• Journal of Veterinary Science
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.7.1-7.7
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• 2024

Background: Infections of cats with Echinococcus granulosus is uncommon because the cat is not part of the parasite life cycle that a carnivorous and another herbivore represent. Nevertheless, it occurs incidentally when eating food or drinking water contaminated with the worm's larva, especially with the presence of the definitive host (dogs), in this case, the infections are concentrated in stray or outside cats. For this reason, this study examined the possibility of cat infection with E. granulosus and diagnosed the common genotype of this infection. Objective: This study examined the possibility of cat infection with E. granulosus and diagnosed the common genotype of this infection. Methods: Four of the 37 cats that had died in different accidents developed cystic echinococcosis (CE). The cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COX1) gene was initially amplified and sequenced to determine if these cysts belonged to E. granulosus, in beginning. The DNA fragments resulting from sequencing were then compared and aligned with other sequences using the Gene Bank database. Finally, a phylogenetic tree was drawn according to the sequence data obtained from cox1 genes sequencing, and the MEGA 7.0 phylogenetic analysis program was utilized. Results: Four different sequences were deposited in the Gen Bank with accession numbers (ON795961 to ON795964), all of which belong to the G1 genotype. Approximately 84% and 100% of these sequences aligned with G1 (AB622277.1) and G1 (MG722980.1), respectively. Conclusions: G1 is the dominant genotype that causes cat infections, even though the cat's EC infection was incidental.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.192-198
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• 2007

Kimchi is one of the representative traditional foods in Korea, which is recognized as a kind of wellbeing foodstuffs. However, as increasing foreign-made Kimchi, its safety as food is at the forefront of public health concerns. We analyzed the washing methods of Chinese cabbages, which are the main materials in Kimchi, to prevent parasite contamination during preparing it. To decontaminate parasite eggs from Chinese cabbages, discard the discolored outer leaves from cabbages, spread the space of leaves with fingers and rinse more than 3 separate water tanks with streaming water (velocity more than 0.8m/sec). At each tank, Chinese cabbages were rinsed with more than 3 strokes upward and downward within the streaming water followed by moving back and forth more than 3 times, with 20cm in height and 30cm in width, respectively. Decontamination efficiency increased higher in parallel with streaming velocity of water, and with adding the vegetable detergent to the tank water.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.51 no.6
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• pp.727-733
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• 2013

Despite the existence of effective anthelmintics, parasitic infections remain a major public health problem in Southeast Asia, including Thailand. In rural communities, continuing infection is often reinforced by dietary habits that have a strong cultural basis and by poor personal hygiene and sanitation. This study presents a survey of the prevalence of intestinal parasitic infections among the people in rural Thailand. The community-based cross-sectional study was conducted in villages in Khon Kaen Province, northeastern Thailand, from July to August 2013. A total of 253 stool samples from 102 males and 140 females, aged 2-80 years, were prepared using formalin-ethyl acetate concentration methods and examined using light microscopy. Ninety-four individuals (37.2%) were infected with 1 or more parasite species. Presence of parasitic infection was significantly correlated with gender (P=0.001); nearly half of males in this survey (49.0%) were infected. Older people had a higher prevalence than younger members of the population. The most common parasite found was Opisthorchis viverrini (26.9%), followed by Strongyloides stercoralis (9.5%), Taenia spp. (1.6%), echinostomes (0.4%), and hookworms (0.4%). The prevalence of intestinal protozoa was Blastocystis hominis 1.6%, Entamoeba histolytica 0.8%, Entamoeba coli 0.8%, Balantidium coli 0.4%, Iodamoeba b$\ddot{u}$tschlii 0.4%, and Sarcocystis hominis 0.4%. Co-infections of various helminths and protozoa were present in 15.9% of the people. The present results show that the prevalence of parasitic infections in this region is still high. Proactive education about dietary habits, personal hygiene, and sanitation should be provided to the people in this community to reduce the prevalence of intestinal parasite infections. Moreover, development of policies and programs to control parasites is needed.

• Journal of fish pathology
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.117-123
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• 2015

Economic loss by soft tunic syndrome of edible ascidian, Halocynthia roretzi has become a serious problem. Recently, it has discovered that the cause of this syndrome is infection by a protozoan parasite Azumiobodo hoyamushi. However, only a few studies have been conducted to control this parasitic disease. In a previous research, non-specific disinfectants have been found to be effective in controling the causative parasite. In an attempt to eradicate this causative parasite, organic acids were tested in this study to evaluate their in vitro and in vivo efficacy. In vitro tests showed that 8 different organic acids used in this study were moderately or highly effective with protozoan-killing effects ($EC_{50}=153{\sim}275{\mu}g/ml$). Despite weak in vivo penetration of organic acids into the tunic tissues, treatment with high concentration reduced the mortality of ascidian caused by infection the parasite, indicating that we might be able to develop a disinfection method using environmentally-friendly organic acids.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.8
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• pp.3413-3418
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• 2015

Background: Liver fluke infection caused by the parasite Opisthorchis viverrini (O. viverrini), a human carcinogen, is endemic in north-eastern Thailand and remains a major health problem. Objectives: The objectives of the study were to (1) resurvey the prevalence of O. viverrini infection in a field site from the Khon Kaen Cohort Study (in newly recruited subjects as well as previous cohort subjects surveyed in 1992); (2) investigate how subjects' lifestyle habits and their exposure to health promotion initiatives influence changes in prevalence of O. viverrini infection. Materials and Methods: The prevalence of O. viverrini infection in the cohort subjects (as well as new subjects) was investigated using faecal egg counts. Information on demographic factors, lifestyle and awareness of health promotion initiatives were obtained through questionnaires. Results: O. viverrini infection rates in the same individuals of the cohort were lower in 2006 than in 1992. Also, by studying the period effect, the current 35-44 year olds had a 12.4% (95% CI 3.9% to 20.9%) lower prevalence of O. viverrini infection than the 35-44 year olds in 1992 (24.2% versus 11.8%). Lifestyle choices showed that smoking and alcohol consumption were associated with an increased chance of acquiring O. viverrini infection with adjusted odds ratios of 10.1 (95%CI 2.4-41.6) and 5.3 (95%CI 1.2-23.0), respectively. Conclusions: Our study has demonstrated that although the prevalence of O. viverrini infection over a 14-year period has decreased, unhealthy lifestyle was common with smoking and alcohol consumption being associated with increased chances of infection, emphasising the double burden of disease which developing countries are facing.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.25 no.8
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• pp.1246-1256
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• 2015

Chlamydophila psittaci is an important intracellular pathogen. Persistent infection is an important state of the host-parasite interaction in this chlamydial infection, which plays a significant role in spreading the organism within animal populations and in causing chronic chlamydiosis and serious sequelae. In this study, a C. psittaci persistent infection cell model was induced by penicillin G, and real-time quantitative PCR was used to study the transcriptional levels of 10 C. psittaci genes (dnaA, dnaK, ftsW, ftsY, grpE, rpsD, incC, omcB, CPSIT_0846, and CPSIT_0042) in acute and penicillin-G-induced persistent infection cultures. Compared with the acute cultures, the penicillin-G-treated cultures showed a reduced chlamydial inclusion size and a significantly decreased number of elementary body particles. Additionally, some enlarged aberrant reticulate body particles were present in the penicillin-G-treated cultures but not the acute ones. The expression levels of genes encoding products for cell division (FtsW, FtsY) and outer membrane protein E encoding gene (CPSIT_0042) were downregulated (p < 0.05) from 6 h post-infection onward in the persistent infection cultures. Also from 6 h post-infection, the expression levels of DnaA, DnaK, IncC, RpsD, GrpE, and CPSIT_0846 were upregulated (p < 0.05); however, the expression level of OmcB in the persistent infection was< almost the same as that in the acute infection (p > 0.05). These results provide new insight regarding molecular activities that accompany persistence of C. psittaci, which may play important roles in the pathogenesis of C. psittaci infection.

• ALGAE
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.287-295
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• 2007

Infection of free-living dinoflagellates by endoparasitic dinoflagellates of the genus Amoebophrya are thought to have significant impacts on host population dynamics and have long been proposed to be a potential biological agent for controlling harmful algal bloom (HAB). To understand the impact of Amoebophrya on particular host species, however, it is necessary to quantify aspects the parasites life cycle. Here we used cultures of Amoebophryahost systems from Jinhae Bay, Korea to determine, parasite generation time, and dinospore survival and infectivity. The proportion of host cells infected by Amoebophrya sp. changed sharply from 5% to 87% with increasing dinospore:host inoculation ratios. In the absence of H. triquetra, most free-living dinospores died within 72 hours and their ability to infect host cells decreased remarkably in a day. The relatively short free-living phase of Amoebophrya suggests that the spread of infections is most likely to occur during seasons of high host abundance, as that is when dinospores have the greatest chance of encountering host cells. Infection of host cells inoculated with dinospores during the day was higher than when inoculated during the night, suggesting that infection rates might be related to environmental light conditions and/or diurnal biological rhythm of host species. Total generation times of parasite strains from a thecate dinoflagellate Heterocapsa triquetra were nearly the same regardless of dinospore:host inoculation ratios, representing 54 ± 0.5 h in a 1:1 ratio and 55 ± 1.2 h in a 20:1 ratio. Dinospore production of Amoebophrya sp. infecting Heterocapsa triquetra was estimated to be 125 dinospores per a strain of Amoebophrya sp. There is a growing need to maintain a variety of host-parasite systems in culture and to examine their autecology under various environmental conditions. Such studies would be very helpful in understanding ecological role of these parasites, their overlooked importance in the flow of material and energy in marine ecosystem, and their practical use as biological control agents applied directly to areas affected by HAB.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.49 no.3
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• pp.215-227
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• 2016

In freshwater ecosystems, the types of fish parasites are diverse and routes of infection are complicated because they maintain the life cycle in a variety of host animals, The present study investigated the infestation characteristics of parasites occurring in abdominal cavity of Zacco platypus in Seom River from February to October 2007. At the same time, four streams (Gam Stream, Daepo Stream, Yangsan Stream, and Yulha Stream) were also surveyed for the reference of fish infection. Aquatic insects and shellfish predominated benthic macroinvertebrate assemblages by 90.4% and 7.7% of relative abundance, respectively. Aquatic insects were composed mostly of Ephemeroptera (46.8%) and Trichoptera (29.8%), and shellfish was Gastropods. Freshwater fish was most abundant Cyprinid and Z. platypus by 85.7% and 48.8%, respectively. Among waterfowl, Anas poecilorhyncha and Egretta garzetta were dominant in August. Fish parasites observed in the abdominal cavity of Z. platypus was classified as Ligula intestinalis, belonging to Phylum Platyhelminthes Cestoda Pseudophyllidae. L. intestinalis was observed from Z. platypus in October, as the number of one individual in the Seom River and fifteen individuals in the Yangsan Stream. Infection rate of plerocercoid ranged 1.4~15.8%. We discussed the relationship between the life cycle of the parasite and the host, and hope our results to be useful for understanding the ecology of the fish abdominal parasites in Korean river ecosystem.

• Journal of fish pathology
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.51-60
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• 1998

Concerned to the lyfe cycle of Ichthyophthirius multifiliis, the experimental infection and development of the parasites were studied in the several freshwater cultured fishes. Opitimum conditions for the propagation of the parasite by serial passage with the rainbow trout fry was observed. Visiable white spots were examined in the body surface, fins and gills of the healthy fries, and a stable infection has been maintained for 2 months in the experimental system (Temperature: $18{\pm}1^{\circ}C$ DO: 7-7.5 ppm; pH: $7{\pm}0.2$). Induction conditions for artificial infection of the parasite by interms of the host fishes, stages of the parasites, and rearing temperature regimes was investigated. Rainbow trout fries showed a positive infection which was resulted from exposure of theront at $18^{\circ}C$. The rainbow trout fries induced white spots on the body surface at 3-7 days exposure to the theronts at $18^{\circ}C$. It was found that exposure of the rainbow trout fries exposed to 1,000 theronts per fish (10 theront/ml) for 45-60 minutes at $18^{\circ}C$ would consistently produce infection. Perfect infection (100%) was induced when the fries were exposed to 1,500 theront per fish (15 theront/ml) under laboratory condition. Development of I. multifiliis in the rainbow trout was observed for 7 days postexposure (PE). The parasite increased in average diameter from $54{\mu}m$ on the 1st day PE to $426{\mu}m$ on the 7th day PE. In the initial infestation period, the parasites were found on the gill epithelium, and on the 3rd day PE they invaded into the basal part of the gill filament adjacent to the major blood vessels, particularly the afferent vessels. Morphological change of buccal apparatus were observed on the 2nd day PE. Contractile vacuoles were more prominent on the 4th day PE, and they had notable changes on the 7th day PE.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.42 no.2
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• pp.67-70
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• 2004

A small scale survey was performed to know the infection status of intestinal parasite in children of the residential institutions and street communities in Metro Manila, Philippines. A total of 284 stool samples from 11 institutions and 3 street communities was examined by the formalin-ether concentration method. The scotch tape anal swab was adapted to 121 children to investigate the infection status of Enterovius vermicularis. It was found out that 62.0％ of the children examined were positive for one or more intestinal parasites. Multiple infections were observed in 34.2％ of the children. Among 172 children who gave detail information, the prevalence for Ascaris lumbricoides, Trichuris trichiura, and hookworm was 36.0％, 44.8％, and 7.0％ respectively. Of the children examined, 47.7％ were found to be harboring parasitic protozoans such as Entamoeba histolytica, Giardia lamblia, and Blastocystis hominis. The most prevalent of these protozoans was B. hominis with an infection rate of 40.7％. The prevalence of these infections among children living in institutions was relatively high. More efforts should be made to implement anthelminthic programs including bi-annual follow-up treatments.