Publications by authors named "Tong Soo Kim"

Myanmar aims to eliminate malaria by 2030. However, recent increase of malaria incidence is a great challenge to archive that goal. Increasing prevalence of Plasmodium vivax also hinders this endeavor.

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Background: Although an effective vaccine has been available, measles still causes mast morbidity and mortality world widely. In Korea, a small number of measles cases have been reported through exposure to imported cases among young people with vaccine-induced measles immunity. Recently due to international migration including marriage, marriage migrants were the second-largest group of foreign population in Korea.

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Background: Babesia is an intraerythrocytic parasite often misdiagnosed as a malaria parasite, leading to inappropriate treatment of the disease especially in co-endemic areas. In recent years, optical diffraction tomography (ODT) has shown great potential in the field of pathogen detection by quantification of three-dimensional (3D) imaging tomograms. The 3D imaging of biological cells is crucial to investigate and provide valuable information about the mechanisms behind the pathophysiology of cells and tissues.

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Emergence and spreading of antimalarial drug resistant malaria parasites are great hurdles to combating malaria. Although approaches to investigate antimalarial drug resistance status in Myanmar malaria parasites have been made, more expanded studies are necessary to understand the nationwide aspect of antimalarial drug resistance. In the present study, molecular epidemiological analysis for antimalarial drug resistance genes in and from the Mandalay region of Myanmar was performed.

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Article Synopsis
  • Advancements in proteomics are creating new diagnostic and treatment opportunities for diseases like malaria, which affects about half of the world’s population and poses a significant infectious disease risk.
  • The study analyzed plasma samples from healthy donors and malaria patients using various techniques, leading to the discovery of elevated levels of α1-antichymotrypsin (AACT) in vivax malaria patients.
  • This finding indicates that AACT could serve as a potential biomarker for diagnosing vivax and falciparum malaria, as its levels were not increased in patients with other mosquito-borne diseases.
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Malaria is still a global challenge with significant morbidity and mortality, especially in the African, South-East Asian, and Latin American regions. Malaria diagnosis is a crucial pillar in the control and elimination efforts, often accomplished by the administration of mass-scale Rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs). The inherent limitations of RDTs- insensitivity in scenarios of low transmission settings and deletion of one of the target proteins- Histidine rich protein 2/3 (HRP-2/3) are evident from multiple reports, thus necessitating the need to explore novel diagnostic tools/targets.

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is an important mosquito vector transmitting diverse arboviral diseases in Myanmar. Pyrethroid insecticides have been widely used in Myanmar as the key mosquito control measure, but the efforts are constrained by increasing resistance. Knockdown resistance () mutations in the voltage-gated sodium channel (VGSC) are related to pyrethroid resistance in .

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Article Synopsis
  • Understanding the knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions of populations is crucial for public health policy, particularly concerning malaria.
  • A survey conducted with 407 participants in high-risk areas of Northern Gyeonggi-do revealed that while knowledge about basic malaria symptoms was high, there was significant confusion about treatment options and medications.
  • The findings indicate that, although awareness of certain risks and facts about malaria was present, many participants lacked basic medical and biological knowledge, suggesting a need for improved public health education in malaria-endemic regions.
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Article Synopsis
  • * Specific clusters for different malaria types were found in various regions, with Jeollanam-do for P. falciparum and Gangwon-do for P. ovale, among others.
  • * While malaria cases in most areas are decreasing due to effective health measures, Gwangju shows an increase in infections, underscoring the need for continued vigilance in controlling malaria.
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The incidence of vivax malaria in Korea was reduced to a low plateau. For successful elimination of vivax malaria, socio-behavioral changes in the communities are essential. This study aimed to figure out awareness of the inhabitants on the vivax malaria endemicity.

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Since 1993, vivax malaria has been recognized as a public health burden in Korea. Despite of pan-governmental malaria-control efforts and the dramatic reduction in the burden of this disease over the last 10 years, vivax malaria has not been well controlled and has remained continuously endemic. We focused interviewed and examined the charts of 28 confirmed vivax malaria patients given malarial therapy for whom daily records were kept from Gimpo-si, Gyeonggido of Korea.

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Vivax malaria incidence in Korea is now decreased and showing a low plateau. Nowadays, vivax malaria in Korea is expected to be successfully eliminated with anti-malaria chemotherapy, primaquine, and vector control. The glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency is associated with potential hemolytic anemia after primaquine administration.

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The circumsporozoite protein (CSP) of Plasmodium spp. is a diagnostic antigen and useful biomarker for monitoring short-term/seasonal changes to malaria transmission. Using P.

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Despite a significant decline in the incidence of malaria in Myanmar recently, malaria is still an important public health concern in the country. Although is associated with the highest incidence of malaria in Myanmar, the proportion of cases has shown a gradual increase in recent years. The genetic diversity of merozoite surface protein-1 block 5-6 (- ICB 5-6) in the population of Myanmar was analyzed to obtain a comprehensive insight into its genetic heterogeneity and evolutionary history.

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Incidence of tsutsugamushi disease (scrub typhus) caused by Orientia tsutsugamushi, is steadily increasing. It is a mite-borne disease transmitted by chigger mites. In this study, the chigger mites were collected from field small mammals in Hwaseong-si (city), Gyeonggi-do (province), Korea, 2019 and 2020.

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This study aimed to characterize the seasonal abundance of hard ticks that transmit severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus from April to November 2019 and 2020 on Ganghwa-do, Incheon Metropolitan City, Korea. The ticks were collected at grassland, grave site, copse and mountain road using a collection trap method. The ixodid hard ticks comprising three species (Haemaphysalis longicornis, H.

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We find out the clusters with high toxoplasmosis risk to discuss the geographical pattern in Gyodong-myeon and Samsan-myeon of Ganghwa-gun, Cheorwon-gun, and Goseong-gun, Korea. Seroepidemiological data of toxoplasmosis surveyed using rapid diagnostic tests for the residents in the areas in 2019 were analyzed to detect clusters of the infection. The cluster was investigated using the SaTScan program which is based on Kulldorff's scan statistic.

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, a high-risk pathogenic human liver fluke, provokes various hepatobiliary complications, including epithelial hyperplasia, inflammation, periductal fibrosis, and even cholangiocarcinogenesis via direct contact with worms and their excretory-secretory products (ESPs). These pathological changes are strongly associated with persistent increases in free radical accumulation, leading to oxidative stress-mediated lesions. The present study investigated infection- and/or carcinogen -nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA)-associated fibrosis in cell culture and animal models.

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Background: Biliary tract infection with the carcinogenic human liver fluke, Clonorchis sinensis, provokes chronic inflammation, epithelial hyperplasia, periductal fibrosis, and even cholangiocarcinoma. Complications are proportional to the intensity and duration of the infection. In addition to mechanical irritation of the biliary epithelia from worms, their excretory-secretory products (ESPs) cause chemical irritation, which leads to inflammation, proliferation, and free radical generation.

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Article Synopsis
  • Toxoplasma gondii seroprevalence is increasing in Korea, with a study assessing antibody levels in three regions: Ganghwa-gun, Cheorwon-gun, and Goseong-gun, involving 1,518 total participants in 2019.
  • The seroprevalence rates were found to be highest in Goseong-gun at 35.7%, followed by Ganghwa-gun at 28.1%, and Cheorwon-gun at 19.5%, indicating significant variation across the areas studied.
  • Findings suggest a need for further research on T. gondii in areas near the Korean demilitarized zone, along with the implementation of health policies to address
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Knockdown resistance (kdr) mutations in the voltage-gated sodium channel (VGSC) of mosquitoes confer resistance to insecticides. Although insecticide resistance has been suspected to be widespread in the natural population of Aedes aegypti in Myanmar, only limited information is currently available. The overall prevalence and distribution of kdr mutations was analyzed in Ae.

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This study was performed to find out the clusters with high parasite infection risk to discuss the geographical pattern. Clusters were detected using SatScan software, which is a statistical spatial scan program using Kulldorff's scan statistic. Information on the parasitic infection cases in Korea 2011-2019 were collected from the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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Clonorchiasis caused by Clonorchis sinensis is endemic in East Asia; approximately 15 million people have been infected thus far. To diagnose the infection, serodiagnostic tests with excellent functionality should be performed. First, 607 expressed sequence tags encoding polypeptides with a secretory signal were expressed into recombinant proteins using an in vitro translation system.

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The flaviviruses are small single-stranded RNA viruses that are typically transmitted by mosquitoes or tick vectors and are etiological agents of acute zoonotic infections. The viruses are found around the world and account for significant cases of human diseases. We investigated population of culicine mosquitoes in central region of Korean Peninsula, Incheon Metropolitan City and Hwaseong-si.

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Mosquitoes are globally distributed and important vectors for the transmission of many human diseases. Mosquito control is a difficult task and the cost of preventing mosquito-borne diseases is much lower than that for curing the associated diseases. Thus, chemical control remains the most effective tool for mosquito.

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