uellcmn985215vh7crop8sddeucbq): Failed to open stream: No space left on device

Filename: drivers/Session_files_driver.php

Line Number: 177

Backtrace:

File: /var/www/html/index.php
Line: 316
Function: require_once

A PHP Error was encountered

Severity: Warning

Message: session_start(): Failed to read session data: user (path: /var/lib/php/sessions)

Filename: Session/Session.php

Line Number: 137

Backtrace:

File: /var/www/html/index.php
Line: 316
Function: require_once