• 한국건강관리협회지
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• 제2권1호
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• pp.77-83
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• 2004

Recently, peoples of travelling to endemic area of parasitit diseases are rapidly increased and the imported parasitic diseases by tourists have become a public health problem. Here author describess briefly about the imported parasitic in Korea. The 15 kinds of parasitic diseases, I.e., malaria, babesiosis, cutaneous leishmaniasis, visceral leishmaniasis, ancylostomiasis, cutaneous larva migrans, angiostrongylosis, gnathostomiasis,loiasis, heterophyiasis, urinary schistosomiasis, hydatis disease, pentastomiasis, cutaneous myiasis and syngamosis were imported during last thirty years. The most prevalent imported parasitic disease was malaria. Indigenous vivax malaria has been eradicated since 1970s. However imported malaria(1970~1985) was reported 107 cases of patient with a history of travel abroad. Futhermore a case of reemerging vivax malaria was patient were occurred in 2000.These parasitic disease are sometimes overlooked or misdiagnosed. There is a need to concern about travel medicine and imported parasitic diseases.

• 한국안광학회지
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• 제9권2호
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• pp.447-453
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• 2004

광주광역시 소재 어린이 놀이터 토양에서 채취한 80개의 토양시료와 123개의 견변시료를 통해 Toxocara canis 충란에 의한 오염 실태를 조사하였다. 어린이 놀이터에서 수집한 토양시료의 15%에서 Toxocara canis의 충란이 검출되었으며, 공원(25%)과 주택가 공터(17%) 토양의 충란 검출률이 비교적 높게 나타났다. 놀이터 토양의 충란 오염률은 봄 가을이 여름 겨울보다 상대적으로 높았으며 오염률이 높은 공원과 주택가 공터에서 계절적 변동폭이 컸다. 놀이터에서 수집한 총 123개의 견변에 대한 충란 검출 결과 검출률은 31%로 나타났으며 토양시료의 검출률(21%) 보다 높게 나타났다.

• 농촌의학ㆍ지역보건
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• 제23권2호
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• pp.295-303
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• 1998

Toxocariasis is a parasitic zoonosis caused by infestation of humans with larvae of Toxocara canis, the common roundworm in dogs. Two syndromes have been identified : visceral larva migrans and ocular toxocariasis. In this study we were characterized proteinase activity in crude extracts from liver, lung, kidney and heart of mice infected with Toxocara canis and the dynamics of their changes in different stages of disease. The optimal pH was 5.5. In liver of mice infected with Toxocara canis, the maximun activity of proteinase was observed in 5 day post infection. In lung, the activity reached its maximun on 5th day in A group (infected with 100 embryonated eggs), and on 5th week in B group (infected with 50 embryonated eggs). In kidney, the maximum activity was shown at 6th week in A group, and in B group was shown at 10th day. In early infection, the activity reached its maximun in heart of mice infected with Toxocara canis. As we could see, the dynamics of the changes of proteinase activity in mice is similar in the case of the disease with other biochemical and immunological indices observed in toxocariasis.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• 제42권3호
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• pp.137-140
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• 2004

Ocular toxocariasis named also ocular larva migrans is caused by larvae of the roundworm Toxocara spp. The purpose of this study was to find out the seroprevalence of Toxocara antibodies in patients suspected of ocular toxocariasis. Between January 2001 and December 2003, sera from 239 ocular patients, aged 3 to 80 years, were examined by ELISA and confirmed by Western blot test. Out of the 239 patients, 172 (72%) were seronegative and 67 (28%) were Toxocara seropositive; 95% CI (22-34%). The median age of Toxocara seropositive patients was 37.6 years. There was no significant difference in the number of Toxocara positive sera between the younger age group (${\leq}14$ years) and the older age group (＞14 years), p＞0.05. A high rate of Toxocara seropositivity in ocular patients should alert the ophthalmologists in Slovenia to include toxocariasis in the differential diagnosis of eye diseases more frequently.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• 제50권1호
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• pp.23-27
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• 2012

The aim of this study is to ascertain the relationship between ingestion of raw cow liver and $Toxocara$ $canis$ infection. A total of 150 apparently healthy adults were divided into 2 groups; 1 group consisted of 86 adults with positive results of Toxocara ELISA, and the other group of 64 adults with negative results. One researcher collected the history of ingestion of raw cow liver within 1 year and recent history of keeping dogs. Among 86 seropositive adults for $T.$ $canis$, 68 (79.1%) had a recent history of ingestion of raw cow liver. Multivariate statistical analysis showed that a recent ingestion of raw cow liver and keeping dogs were related to an increased risk of toxocariasis (odds ratios, 4.4 and 3.7; and 95% confidence intervals, 1.9-10.2 and 1.2-11.6, respectively). A recent history of ingestion of raw cow liver and keeping dogs was significantly associated with toxocariasis.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• 제54권6호
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• pp.751-758
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• 2016

This study aimed at constructing a draft genome of the adult female worm Toxocara canis using next-generation sequencing (NGS) and de novo assembly, as well as to find new genes after annotation using functional genomics tools. Using an NGS machine, we produced DNA read data of T. canis. The de novo assembly of the read data was performed using SOAPdenovo. RNA read data were assembled using Trinity. Structural annotation, homology search, functional annotation, classification of protein domains, and KEGG pathway analysis were carried out. Besides them, recently developed tools such as MAKER, PASA, Evidence Modeler, and Blast2GO were used. The scaffold DNA was obtained, the N50 was 108,950 bp, and the overall length was 341,776,187 bp. The N50 of the transcriptome was 940 bp, and its length was 53,046,952 bp. The GC content of the entire genome was 39.3%. The total number of genes was 20,178, and the total number of protein sequences was 22,358. Of the 22,358 protein sequences, 4,992 were newly observed in T. canis. Following proteins previously unknown were found: E3 ubiquitin-protein ligase cbl-b and antigen T-cell receptor, zeta chain for T-cell and B-cell regulation; endoprotease bli-4 for cuticle metabolism; mucin 12Ea and polymorphic mucin variant C6/1/40r2.1 for mucin production; tropomodulin-family protein and ryanodine receptor calcium release channels for muscle movement. We were able to find new hypothetical polypeptides sequences unique to T. canis, and the findings of this study are capable of serving as a basis for extending our biological understanding of T. canis.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• 제56권6호
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• pp.567-575
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• 2018

Present study was performed to describe the morphological and molecular characterization of Toxocara tanuki (Nematoda: Ascaridae) from Korean raccoon dog, Nyctereutes procyonoides koreensis, naturally infected in the Republic of Korea (Korea). Juvenile and adult worms of T. tanuki were recovered in 5 out of 10 raccoon dogs examined and the larval worms were detected in 15 out of 20 muscle samples (75%). Small lateral alae were observed on the cranial end of the body in male and female adults and 2 long spicules (3.0-3.5 mm) were characteristically observed in the posterior end of males. In SEM observation, 18 pairs of proximal precloacal, a precloacal median, a postcloacal median and 5 pairs of postcloacal papillae were uniquely revealed in the posterior portion of males, but the proximal papillae were not shown in the lateral ends of females. Molecular analysis on the 18S rRNA partial DNA sequences was revealed the same finding in both samples, adult worms and muscle larvae, which are closely related to T. tanuki. In conclusion, it was confirmed for the first time that T. tanuki is indigenously distributed, the Korean raccoon dog is acted as the natural definitive host of this nematode in Korea and the morphological characteristics of T. tanuki were shown in specific structure for single postcloacal median papilla in male.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• 제59권3호
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• pp.189-225
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• 2021

The use of albendazole and mebendazole, i.e., benzimidazole broad-spectrum anthelmintics, in treatment of parasitic infections, as well as cancers, is briefly reviewed. These drugs are known to block the microtubule systems of parasites and mammalian cells leading to inhibition of glucose uptake and transport and finally cell death. Eventually they exhibit ovicidal, larvicidal, and vermicidal effects on parasites, and tumoricidal effects on hosts. Albendazole and mebendazole are most frequently prescribed for treatment of intestinal nematode infections (ascariasis, hookworm infections, trichuriasis, strongyloidiasis, and enterobiasis) and can also be used for intestinal tapeworm infections (taeniases and hymenolepiasis). However, these drugs also exhibit considerable therapeutic effects against tissue nematode/cestode infections (visceral, ocular, neural, and cutaneous larva migrans, anisakiasis, trichinosis, hepatic and intestinal capillariasis, angiostrongyliasis, gnathostomiasis, gongylonemiasis, thelaziasis, dracunculiasis, cerebral and subcutaneous cysticercosis, and echinococcosis). Albendazole is also used for treatment of filarial infections (lymphatic filariasis, onchocerciasis, loiasis, mansonellosis, and dirofilariasis) alone or in combination with other drugs, such as ivermectin or diethylcarbamazine. Albendazole was tried even for treatment of trematode (fascioliasis, clonorchiasis, opisthorchiasis, and intestinal fluke infections) and protozoan infections (giardiasis, vaginal trichomoniasis, cryptosporidiosis, and microsporidiosis). These drugs are generally safe with few side effects; however, when they are used for prolonged time (>14-28 days) or even only 1 time, liver toxicity and other side reactions may occur. In hookworms, Trichuris trichiura, possibly Ascaris lumbricoides, Wuchereria bancrofti, and Giardia sp., there are emerging issues of drug resistance. It is of particular note that albendazole and mebendazole have been repositioned as promising anti-cancer drugs. These drugs have been shown to be active in vitro and in vivo (animals) against liver, lung, ovary, prostate, colorectal, breast, head and neck cancers, and melanoma. Two clinical reports for albendazole and 2 case reports for mebendazole have revealed promising effects of these drugs in human patients having variable types of cancers. However, because of the toxicity of albendazole, for example, neutropenia due to myelosuppression, if high doses are used for a prolonged time, mebendazole is currently more popularly used than albendazole in anti-cancer clinical trials.