• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.230-238
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• 2018

Human enteric Adenovirus-41 (HuEAdV-41) causes gastroenteritis, which detected by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) base diagnostic system for clinical, food, environmental, fish and shellfish samples. We developed improved PCR and nested PCR primer set which had high specificity, sensitivity and reduced times. In this study, we compared seventeen conditions reported in the previous study that was using the PCR based HuEAdV-41 detection system, and non-enteric Adenovirus were detected in nine conditions. The most sensitive detection condition was up to 25 copies however it took 184 minutes of PCR reaction time. In this study, the PCR primer set developed had same level of sensitivity, it reduced the time of detection for clinical, food and seafood samples to 112 minutes. Developed nested PCR primer set needed 112 minutes but detected up to approximately 1 copy. In addition, developed PCR and nested PCR primer set was validated with twenty samples of underground water at random, of which ten samples showed specific band without non-specific reaction. We expect this study will be used to diagnose HuEAdV-41 from various samples.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural Science
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• v.47 no.3
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• pp.673-681
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• 2020

Human enteric Adenovirus 41 (HueAdV-41) is a major waterborne virus that causes human gastroenteritis and is classified as a viral group I double-strand DNA virus, Adenoviridae. HueAdV-41 has been detected with the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in various samples such as ground water. However, the PCR-based diagnostic method has problems such as reaction time, sensitivity, and specificity. Thus, the loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assay has emerged as an excellent method for field applications. In this study, we developed a LAMP system that can rapidly detect HueAdV-41 with high specificity and sensitivity. HueAdV-41 specific LAMP primer sets were tested through a specific, non-specific selection and sensitivity test for three prepared LAMP primer sets, of which only one primer set and optimum reaction temperature were selected. The developed LAMP primer set condition was confirmed as 63℃, and the sensitivity was 1 copy. In addition, to confirm the system, a LAMP positive reaction was developed with the restriction enzyme Taq I (T/GCC). The developed method in this study was more specific, rapid (typically within 2 - 3 hours), and highly sensitive than that of the conventional PCR method. To evaluate and verify the developed LAMP assay, an artificial infection test was done with five cDNAs from groundwater samples, and the results were compared to those of the conventional PCR method. We expect the developed LAMP primer set will be used to diagnose HueAdV-41 from various samples.

• Journal of Microbiology
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• v.44 no.2
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• pp.162-170
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• 2006

Oysters are known to be carriers of food-born diseases, but research on viruses in Korean oysters is scarce despite its importance for public health. We therefore tested oysters cultivated in Goheung, Seosan, Chungmu, and Tongyeong, for viral contamination using cell culture and integrated cell culture PCR (ICC-PCR) with Buffalo green monkey kidney (BGMK) and human lung epithelial (A549) cells. Additional screens via PCR, amplifying viral nucleic acids extracted from oysters supplemented our analysis. Our methods found 23.6 %, 50.9 %, and 89.1 % of all oysters to be positive for adenoviruses when cell culture, ICC-PCR, and direct PCR, respectively, was used to conduct the screen. The same methodology identified enteroviruses in 5.45%, 30.9%, and 10.9% of all cases. Most of the detected enteroviruses (81.3%) were similar to poliovirus type 1; the remainder resembled coxsackievirus type A1. A homology search with the adenoviral sequences revealed similarities to adenovirus subgenera C (type 2, 5, and 6), D (type 44), and F (enteric type 40 and 41). Adenovirus-positive samples were more abundant in A549 cells (47.3%) than in BGMK cells (18.2 %), while the reverse was true for enteroviruses (21.8 % vs. 14.5 %). Our data demonstrate that Korean oysters are heavily contaminated with enteric viruses, which is readily detectable via ICC-PCR using a combination of A549 and BGMK cells.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.18 no.6
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• pp.1156-1163
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• 2008

We performed RT-nested PCR to study the distribution of human enteric viruses in urban rivers in Korea. During 2002-2003, water samples were collected from four rivers in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. Among 58 samples, 45 (77.6%), 32 (55.2%), 12 (20.7%), 2 (3.4%), 4 (6.9%), and 4 (6.9%) showed positive results with adenoviruses (AdVs), enteroviruses (EVs), reoviruses (ReVs), hepatitis A viruses (HAVs), rotaviruses (RoVs), and sapoviruses (SVs), respectively. According to the binary logistic regression model, the occurrence of each enteric virus, except ReVs and HAVs, was not statistically correlated with the water temperature and levels of fecal coliforms (P<0.05). AdVs were most often detected; only 4 samples (6.9%) were negative for AdVs while positive for other enteric viruses in the studied sites. Our results indicated that monitoring human enteric viruses is necessary to improve microbial quality, and that AdVs detection by PCR can be a useful index for the presence of other enteric viruses in aquatic environments.

• Proceedings of the Microbiological Society of Korea Conference
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• 2008.05a
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• pp.171-171
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• 2008

We monitored the occurrence of human enteric viruses in urban rivers by cell culture-PCR and RT-nested PCR. Water samples were collected monthly or semimonthly between May 2002 and March 2003 in four urban tributaries. Enteric viruses were detected by RT-nested PCR and cell culture-PCR based on a combination of Buffalo Green monkey kidney (BGMK) and A549 cell lines, followed by phylogenetic analysis of amplicons. By RT-nested PCR analysis, 45 (77.6%), 32 (55.2%), 32 (55.2%), 26 (44.8%), 12 (20.7%), 2 (3.4%), 4 (6.9%), and 4 (6.9%) of 58 samples showed positive results with adenoviruses, enteroviruses, noroviruses (NV) genogroup I (GI) and II (GII), reoviruses, hepatitis A viruses, rotaviruses and sapoviruses, respectively. Adenoviruses were most often detected and only eight (13.8%) samples were negative for adenoviruses and positive for other enteric viruses in the studied sites. Thirty-one (77.5%) of the 40 samples were positive for infectious adenoviruses and/or enteroviruses based on cell culture-PCR, and the frequency of positive samples grown on A549 and BGMK (65.0%) was higher than that grown on BGMK alone (47.5%). The occurrence of each enteric virus, except reoviruses and hepatitis A viruses was not statistically correlated with the water temperature and levels of fecal coliforms according to Binary logistic regression model. By sequence analysis, most strains of adenoviruses and enteroviruses detected in this study are similar to the causative agent of viral diseases in Korea and most NV GI- and GII-grouped strains were closely related to the reference strains from China and Japan, and GII/4-related strains had similar sequences to strains recognized as a worldwide epidemic outbreak. Our results suggested that monitoring human enteric viruses is necessary to improve microbial quality and cell culture-PCR using the combination of A549 and BGMK cells and the adenovirus detection by PCR could be useful for monitoring viral contamination in the aquatic environment.

• Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.139-146
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• 2006

Purpose: Human astrovirus (HAstV) is known to be an important etiologic agent of acute gastroenteritis in infants worldwide. However, the prevalence of HAstV infection varies according to geographic region and patient age. The purpose of our study was to investigate the incidence of HAstV infection among hospitalized children at a tertiary hospital in Seoul. Methods: Fecal samples were collected from hospitalized children up to five years of age with acute gastroenteritis. A total of 812 fecal samples were collected from hospitalized children with acute gastroenteritis between February 2004 and January 2005. Fecal specimens were screened for rotavirus, enteric adenovirus and norovirus by enzyme immunoassay (EIA) or reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). HAstV positive samples were characterized by RT-PCR. Results: Rotavirus was detected in 16.9% (138/812), norovirus in 11.6% (94/812), and adenovirus in 4.0% (33/812) of the study population. HAstV was detected in 4.0% (33/812) samples by RT-PCR. The age distribution of HAstV positive patients was as follows: <12 month old, 82.0% (27/33); 1~2 years old, 6.0% (2/33); 2~5 years old, 12.0% (4/33). The seasonal distribution of HAstV positive samples was as follows; April (3), May (5), June (4), August (12), September (4), October (2), November (2), and December (1). The peak rate of HAstV infection was observed during the summer season, 2004. A mixed infection of viral agents was confirmed in 2.7% (22 /812) of the study population, most commonly with rotavirus and norovirus, and with rotavirus and HAstV. Genotype 1 was the predominant type (91%, 20/22) and genotype 8 was detected in two cases. Conclusion: The prevalence of HAstV infection was 4.0% in hospitalized children with acute gastroenteritis, and was especially high in infants. HAstV can be considered as an important etiologic agent of gastroenteritis in children.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.55 no.5
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• pp.523-532
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• 2017

A field survey studying intestinal parasites in humans and microbial pathogen contamination at environment was performed in a Laotian rural village to identify potential risks for disease outbreaks. A parasitological investigation was conducted in Ban Lak Sip village, Luang Prabang, Lao PDR involving fecal samples from 305 inhabitants as well as water samples taken from 3 sites of the local stream. Water analysis indicated the presence of several enteric pathogens, i.e., Aeromonas spp., Vibrio spp., E. coli H7, E. coli O157: H7, verocytotoxin-producing E. coli (VTEC), Shigella spp., and enteric adenovirus. The level of microbial pathogens contamination was associated with human activity, with greater levels of contamination found at the downstream site compared to the site at the village and upstream, respectively. Regarding intestinal parasites, the prevalence of helminth and protozoan infections were 68.9% and 27.2%, respectively. Eight helminth taxa were identified in fecal samples, i.e., 2 tapeworm species (Taenia sp. and Hymenolepis diminuta), 1 trematode (Opisthorchis sp.), and 5 nematodes (Ascaris lumbricoides, Trichuris trichiura, Strongyloides stercoralis, trichostrongylids, and hookworms). Six species of intestinal protists were identified, i.e., Blastocystis hominis, Cyclospora spp., Endolimax nana, Entamoeba histolytica/E. dispar, Entamoeba coli, and Giardia lamblia. Questionnaires and interviews were also conducted to determine risk factors of infection. These analyses together with a prevailing infection level suggested that most of villagers were exposed to parasites in a similar degree due to limited socio-economic differences and sharing of similar practices. Limited access to effective public health facilities is also a significant contributing factor.