is a ubiquitous zoonotic parasite with a wide range of warm-blooded animals as intermediate hosts, where the transmission primarily occurs through ingesting oocysts in the environment. Hence, animals inhabiting a wide geographical range can be sentinels for the environmental contamination of oocysts. The aim of this study was to determine the seroprevalence of in two generalist ungulates in the Republic of Korea (ROK), wild boar () and Korean water deer (), and identify the risk factors associated with this infection.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAfrican swine fever (ASF), a contagious and lethal haemorrhagic disease of domestic pigs and wild boars, poses a significant threat to the global pig industry. Although experimental vaccine candidates derived from naturally attenuated, genetically engineered, or cell culture-adapted ASF virus have been tested, no commercial vaccine is accepted globally. We developed a safe and effective cell-adapted live attenuated vaccine candidate (ASFV-MEC-01) by serial passage of a field isolate in CA-CAS-01-A cells.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe utilization of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) has garnered significant attention in recent times, particularly in the field of biomedical research. The utilization of AuNPs in chemical synthesis procedures raises apprehensions regarding their potential toxicity in living organisms, which is inconsistent with their purported eco-friendly and cost-effective aspects. In this investigation, AuNPs were synthesized the green synthesis approach utilizing Jeju Hallabong peel extract (HPE), a typical fruit variety indigenous to South Korea.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAfrican swine fever virus (ASFV) is the causative agent of the highly lethal African swine fever disease that affects domestic pigs and wild boars. In spite of the rapid spread of the virus worldwide, there is no licensed vaccine available. The lack of a suitable cell line for ASFV propagation hinders the development of a safe and effective vaccine.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDP96R of African swine fever virus (ASFV), also known as uridine kinase (), encodes a virulence-associated protein. Previous studies have examined along with other genes in an effort to create live attenuated vaccines. While experiments in pigs have explored the impact of DP96R on the pathogenicity of ASFV, the precise molecular mechanism underlying this phenomenon remains unknown.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn response to the COVID-19 pandemic, different types of vaccines, such as inactive, live-attenuated, messenger RNA (mRNA), and protein subunit, have been developed against SARS-CoV-2. This has unintentionally created a unique scenario where heterologous prime-boost vaccination against a single virus has been administered to a large human population. Here, we aimed to analyze whether the immunization order of vaccine types influences the efficacy of heterologous prime-boost vaccination, especially mRNA and protein-based vaccines.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAfrican swine fever (ASF), a highly contagious and severe hemorrhagic viral disease in swine, is emerging as a major threat not only in Korea but also worldwide. The first confirmed case of ASF in Korea was reported in 2019. Despite the occurrence of ASF in Korea, only a few studies have genetically characterized the causative ASF virus (ASFV).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAfrican swine fever virus (ASFV) is a highly pathogenic swine DNA virus with high mortality that causes African swine fever (ASF) in domestic pigs and wild boars. For efficient viral infection, ASFV has developed complex strategies to evade key components of antiviral innate immune responses. However, the immune escape mechanism of ASFV remains unclear.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Bats are hosts for many ectoparasites and act as reservoirs for several infectious agents, some of which exhibit zoonotic potential. Here, species of bats and bat flies were identified and screened for microorganisms that could be mediated by bat flies.
Methods: Bat species were identified on the basis of their morphological characteristics.
Bats have been identified as a natural reservoir of several potentially zoonotic viruses, including Lyssavirus, Ebola virus, Marburg virus, Hendra virus, Nipah virus, as well as severe acute respiratory syndrome and Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (CoV). Here, we performed a molecular epidemiological investigation of South Korean bat viruses. Genetic comparative analysis was performed on the spike glycoprotein gene of the detected MERS-related CoVs.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFeline calicivirus (FCV) is a common cause of upper respiratory tract disease in cats. In this study, the complete genome sequence of FCV 14Q315, which was detected from a dead domestic cat with a hemorrhagic-like disease, was analyzed to identify the genetic characteristics. The FCV 14Q315 genome was 7,684 bp.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFUnlabelled: Enterocytozoon bieneusi, an important microsporidian fungus, causes chronic diarrhea in humans and animals worldwide. Out of the 502 fecal samples from wild boars, 13 were positive for the E. bieneusi internal transcribed spacer region, with a prevalence of 2.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFis a protozoan parasite commonly detected in the intestinal tract of humans and animals. It has been actively studied worldwide; however, information on is limited in Korea. Because there is an increasing concern about the contact between wildlife and domestic animals or humans, we assessed the infection status and zoonotic potential of in Korean water deer (KWD, ) using genotyping and phylogenetic analysis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe African swine fever virus (ASFV) was first detected in wild boar in the Demilitarized Zone, a bordered area between South and North Korea, on 2 October 2019. Phylogenetic analyses of ASFV genes encoding p72 and CD2v indicated that the causative strain belongs to genotype II and serogroup 8, respectively, and contained additional tandem repeat sequences between the I73R and the I329L protein genes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFis a genus of parasitic protozoans that live in humans, mammals, and birds and which has been widely studied due to its low host specificity. Limited data are available, however, regarding its presence in wildlife, particularly in South Korea. Contact between wild boars () and livestock or humans has steadily increased as wild boars venture down from the mountains to farms and residential areas.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSevere fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) is an emerging zoonotic tick-borne disease caused by SFTS virus, which circulates among ticks and their host animals, including wildlife. However, few studies have examined SFTS virus infection in wildlife present in the Republic of Korea (ROK). We evaluated SFTS virus infection in tissue samples from Korean water deer (Hydropotes inermis argyropus), one of the most common wild ungulates in ROK.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBats have been widely known as natural reservoir hosts of zoonotic diseases, such as severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) caused by coronaviruses (CoVs). In the present study, we investigated the whole genomic sequence of a SARS-like bat CoV (16BO133) and found it to be 29,075 nt in length with a 40.9% G+C content.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCanine parvovirus (CPV) was detected in three of 136 samples from dead raccoon dogs ( Nyctereutes procyonoides) in the Republic of Korea (South Korea) during 2016-17. By sequence and phylogenetic analysis of the complete VP2 gene, the strain belonged to CPV-2 and would be distinct from the previous reported CPV-2a and CPV-2b strains from Korean domestic dogs ( Canis lupus familiaris). The results indicated that the CPV strains from raccoon dogs and domestic dogs might be not circulated between wild and domestic carnivores in Korea.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBats have been identified as a natural reservoir for several potentially zoonotic viruses. Recently, astroviruses have been reported in bats in many countries, but not Korea. We collected 363 bat samples from thirteen species at twenty-nine sites in Korea across 2016 and tested them for astrovirus.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFA novel avian paramyxovirus (APMV), Cheonsu1510, was isolated from wild bird feces in South Korea and serologically and genetically characterized. In hemagglutination inhibition tests, antiserum against Cheonsu1510 showed low reactivity with other APMVs and vice versa. The complete genome of Cheonsu1510 comprised 15,408 nucleotides, contained six open reading frames (3'-N-P-M-F-HN-L-5'), and showed low sequence identity to other APMVs (< 63%) and a unique genomic composition.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWe report the identification of a novel reassortant clade 2.3.4.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBats have increasingly been recognized as the natural reservoir of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), coronavirus, and other coronaviruses found in mammals. However, little research has been conducted on bat coronaviruses in South Korea. In this study, bat samples (332 oral swabs, 245 fecal samples, 38 urine samples, and 57 bat carcasses) were collected at 33 natural bat habitat sites in South Korea.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWild birds are reservoirs for Chlamydia spp. Of the total 225 samples from wild birds during January to September 2016 in Korea, 4 (1.8%) and 2 (0.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: On November 20, 2016 two novel strains of H5N6 highly pathogenic avian influenza virus (HPAIVs) were isolated from three whooper swans (Cygnus cygnus) at Gangjin Bay in South Jeolla province, South Korea. Identification of HPAIVs in wild birds is significant as there is a potential risk of transmission of these viruses to poultry and humans.
Results: Phylogenetic analysis revealed that Gangjin H5N6 viruses classified into Asian H5 clade 2.