Publications by authors named "Kang Hae-Eun"

Article Synopsis
  • African swine fever (ASF) is a deadly disease in pigs, and the first ASF virus isolate from Korea was used to study how the disease spreads through different infection routes.* -
  • In experiments, pigs were infected through intraoral, intranasal, and intramuscular methods, with all methods showing similar disease progression, whereas pigs exposed through direct contact showed comparable symptoms after a 7-day latency.* -
  • The severity of symptoms varied between infection routes, suggesting that the intramuscular route isn’t ideal for understanding ASF virus mechanisms, while intraoral and intranasal routes are better suited for vaccine and pathogenicity studies.*
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Lumpy skin disease (LSD) is a viral infection that impacts the cattle industry. The most efficient approach to prevent disease involves the utilization of live-attenuated LSD vaccines (LAVs), which stands out as the most successful method. However, LAVs might be subjected to changes to their genomes during replication that increase viral infectivity or virulence.

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  • African swine fever (ASF) is a serious viral disease affecting pigs that originated in China in 2018 and has spread across Asia, with no current vaccines or diagnostic tests available.
  • Researchers developed a new test called QrP-iELISA, which uses four specific proteins to detect antibodies against ASF virus, and they compared its effectiveness to an existing commercial test.
  • The QrP-iELISA showed higher sensitivity for detecting early antibody responses in infected pigs than the commercial test, suggesting it could play a key role in monitoring and controlling the disease.
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The COVID-19 pandemic is caused by the zoonotic SARS-CoV-2 virus. A wide range of animals that interact with humans have been investigated to identify potential infections. As the extent of infection became more apparent, extensive animal monitoring became necessary to assess their susceptibility.

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  • - Since the first African swine fever (ASF) outbreak in South Korea in September 2019, there have been 31 cases on pig farms and nearly 2800 infected wild boars detected by January 2023, indicating a high risk of the virus spreading to domestic pigs.
  • - Despite concerns about the pathogenicity of ASFV strains, a previous study found no changes in virulence from 2019 to 2021; this new research aimed to investigate strains from 2022 to early 2023 for possible alterations.
  • - The study identified two ASFV strains with potentially reduced pathogenicity, but all pigs inoculated with these strains died 8-10 days later, showing consistent symptoms and lesions, suggesting that
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  • * 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.
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  • Fifteen pig farms in South Korea were impacted by African swine fever (ASF) from 2022 to April 2023, prompting genetic analysis of the virus.
  • The study identified that all 15 viral strains fell under p72 genotype II and CD2v serogroup 8, with most containing intergenic region II variants and an additional tandem repeat sequence.
  • Unique genetic variations included a single-nucleotide polymorphism found in six strains and indicated that the ASF virus sources at these affected farms were distinct from those at other farms.
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Despite its many advantages, a reverse-transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification (RT-LAMP) assay has yet to be developed for canine parainfluenza virus 5 (CPIV5). In this study, a visual RT-LAMP (vRT-LAMP) assay was developed for the rapid detection of CPIV5 in clinical samples. At a constant reaction temperature of 62 °C, the assay was completed within 40 min, and the results could be directly detected with the naked eye using a hydroxynaphthol blue (HNB) metal indicator without any additional detection apparatuses.

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Prion diseases are fatal and malignant infectious encephalopathies induced by the pathogenic form of prion protein (PrP) originating from benign prion protein (PrP). A previous study reported that the M132L single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) of the prion protein gene (PRNP) is associated with susceptibility to chronic wasting disease (CWD) in elk. However, a recent meta-analysis integrated previous studies that did not find an association between the M132L SNP and susceptibility to CWD.

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Since 2018, Asian countries have been affected by the African swine fever (ASF) virus, with major socioeconomic consequences. Moreover, the number of people traveling in Asian countries has been increasing, leading to an inevitable increase in the risk of ASF spread through livestock products carried by travelers. China and South Korea have close geo-economic ties and numerous international travelers.

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A duplex real-time quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (dqRT-PCR) assay was successfully developed to simultaneously detect canine parainfluenza virus 5 (CPIV5) and a canine endogenous internal positive control (EIPC) in canine clinical samples. Two sets of primers and probes for the CPIV5 L and canine 16S rRNA genes were included in the dqRT-PCR assay to detect CPIV and monitor invalid results throughout the qRT-PCR process. The developed dqRT-PCR assay specifically detected CPIV5 but no other canine pathogens.

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  • SARS-CoV-2 has been found in companion dogs and cats globally during the ongoing pandemic, but existing human diagnostic methods weren't specifically designed for these animals.
  • Researchers developed a multiplex RT-qPCR (mRT-qPCR) test that accurately detects SARS-CoV-2 in dogs and cats while using a gene from these animals as a control for reliable results.
  • The new test is highly reliable, with a low detection limit and consistent results, achieving a SARS-CoV-2 detection rate of 6.6% in animal samples, making it a valuable tool for diagnosing and monitoring infections in pets.
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  • - SARS-CoV-2 has significantly impacted both humans and animals globally, with the first known case in a dog in Hong Kong in March 2020; by August 2022, there were 692 cases across 36 countries in 25 animal species.
  • - In South Korea, a cat was the first reported animal case in February 2021, with further reports confirming 74 dogs and 42 cats infected by the end of 2021.
  • - Genetic analysis revealed eight SARS-CoV-2 lineages among tested pets, identifying six new lineages in cats and dogs, and underscoring the need for ongoing surveillance of the virus in these animals as potential variant hosts.
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  • Between 2019 and 2021, 21 farms in South Korea were confirmed to be infected with African swine fever (ASF), with viruses examined from blood and spleen samples for genetic analysis.
  • The phylogenetic study showed that all strains belonged to p72 genotype II and serogroup 8, with specific genetic features including the intergenic region II variant and a consistent central variable region.
  • Notably, while most strains were identical to others found in Georgia and China, the 18th isolate displayed a unique mutation with three nucleotide insertions, indicating it might be a distinct variant compared to the other infections.
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Article Synopsis
  • African swine fever (ASF) was first identified in South Korea in 2019, with reports of 21 domestic pig cases and 1,875 infected wild boars by the end of 2021.
  • Researchers experimented with four different ASF virus strains from domestic pigs between 2019 and 2021 to assess their virulence in pigs.
  • All infected pigs succumbed to the disease within 4-9 days, displaying severe clinical symptoms and necropsy findings, confirming that the virulence of the ASFV strains in South Korea remained consistently high during that time.
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Many questions surround the underlying mechanism for the differential metabolic processing observed for the prion protein (PrP) in healthy and prion-infected mammals. Foremost, the physiological α-cleavage of PrP interrupts a region critical for both toxicity and conversion of cellular PrP (PrP ) into its misfolded pathogenic isoform (PrP ) by generating a glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI)-anchored C1 fragment. During prion diseases, alternative β-cleavage of PrP becomes prominent, producing a GPI-anchored C2 fragment with this particular region intact.

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Article Synopsis
  • African swine fever (ASF) is a deadly viral disease in pigs that leads to significant economic losses globally, including in Korea.
  • A new enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) test was developed using two recombinant proteins from genotype II ASF virus, showing high sensitivity (93.5%) and specificity (99.8%) in detecting ASF antibodies.
  • The p22∆TM/p30-based ELISA proved to be a reliable and effective diagnostic tool, even outperforming previous methods in seroconversion analysis for ASFV genotypes I and II.
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  • * The 2020 cases involved two farms, which tested positive for ASF, showing the same genetic markers as the 2019 isolates.
  • * To prevent further outbreaks, stronger biosecurity measures and increased surveillance are recommended, especially in areas where wild boars and domestic pigs interact.
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  • Prion diseases, like chronic wasting disease (CWD), are fatal brain disorders caused by abnormal proteins derived from the normal prion protein gene (PRNP).
  • Researchers studied genetic variations (SNPs) in the PRNP gene of sika deer to determine if these variations contribute to CWD susceptibility, finding a significant association with the c.56G > A mutation.
  • Their analysis revealed 24 SNPs, including 22 new ones, with predictions that certain mutations could adversely affect the protein's function and structure, marking the first such study in sika deer.
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Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a deleterious brain proteinopathy caused by a pathogenic form of prion protein (PrP), which is converted from a benign form of prion protein (PrP) encoded by the prion protein gene (). In elk, the M132L single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) of the gene likely plays a pivotal role in susceptibility to CWD. However, the association of the M132L SNP with susceptibility to CWD has not been evaluated in Korean elk to date.

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Venereal diseases caused by bacteria are important to the equine industry due to economic losses caused by decline of conception rate in breeding horses. Therefore, identification of infected animals as well as the implementation of appropriate managerial procedures based on accurate diagnosis is critical. In this study, two types of multiplex real-time polymerase chain reaction with high sensitivity and specificity were developed for the simultaneous detection and differentiation of five commonly associated bacterial pathogens of venereal diseases in horses, consisting of Taylorella equigenitalis, Taylorella asinigenitalis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Streptococcus zooepidemicus.

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  • Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a prion disease affecting deer, linked to abnormal prion proteins, and previous studies suggest that prion genes may influence susceptibility to various prion diseases.
  • Researchers studied a total of 642 deer (elk, red deer, and sika deer) to analyze polymorphisms in the prion-related protein gene (PRNT) and found significant differences in genotype and allele frequencies between CWD-positive and CWD-negative red deer.
  • This study is the first to establish a strong association between certain PRNT SNPs and the susceptibility to CWD, particularly in red deer, while no such association was observed in elk or sika deer.
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Prion diseases are transmissible spongiform encephalopathies caused by deleterious prion protein (PrP ) derived from normal prion protein (PrP ), which is encoded by the prion protein gene (PRNP). We performed an in-depth examination to detect PrP by using enzyme immunoassay (EIA), real-time quaking-induced conversion reactions (RT-QuIC) and protein misfolding cyclic amplification (PMCA) in nine brain tissues derived from three Holstein cattle carrying the E211K somatic mutation of the bovine PRNP gene. The EIA, RT-QuIC and PMCA analyses were not able to detect the PrP band in any tested samples.

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Article Synopsis
  • * Surveillance efforts revealed that ASF was contained to specific pigsties where infected pigs were first identified, preventing wider spread.
  • * The timely detection of the disease played a crucial role in successfully eradicating ASF from domestic pig farms in the area within just one month.
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  • * Two main pathogens, Borrelia sp. and Rickettsia sp., were identified using PCR techniques, demonstrating a detection rate of 6.8% for Borrelia and 36.5% for Rickettsia among the ticks analyzed.
  • * This study marks the first identification of these pathogens in O. sawaii and the new species in Korea, indicating that these ticks may play a significant role in spreading diseases that could impact public health in Asia.
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