• Korean Journal of Veterinary Service
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.375-384
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• 2007

This study was conducted to investigate the characteristics of brucellosis in Korean native cattle in a farm where bovine brucellosis was confirmed 3 times from September 2006 to March 2007. Of 74 bulls serum samples examined, 21 (28.4%) were positive by Rose-Bengal test (RBT) and Standard tube agglutination test (STAT). In the isolation test from seropositive bulls, B abortus was isolated and identified from 2 specimens (testis, intestinal lymph node) among 6 kinds of specimens including blood, urine, feces and soil. Isolation rate of intestinal lymph node and testis was 25% (3/12 cases) and 16.7% (2/12), respectively. B abortus was also isolated from calves below 12 months old, i.e., 1 isolate (25.0%) was confirmed from testis, 4 (40.0%) from supra-mammary lymph nodes and 1 (25.0%) from intestinal lymph node. All isolates had Brucella specific 16s r-RNA with 905-bp band detected by PCR assay. For the more effective control of bovine brucellosis in korea, this paper would like to suggest that all of bulls and calves should be included in the screening tests.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Service
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.263-268
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• 2012

From the end of July 2012, several cases of abortion have been happened at the Korean indigenous cattle farm with 124 heads in Chungbuk province, Korea. Serological tests such as Rose-bengal test (RBT) and standard tube agglutination test (STAT) have been performed according to the standard official protocols of bovine brucellosis and 41 cattle turned out to be brucellosis-positive simultaneously. To find out the main factors of brucellosis outbreaks and spreads, additional serological, etiological and molecular investigation were applied. Totally, 11 B. abortus were isolated from 10 cattle's specimens including lymph-nodes and/or testis, and drinking water in cowhouse. In genotyping by multi-locus VNTR assay (MLVA) using 17 loci markers, the present B. abortus isolates were shown all the same pattern, D1 genotype, which has been reported in Gyeonggi and Gangwon province, Korea. These results suggest that the input of brucellosis might come from neighboring farms directly or indirectly, even if by unknown factor and expansion within farm would accelerate by materials related with aborting cows.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.51 no.1
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• pp.15-20
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• 2011

In this study, we isolated 12 of Brucella (B.) spp. from cattle, which have been positive in Rose Bangal test and tube agglutination test in Gyeongbuk province in 2009. According to AMOS PCR analysis, isolated 12 strains were identified as B. abortus. Murine derived macrophage, RAW 264.7 cells, were infected with isolated 12 strains or reference strain (B. abortus 544), and bacterial internalization were characterized. According to these results, we divided the isolated strains into the following three groups: class I, lower internalization than that of B. abortus 544; class II, similar internalization to that of that of B. abortus 544; class III, higher internalization than that of B. abortus 544 within RAW 264.7 cells. Furthermore, intracellular growth, bacterial adherent assay, LAMP-1 colocalization, virulence in mice and surface protein pattern were characterized. From these results, representative strains of class III showed lower LAMP-1 colocalization, higher adherent efficiency, higher virulence in mice than those of B. abortus 544, and showed different pattern of surface proteins. These results suggest that B. abortus field strains, isolated from cattle in Korea, possess various virulence properties and higher internalization ability of field strain may have an important role for its virulence expression.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.50 no.2
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• pp.117-124
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• 2010

Members of the genus Brucella are facultative intracellular bacteria and cause brucellosis, a chronic disease in humans and abortion in animals. In this study, we tested sera for brucellosis of 15 Hanwoo farms in the western part of Gyeong-buk province, resulting 5 farms were brucellosis positive in 2008. We collected blood from 277 heads in the brucellosis positive 5 farms, and performed serological diagnosis, brucella positive cattle which had shown higher than 200 antibody titer in tube agglutination test were slaughtered, supramammary lymph nodes were collected, and Brucella spp. wild type isolation and identification were performed. From these results, 15 of Brucella spp. wild type strains were isolated and all strains were identified as B. abortus biotype 1 by biological and molecular analysis. In the antimicrobial susceptibility test, all 15 strains had a similar susceptibility and resistance pattern. This study may be useful for bacteriological and epidemiological understanding of cattle brucellosis in Korea.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Service
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.249-254
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• 2010

Deer can be one of the susceptible animals to bovine infectious diseases, and thus, may play a role either as a reservoir or amplifier host for spreading the diseases to other species such as cattle and goat. This study was conducted to determine the serum antibodies to bacterial infectious diseases for brucellosis, tuberculosis (TB), paratuberculosis (Johne's disease) in deer. Serum samples were randomly collected from 78 deer from 31 farms at Jeonbuk province, and 7 wild water deer from Jeonbuk wild animal treatment center during 2005 to 2007, respectively. Four farm deer (5.1%) showed antibodies to tuberculosis using Antigen Rapid Bovine TB Ab Test Kit. One elk (1.3%) and one wild water deer had antibodies for paratuberculosis. Antibody against Brucellosis was not detected in tube agglutination test (TAT) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). These data suggest that caution should be applied to inspection of velvet, deer blood and meat for human consumption from deer because of zoonotic bacterial diseases in deer. In addition, farmed deer can be a transmissible host for zoonotic disease to diary or raising farm.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Service
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.159-164
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• 2004

A dairy farm that has been suffered continuously(more than 2 years) from brucellosis in Korea in spite of repeated legal test-and-slaughter was investigated the main source of infection in the farm. All cattle(22 milking cows, 44 heifers, 60 calves, 8 bull), dogs(3 mixed breed), feces from wild birds(3 samples), drinking water(3 sites), and soil in the paddocks(14 sites) inside the farm were examined with serological and/or bacteriological methods including specific DNA detection with PCR method. Brucella spp in the milk and blood were detected in 12/22 and 5/22 milking cows, respectively, although all of them were negative with conventional tube agglutination test. The number of serologically positive heifer was 15(15/44), but the isolation of Brucella spp was succeeded in the only 11(11/15) of them. Brucella were detected in vagina 1(1/11) and nasal(3/12) excretion in serologically positive heifers. All the three dogs were serologically positive, and Brucella spp were isolated from their blood. However, Brucella spp were not detected in the drinking water, soil in the paddocks, nor the feces of wild birds. The results suggest that milking cow secrete Brucella spp through milk, genital tract and nasal cavity, which are the major source of infection in this farm, The main infection route of Brucella spp is contact to contact with Brucella spp excreting animals rather than environmental contamination. The animals, living together with infected cow such as dogs, are the readily susceptible and are required to be examined for Brucella spp.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.141-148
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• 1988

Though the cultivation history of soybean in Korea is relatively long, taxonomical study on symbiont nodule bacteria, Rhizobium japonicum is not carried out yet systematically. This work was for the taxonomical study on Korean native R. japonicum by recognizing isolates seroimmunologically as well as for the elucidation of its affinity with host soybean variety. Twenty seven isolates from 13 soybean cultivars cultivated at Seoul National University's experiment field and 6 strains of R. japonicum preserved in our laboratory have been tested. Tube agglutination test, agglutinin adsorption test, and gel immune diffusion test were used. The results obtained are as follows: 1. Twenty five isolates and strains of R. japonicum among 33 were classified into 4 serogroups and identified as indivisual serotype. 2. Two isolates isolated from Hill and Milyang cultivars, 2 isolates from Bangsa and Jangbaek, and 4 isolates from Paldal, Sae-al, and Jangbaek were identified as the same serotype respectively. 3. Seroimmunological tests may be adapted for the elucidation of the affinities between the strains and soybean cultivars as well as strain recognition and systematic classification of Korean native R. japonicum.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.41 no.1
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• pp.43-49
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• 2001

As compared with reaction of antibody for sonicated antigen of Brucella abortus strain RB51 and 1119-3 by Western blot analysis, Brucella field positive sera was detected strong reaction at 40~80 kDa LPS of strain 1119-3, but detected very weak reaction at strain RB51 partly. Otherwise, as we analyzed major immunogen of RB51 by antisera bled periodically during 6 months after RB51 vaccination. we detected strong immunological reaction at 17, 18 and 8 kDa antigen of RB51. Especially, reaction of 8 kDa antigen by Western blot coincided with reaction of dot-blot assay in RB51-antibody detection method. We also compared with reaction of field sera by STAT(standard tube agglutination test), dot-blot assay and Western blot (reaction of 8 kDa antigen of strain RB51). 16 sera of 4~5 months after RB51 vaccination are all negative by STAT, and 12 field brucellosis positive serum are all positive, and also 12 of 16 sera vaccinated RB51 are positive by dot-blot assay and reaction of 8kDa antigen by Western blot. but 1 of 15 Brucellosis negative sera reacted nonspecifically dot-blot assay.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.20 no.5
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• pp.697-702
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• 2010

Ten farrow-finish farms participated in this seromonitoring that was conducted to investigate the porcine brucellosis situation in Korea. In total, eight (80.0%) of the 10 farms and 139 (24.0%) of 578 pigs tested showed a positive response in the Rose Bengal test (RBT). Seroprevalence levels were determined using RBT according to age; 35 (14.6%) of 239 piglets, 36 (31.3%) of 115 growing pigs, and 68 (30.4%) of 224 finishing pigs and sows were positive, respectively. All positive samples in RBT were tested with the tube agglutination test (TAT) and competitive ELISA (C-ELISA), simultaneously. Although 48 samples came up positive in the TAT, all samples tested with C-ELISA were negative. Among 26 rectal swab samples from the TAT positive-pigs, Yersinia enterocolitica O:9 was isolated from seven samples (26.9%). Therefore, we speculated that the positive reaction of RBT and TAT in this study might be induced by the serologically cross-reacting bacteria with Brucella abortus.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.40 no.4
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• pp.285-290
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• 2007

Objectives : Cases of human brucellosis in Korea have recently increased due to the increasing incidence of bovine brucellosis. The authors conducted this study to elucidate the status of brucellosis through seroepidemiologic study. Methods : We selected our study population from a high risk group. We conducted a questionnaire survey and obtained blood samples to determine the seroprevalence of brucellosis antibodies for 10 days in February, 2005. The titers of brucellosis were measured by the combination of standard tube agglutination test (STA) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) test. Results : Our study subjects comprised 1,075 cases: 971 livestock workers, 51 veterinarians, and 53 artificial inseminators. In the STA test, 27 cases (2.5%) had titers of greater than or equal to 1:20. Of 1,068 cases (7 cases were excluded due to previous brucellosis), 7 cases of brucellosis were diagnosed with titers of 1:160, giving a seroprevalence of brucellosis of 0.66%. The seroprevalence in the male group was 0.95%, and that of livestock workers, veterinarians, and artificial inseminators was 0.52%, 4.17%, and 0.00%, respectively. The Spearman's correlation coefficient between the positive rate of bovine brucellosis per capita and household and human brucellosis was 0.806 and 0.744, respectively. The concordance rate between the Korea National Institute of Health and the Gyeongsangbuk-do Institute of Health and Environment by the STA and ELISA tests was 94.7% and 100.0%, respectively. Conclusions : The study results indicated in higher seroprevalence rate among veterinarians than among livestock workers and artificial inseminators. Because veterinarians may be exposed to this high risk, effective working guidelines for veterinarians to guard against brucellosis must be developed. Moreover, more extensive epidemiologic research for laboratory workers and meat handlers is needed.