Publications by authors named "Seong Keun Hong"
African swine fever virus (ASFV) genotype II is endemic to Vietnam. We detected recombinant ASFV genotypes I and II (rASFV I/II) strains in domestic pigs from 6 northern provinces in Vietnam. The introduction of rASFV I/II strains could complicate ongoing ASFV control measures in the region.
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- 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.*
Article Synopsis
- - 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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- 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.
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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- 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.
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.
African swine fever (ASF) is a substantial concern for global food production and security. However, lack of epidemiologic data in affected areas has limited the knowledge of the main drivers of ASF virus (ASFV) transmission. To assess the role of vehicle movements and wild boar populations in spreading ASFV to pig farms in South Korea, we combined data generated by ASF surveillance on pig farms and of wild boars with nationwide global positioning system-based tracking data for vehicles involved in farming activities.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe seasonality of African swine fever (ASF) in the summers and outbreaks in farms with high biosecurity levels suggest that the ASF virus (ASFV) may be transmitted by arthropod vectors. Arthropods were collected in this study from 14 pig farms with ASF outbreaks in Korea in 2019 to explore the role of arthropods as potential ASFV vectors. A total of 28,729 arthropods, including 28,508 (99.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThis study describes the epidemiological characteristics of six epidemics of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) in the Republic of Korea between 2014 and 2019. A total of 223 outbreaks had been confirmed in 40 municipalities across nine provinces. Most farms with FMD (194, 87%) were located in three densely populated livestock areas (Chungcheongnam-do, Gyeonggi-do, and Chungcheongbuk-do).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWild migratory waterfowl are considered one of the most important reservoirs and long-distance carriers of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI). Our study aimed to explore the spatial and temporal characteristics of wild migratory waterfowl's wintering habitat in the Republic of Korea (ROK) and to evaluate the impact of these habitats on the risk of HPAI outbreaks in commercial poultry farms. The habitat use of 344 wild migratory waterfowl over four migration cycles was estimated based on tracking records.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFClinical symptoms of African swine fever in domestic pig farms in the Republic of Korea, 2019.
Transbound Emerg Dis
September 2020
This study describes the clinical characteristics of the African swine fever (ASF) outbreaks in 14 domestic pig farms in the Republic of Korea. ASF outbreak was identified by farmers' notifications in 11 farms and by active surveillance in the remaining three. At the time of notification, farmers reported sudden death, abortion and anorexia in sows.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Influenza viruses cause acute respiratory disease. Because of the high genetic variability of viruses, effective vaccines and antiviral agents are limited. Considering the fact that the site of influenza virus entry is the mucosa of the upper respiratory tract, probiotics that can enhance mucosal immunity as well as systemic immunity could be an important source of treatment against influenza infection.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSuppression of interleukin (IL)-6 production has beneficial effects against various inflammatory diseases. Through a rapid screening system, we found that nitazoxanide, or 2-acetyloxy-N-(5-nitro-2-thiazolyl) benzamide, which is a well-known antiparasitic agent, suppressed lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced production of IL-6 from RAW 264.7 cells and mouse peritoneal macrophages, with 50% inhibitory concentrations (IC(50)s) of 1.
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