• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.54 no.6
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• pp.743-750
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• 2016

Mus musculus (Rodentia: Muridae) has generally been infected with a rodent hookworm Nippostrongylus brasiliensis. In this report, we present morphological and molecular identification of N. brasiliensis by light and scanning electron microscopy and PCR amplification of mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (cox1) gene and the protein sequences encoded by cox1 gene, respectively. Despite the use of N. brasiliensis in many biochemistry studies from India, their taxonomic identification was not fully understood, especially at the species level, and no molecular data is available in GenBank from India. Sequence analysis of cox1 gene in this study revealed that the present specimen showed close identity with the same species available in GenBank, confirming that the species is N. brasiliensis. This study represents the first record of molecular identification of N. brasiliensis from India and the protein structure to better understand the comparative phylogenetic characteristics.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.53 no.1
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• pp.109-112
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• 2015

Diphyllobothrium latum and Diphyllobothrium nihonkaiense are morphologically similar to each other, and only genetic method can differentiate clearly between the 2 species. A strobila of diphyllobothriid tapeworm discharged from a 7-year-old boy was analyzed to identify the species by mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (cox1) gene sequencing. He and his family (total 4 persons) ate slices of 3 kinds of raw fish 16 days before visiting our outpatient clinic. All family members complained of abdominal pain and watery diarrhea. They all expelled tapeworm strobilae in their stools. They were treated with a single oral dose of praziquantel and then complained of no more symptoms. The cox1 gene sequencing of the strobila from the boy revealed 99.9% (687/688 bp) similarity with D. nihonkaiense and only 93.2% (641/688 bp) similarity with D. latum. Thus, we assigned this tapeworm as D. nihonkaiense. This is the first report of D. nihonkaiense infection in a family in Korea, and this report includes the 8th pediatric case in Korea. The current report is meaningful because D. nihonkaiense infection within a family is rare.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.53 no.6
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• pp.683-688
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• 2015

Human diphyllobothriasis is a widespread fish-borne zoonosis caused by the infection with broad tapeworms belonging to the genus Diphyllobothrium. In mainland China, so far 20 human cases of Diphyllobothrium infections have been reported, and the etiologic species were identified as D. latum and D. nihonkaiense based on morphological characteristics or molecular analysis. In the present study, proglottids of diphyllobothriid tapeworms from 3 human cases that occurred in Heilongjiang Province, China were identified as D. nihonkaiense by sequencing mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (cox1) and NADH dehydrogenase subunit 5 (nad5) genes. Two different cox1 gene sequences were obtained. One sequence showed 100% homology with those from humans in Japan. The remaining cox1 gene sequence and 2 different nad5 gene sequences obtained were not described previously, and might reflect endemic genetic characterizations. D. nihonkaiense might also be a major causative species of human diphyllobothriasis in China. Meanwhile, the finding of the first pediatric case of D. nihonkaiense infection in China suggests that infants infected with D. nihonkaiense should not be ignored.

• Animal Systematics, Evolution and Diversity
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.159-163
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• 2011

DNA barcoding of Bryozoa or "moss animals" has hardly advanced and lacks reference sequences for correct species identification. To date only a small number of cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) sequences from 82 bryozoan species have been deposited in the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) GenBank and Barcode of Life Data Systems (BOLD). We here report COI data from 53 individual samples of 29 bryozoan species collected from Korean seawater. To our knowledge this is the single largest gathering of COI barcode data of bryozoans to date. The average genetic divergence was estimated as 23.3% among species of the same genus, 25% among genera of the same family, and 1.7% at intraspecific level with a few rare exceptions having a large difference, indicating a possibility of presence of cryptic species. Our data show that COI is a very appropriate marker for species identification of bryozoans, but does not provide enough phylogenetic information at higher taxonomic ranks. Greater effort involving larger taxon sampling for the barcode analyses is needed for bryozoan taxonomy.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.49 no.4
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• pp.493-498
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• 2016

Squalus acanthias has been considered the valid scientific name for piked dogfish by many taxonomists, although others recognize two valid species, Squalus suckleyi and S. acanthias, based on differences in the numbers of precaudal vertebrae and their distribution. We compared Korean piked dogfish with S. acanthias from New Zealand using morphological and molecular methods to elucidate the taxonomy. The Korean piked dogfish was distinguished from S. acanthias from New Zealand by the number of precaudal vertebrae (70-75 in the former vs. 77-80 in the latter) and 540 base pairs in the mitochondrial DNA cytochrome c oxidase subunit I sequence (genetic distance: 0.007-0.013). Therefore, we suggest that the scientific name of the Korean piked dogfish be changed from S. acanthias to S. suckleyi.

• Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.405-410
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• 2015

The Korean lumpsucker, "Do-chi", reported previously as Eumicrotremus orbis, was reinvestigated on the basis of specimens collected from Korea, Japan, and the USA. Morphological and genetic analyses showed that "Do-chi" corresponds to Eumicrotremus taranetzi and clearly differs from E. orbis. Eumicrotremus taranetzi is readily distinguishable from E. orbis by its large, high spiny tubercles with weak, small or no prickles (small, low spiny tubercles with distinct prickles in E. orbis) and 3-4 pairs of spiny tubercles in the dorsal rows (five pairs in E. orbis). We compared partial sequences (466 bp) of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I genes of "Do-chi" and other Eumicrotremus species. "Do-chi" and E. taranetzi were clustered by the smallest Kimura two-parameter genetic distance (d = 0.000-0.002) and were clearly separated from E. orbis (d = 0.035-0.037). Therefore, our results suggest that the scientific name of the Korean lumpsucker, "Do-chi" should be changed to E. taranetzi.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.50 no.6
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• pp.829-836
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• 2017

This study investigated the species composition and abundance of floating fish eggs to determine the timing and location of spawning of fish inhabiting the coastal waters of Sagye, Jejudo Island. Eggs were collected with a Bongo net bimonthly from May 2009 to February 2010. Identifications were based on nucleotide sequences of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) gene. Eggs were determined to belong to 43 distinct taxa, 35 of which were identified to the species level. The assemblage spanned eight orders, 23 families, and 32 genera. The number of taxa collected varied from month to month, with 14 taxa (12 species) found in June 2009, 11 taxa (10 species) in October 2009, 10 taxa (nine species) each in August 2009 and February 2010, eight taxa (six species) in April 2009, and five taxa (four species) in December 2009. Five abundant species (Branchiostegus japonicus, Engraulis japonicus, Pseudolabrus sieboldi, Goniistius zonatus, and Halichoeres tenuispinis) together represented 52.8% of the total number of eggs collected during the study.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.53 no.4
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• pp.566-571
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• 2020

To classify a presumed hybrid of imported grouper species acquired from the National Fishery Products Quality Management Service, maternal and paternal lines were identified based on partial sequencing of mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase 1 (co1) and nuclear recombination activation gene 1 (rag1) genes. The matrilineal species was identified as Epinephleus moara by a partial (760 bp) co1 sequence. Ambiguous sequences with base pairs belonging to E. moara or E. lanceolatus were found in a total of 15 different base pairs in the partial 1,159 bp of the rag1 gene, and the patrilineal species was found to be E. lanceolatus. Therefore, all of the groupers examined in the study were identified to be hybrids of E. moara and E. lanceolatus. In addition, a fast and convenient method using random amplification of polymorphic DNA (RAPD) was established for hybrid discrimination. Hybrids between E. moara ♀ and E. lanceolatus ♂ were identified through specific bands of 387 bp and 433 bp in PRIMER 6.

• Annals of Clinical Neurophysiology
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.40-45
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• 2017

Background: Telbivudine is a nucleoside analogue used for the treatment of chronic hepatitis B, but it often develops mitochondrial toxicity leading to symptomatic myopathy. In this study, three patients with telbivudine induced myopathy were enrolled in order to investigate the nature and pathogenesis of mitochondrial toxicity caused by long-term use of telbivudine. Methods: Clinical features, laboratory findings, muscle pathology, and quantitation of mitochondrial DNA were studied in three patients. Results: Patients presented with progressive muscle weakness with high serum creatine kinase levels. Light microscopic findings of muscle pathology showed ragged red fibers that reacted strongly with succinate dehydrogenase stain, but negative for cytochrome c oxidase activities. Electron microscopy revealed abnormal mitochondrial accumulation with rod shaped inclusions. The quantitative peroxidase chain reaction showed a depletion of mitochondrial DNA in skeletal muscle of the patients. Conclusions: Nucleoside analogues including telbivudine are potent inhibitors of viral DNA polymerases. However, they are not specific for viral DNA and can disturb mitochondrial replication at the same time. All nucleotide analogues should be used with close clinical observation in order to avoid development of mitochondrial myopathy.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.50 no.4
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• pp.339-343
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• 2012

The 5th outbreak of trichinosis occurred in a mountainous area of North Vietnam in 2012, involving 24 patients among 27 people who consumed raw pork together. Six of these patients visited several hospitals in Hanoi for treatment. Similar clinical symptoms appeared in these patients within 5-8 days after eating infected raw pork, which consisted of fever, muscle pain, difficult moving, edema, difficult swallowing, and difficult breathing. ELISA revealed all (6/6) positive reactions against Trichinella spiralis antigen and all cases showed positive biopsy results for Trichinella sp. larvae in the muscle. The larvae detected in the patients were identified as T. spiralis (Vietnamese strain) by the molecular analysis of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit III (cox3) gene.