• Proceedings of the Korean Environmental Health Society Conference
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• 2005.06a
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• pp.45-72
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• 2005

C. neoformans-associated cryptococcosis is primarily a disease of immunocompromised persons, has a world-wide distribution, and is often spread by pigeons in the urban environment. In contrast, C. gattii causes infection in normal hosts, has only been described in tropical and semi-tropical areas of the world, and has a unique niche in river gum Eucalyptus trees. Cryptococcosis is acquired through inhalation of the yeast propagules from the environment. C. gattii has been identified as the cause of an emerging infectious disease centered on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. No cases of C. gattii-disease were diagnosed prior to 1999; the current incidence rate is 36 cases per million population. A search was initiated in 2001 to find the ecological niche of this basidiomycetous yeast. C. gaftii was found in the environment in treed areas of Vancouver Island. The highest percentage of colonized-tree clusters were found around central Vancouver Island, with decreasing rates of colonization to the north and south. Climate, soil and vegetation cover of this area, called the Coastal Douglas fir biogeoclimatic zone, is unique to British Columbia and Canada. The concentration of airborne C. gattii was highest in the dry summer months, and lowest during late fall, winter, and early spring, months which have heavy rainfall. The study of the emerging colonization of this organism and subsequent cases of environmentally acquired disease will be informative in planning public health management of new routes of exposure to exotic agents in areas impacted by changing climate and land use patterns. Cryptococcosis is an infection associated with an encapsulated, basidiomycetous yeast Cryptococcus neoformans. The route of entry for this organism is through the lungs, with possible systemic spread via the circulatory system to the brain and meninges. There are four cryptococcal serogroups associated with disease in humans and animals, distinguished by capsular polysaccharide antigens. Cryptococcus neoformans: variety grubii (serotype A), variety neoformans (serotype D), and variety gattii (serotypes B and C) (Franzot et at. 1999). C. neoformans variety gattii has recently been elevated to species status, C. gattii. C. neoformans val. grubii and var. neoformans have a world-wide distribution, and are particularly associated with soil and weathered bird droppings. In contrast, C. gattii (CG) is not associated with bird excrement, is primarily found in tropical and subtropical climates, and has a restricted environmental niche associated with specific tree species. (Ellis & Pfiffer 1990) Ellis and Pfeiffer theorize that, as a basidiomycete, CG requires an association with a tree in order to become pathogenic to mammals. In Australia, CG has been found to be associated with five species of Eucalypts, Eucalyptus camaldulensis, E. tereticornis, E. blakelyi, E. gomphocephala, and E. rudis. Eucalypts, although originally native to Australia, now have a world-wide distribution. CG has been found associated with imported eucalypts in India, California, Brazil, and Egypt. In addition, in Brazil and Columbia, where eucalypts have been naturalized, native trees have been shown to harbour CG (Callejas et al. 1998; Montenegro et al. 2000). In British Columbia, Canada, since the beginning of 1999, there have been 120 confirmed cases of cryptococcal mycoses associated with CG in humans, including 4 fatalities (data from British Columbia Centre for Disease Control), and over 200 cases in animal pets in BC (data from Central Laboratory for Veterinarians). What is remarkable about the BC outbreak of C. gattii-cryptococcosis is that all of the cases have been residents of, or visitors to, a narrow area along the eastern coast of Vancouver Island, BC, from the tip of the island in the south (Victoria) to Courtenay on the north-central island as illustrated in Figure 1. Of the first 38 human cases, 58% were male with a mean age of 59.7 years (range 20 - 82): 36 cases (95%) were Caucasian. Ten cases (26%) presented with meningitis, the remainder presented with respiratory symptoms. Cultures recovered from cases of cryptococcosis associated with the outbreak were typed as serogroup B, which is specific to CG (Bartlett et al. 2003). This was the first reported outbreak of CVG in Canada, or indeed, the world. Where infection with CG is endemic, for example, Australia, the incidence of cryptococcosis ranges from 1.8 - 4.7 per million between the southern and northern states (Sorrell 2001). However, the overall incidence of cryptococcosis in immunocompenent individuals has been estimated at 0.2 per million population per year (Kwon-Chung et al. 1984). The population of Vancouver Island is approximately 720,000,consequently, even if the organism were endemic, one would expect a maximum of 0.15 cases of cryptococcal disease annually.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
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• v.24 no.6
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• pp.723-734
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• 2010

This study aims to analyze the change in vegetation for 10 years after the construction, targeting Suwoncheon, the first domestic ecological stream construction project. As for the section for the study, the section from Gyeonggi bridge to Youngyeon bridge, the first restoration project section, was targeted. The research districts consisted of 3 districts depending on topographical structure. Investigation check cosisted of cross-sectional topographical structure, vegetation status and the structure of herbaceous plant community. As for the cross-sectional topographical structure of the stream, the width of entire stream was 26.5~28.0m and water channel is 10~20m. The area for hydrophilic space was securing spacious riverside. Upper stream of reservoir beam was shallow and slow in reservoir area above weir. Lower stream of reservoir beam, the width of water channel was narrow and ripples were formed. Among species, 9 plants were planted and 6 species plants including Salix gracilistyla, Phragmites communis and Zoysia japonica were planted at the time of construction. In the water side, there were 2 species, such as Zoysia japonica and Trifolium repens, etc, still remained after seeding at the time of constrcution. The planted plants which were observed through this investigation, were 2 species such as Festuca arundinacea and Dactylis glomerata. Apart from the planted plants, arid climate herbaceous plant such as Setaria viridis and Artemisia princeps var. orientalis formed power and the naturalized species variously emerged in 15 species. For revetment, natural stone stacking method was condicted and Salix gracilistyla, Aceriphyllum rossii, etc were planted. But all the planted plants disappeared and now it was covered with Equisetum arvense and Humulus japonicus. It was because that the base for growth and development of the plants was not constructed at the time of restoration in a way of attaching natural stones onto the concrete base. In the water channel, various wetland species including Typha orientalis, Acorus calamus var. angustatus and Phragmites communis, etc, were planted but only Salix gracilistyla, Phragmites communis and Zizania latifolia remained. As for species of the autochthons, Persicaria thunbergii was dominant. In the lower stream of reservoir beam, Humulus japonicus formed forces. In the hydrophilic space, it was necessary to direct the landscape of in-stream vegetation in cosideration of users. For this, planting Miscanthus sacchariflorus in a community was proposed. In the upper stream of reservoir beam, suplementary screen seeding was necessary so that Zizania latifolia, Typha orientalis and Phragmites communis can fit the depth of water. In the Lower stream of reservoir beam, it was necessary to constantly manage Humulus japonicus so that the wetland autochthons species, such as Phragmites communis and Persicaria thunbergii can establish power more stably.