• Title/Summary/Keyword: new infectious diseases

Search Result 291, Processing Time 0.029 seconds

New classification of animal viruses by the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (동물바이러스의 새로운 분류)

  • Jang Hyung-Kwan;Song Hee-Jong
    • Korean Journal of Veterinary Service
    • /
    • v.28 no.1
    • /
    • pp.49-69
    • /
    • 2005
  • More than 30 years have elapsed since the first report of the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV) was published in 1971. Since that publication, the ICTV recognizes about 1,550 virus species, but some 30,000 virus strains and isolates are being tracked by virologists in different fields of biology. The ICTV is the 'international court' of experts that rules on names and relationships of all virus, but only to the level of species. Virus taxonomy is changing rapidly, with changes ranging from the trivial(use of italics for species names) to profound reorganization driven by the explosion of sequence information. The universal system of viral taxonomy now accepts Linnean-like classification at the levels of order, family, subfamily, genus, and species. The suffix '-virales' identifies an order, Families are identified by the suffix '-viridae' subfamilies are identified by the suffix '-virinae', and genera are identified by the suffix '-virus'. The importance of distinguishing subspecies, strains, and isolates in vaccine development, diagnostics, etc. is recognized, but these lower levels are not formally classified by ICTV. This paper mainly introduces taxonomy and classification of animal viruses on the basis of the seventh report of the ICTV edited by Van Regenmortal et al. in 2000.

Roles of Heat Shock Protein gp96 in the ER Quality Control: Redundant or Unique Function?

  • Yang, Yi;Li, Zihai
    • Molecules and Cells
    • /
    • v.20 no.2
    • /
    • pp.173-182
    • /
    • 2005
  • Heat shock protein gp96 is an endoplasmic reticulum chaperone, belonging to the HSP90 family. The function of gp96 as a molecular chaperone was discovered more than 10 years ago, but its importance has been overshadowed by the brilliance of its role in immune responses. It is now clear that gp96 is instrumental in the initiation of both the innate and adaptive immunity. Recently, the roles of gp96 in protein homeostasis, as well as in cell differentiation and development, are beginning to draw more attention due to rapid development in the structural study of HSP90 and some surprising new discoveries from genetic studies of gp96. In this review, we focus on the aspect of gp96 as an ER molecular chaperone in protein maturation, peptide binding and the regulation of its activity.

A new mechanism for unsaturated fatty acid biosynthesis in Streptococcus pneumoniae

  • Park, Keum-Hwa;Hedia, Marrackchi;Charles, Rock
    • Proceedings of the PSK Conference
    • /
    • 2002.10a
    • /
    • pp.231.1-231.1
    • /
    • 2002
  • The anaerobic pathway for unsaturated fatty acid biosynthesis was established in the 1960s in Escherichia coli. The double bond is introduced into the growing acyl chain by FabA., an enzyme capable of both the dehydration of ${\beta}$-hydroxdecanoyl-[acyl carrier protein] (ACP) to trans-2-decenoyl-ACP. and the isomerization of trans-2 to cis-3-decenoyl-ACP. However. there are a number of anaerobic bacteria whose genomes do not contain a fabA homolog, but these organisms nonetheless produce unsaturated fatty acids. (omitted)

  • PDF

Pre-Natal Epigenetic Influences on Acute and Chronic Diseases Later in Life, such as Cancer: Global Health Crises Resulting from a Collision of Biological and Cultural Evolution

  • Trosko, James E.
    • Preventive Nutrition and Food Science
    • /
    • v.16 no.4
    • /
    • pp.394-407
    • /
    • 2011
  • Better understanding of the complex factors leading to human diseases will be necessary for both long term prevention and for managing short and long-term health problems. The underlying causes, leading to a global health crisis in both acute and chronic diseases, include finite global health care resources for sustained healthy human survival, the population explosion, increased environmental pollution, decreased clean air, water, food distribution, diminishing opportunities for human self-esteem, increased median life span, and the interconnection of infectious and chronic diseases. The transition of our pre-human nutritional requirements for survival to our current culturally-shaped diet has created a biologically-mismatched human dietary experience. While individual genetic, gender, and developmental stage factors contribute to human diseases, various environmental and culturally-determined factors are now contributing to both acute and chronic diseases. The transition from the hunter-gatherer to an agricultural-dependent human being has brought about a global crisis in human health. Initially, early humans ate seasonally-dependent and calorically-restricted foods, during the day, in a "feast or famine" manner. Today, modern humans eat diets of caloric abundance, at all times of the day, with foods of all seasons and from all parts of the world, that have been processed and which have been contaminated by all kinds of factors. No longer can one view, as distinct, infectious agent-related human acute diseases from chronic diseases. Moreover, while dietary and environmental chemicals could, in principle, cause disease pathogenesis by mutagenic and cytotoxic mechanisms, the primary cause is via "epigenetic", or altered gene expression, modifications in the three types of cells (e.g., adult stem; progenitor and terminally-differentiated cells of each organ) during all stages of human development. Even more significantly, alteration in the quantity of adult stem cells during early development by epigenetic chemicals could either increase or decrease the risk to various stem cell-based diseases, such as cancer, later in life. A new concept, the Barker hypothesis, has emerged that indicates pre-natal maternal dietary exposures can now affect diseases later in life. Examples from the studies of the atomic bomb survivors should illustrate this insight.

Global Estimates on Biological Risks at Work

  • Jukka Takala;Alexis Descatha;A. Oppliger;H. Hamzaoui;Catherine Brakenhielm;Subas Neupane
    • Safety and Health at Work
    • /
    • v.14 no.4
    • /
    • pp.390-397
    • /
    • 2023
  • Introduction: Biological risks are a major global problem in the workplace. The recent COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the need for a more comprehensive understanding of the biological risks at work. This study presents data on both communicable infectious biological agents and noncommunicable factors leading to death and disability for the year 2021. Methods: We followed the methodology established by the International Labour Organization (ILO) in their past global estimates on occupational accidents and work-related diseases. We used relevant ILO estimates for hazardous substances and related population attributable fractions derived from literature, which were then applied to World Health Organization mortality data. The communicable diseases included in the estimates were tuberculosis, pneumococcal diseases, malaria, diarrheal diseases, other infectious diseases, neglected tropical diseases, influenza associated respiratory diseases and COVID-19. Noncommunicable diseases and injuries considered were Chronic Obstructive Diseases (COPD) due to organic dusts, asthma, allergic reactions and risks related to animal contact. We estimated death attributable to biological risk at work and disability in terms of disability adjusted life years (DALYs). Results: We estimated that in 2022, 550,819 deaths were caused by biological risk factors, with 476,000 deaths attributed to communicable infectious diseases and 74,000 deaths caused by noncommunicable factors. Among these, there were 223,650 deaths attributed to COVID-19 at work. We calculated the rate of 584 DALYs per 100,000 workers, representing an 11% increase from the previous estimate of the global burden of work-related disabilities measured by DALYs. Conclusion: This is a first update since previous 2007 ILO estimates, which has now increased by 74% and covers most biological risks factors. However, it is important to note that there may be other diseases and deaths are missing from the data, which need to be included when new information becomes available. It is also worth mentioning that while deaths caused by major communicable diseases including COVID-19 are relatively rare within the working population, absences from work due to these diseases are likely to be very common within the active workforce.

Reasonable Solutions for Legal Disputes and Regulations on Epidemics (감염병 관련 법적 분쟁과 규제에 관한 합리적 해결방안)

  • Lee, Kyunghwan;Kim, Taehwan;Kim, Mannoh;Han, Sunwoo
    • Journal of the Society of Disaster Information
    • /
    • v.12 no.2
    • /
    • pp.150-166
    • /
    • 2016
  • In the aftermath of a recent outbreak of Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS), legal matters on the spread of epidemics have emerged as major social issues in Korea, with the awareness that rampant contagious diseases are disasters in society. Problems arose over damages arising from patients who contract infectious diseases, compensation for people under quarantine and for a partial, or entire, shutdown of hospitals, and information disclosure on infectious diseases. As epidemic-linked problems have never been socially disputed in Korea, the relevant legal issues appear to be studied comparatively less than other areas. As interests are heightened over legal issues on infectious illnesses amid the MERS scare, in-depth, further research on such legal issues should be conducted in an utmost effort to prevent and make preparations for epidemics which potentially become a social disaster, such as new Hong Kong flu, Ebola virus and Zika virus.

The Strategic Plan for Preparedness and Response to Bioterrorism in Korea (우리나라의 생물테러 대비 및 대응방안)

  • Hwang, Hyun-Soon
    • Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
    • /
    • v.41 no.4
    • /
    • pp.209-213
    • /
    • 2008
  • Following the Anthrax bioterrorism attacks in the US in 2001, the Korean government established comprehensive countermeasures against bioterrorism. These measures included the government assuming management of all infectious agents that cause diseases, including smallpox, anthrax, plaque, botulism, and the causative agents of viral hemorrhagic fevers (ebola fever, marburg fever, and lassa fever) for national security. In addition, the Korean government is reinforcing the ability to prepare and respond to bioterrorism. Some of the measures being implemented include revising the laws and guidelines that apply to the use of infectious agents, the construction and operation of dual surveillance systems for bioterrorism, stockpiling and managing products necessary to respond to an emergency (smallpox vaccine, antibiotics, etc.) and vigorously training emergency room staff and heath workers to ensure they can respond appropriately. In addition, the government's measures include improved public relations, building and maintaining international cooperation, and developing new vaccines and drugs for treatments of infectious agents used to create bioweapons.

Overview of Pandemic Influenza (신종 인플루엔자 대유행 개관)

  • Kim, Woo-Joo
    • Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
    • /
    • v.38 no.4
    • /
    • pp.373-378
    • /
    • 2005
  • Influenza virus has a unique characteristics of annual epidemics of acute respiratory disease with attack rate of 10%-30% of the population. It is also the classical emerging infectious disease causing global pandemics when new antigenic shift occur. This antigenic shift is the key to its ability to evoke periodic pandemics, and it has caused at least 3 pandemics in 20th century. I reviewed these 3 pandemics in their natural courses and the epidemiology of the recent emerging influenza A viruses, especially the H5 and H7 subtypes. I descr ibed the epidemics of these vi ruses in human population and why we should be prepared to these viruses.

Diagnostic value of a dot immunobinding assay for human pulmonary hydatidosis

  • OLUT Ali I.;ERGUVEN Sibel;EMRI Salih;OZUNLU Haluk;AKAY Hadi
    • Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
    • /
    • v.43 no.1 s.133
    • /
    • pp.15-18
    • /
    • 2005
  • The diagnosis of human hydatidosis is primarily made using radiological and serological methods. Radiological methods are generally of low specificity and serological methods lack sensitivity, especially for pulmonary disease. In this study the capabilities of a new rapid test, the hydatid antigen dot immunobinding assay (HA-DIA), which was developed for the diagnosis of pulmonary hydatidosis, were studied and compared with another immunodiagnostic method, indirect hemagglutination (IHA). The study subjects included 18 patients, 9 women, 9 men; range 7 to 63 years; mean 30 years, with surgically proven pulmonary hydatidosis, a control group comprised of 14 patients; viral respiratory infections (1), cirrhosis (2), connective tissue disease (2), taeniasis (3), and 6 healthy donors. We found that the HA-DIA test had a sensitivity of $67\%$ and specificity of $100\%$, and that the IHA test had a sensitivity of $50\%$ and specificity of $100\%$. We conclude that HA-DIA is a simple, rapid, low cost assay that does not require instrumentation and has a higher sensitivity than IHA for the diagnosis of pulmonary hydatidosis.

Morphological and Molecular Characterization of Lymnaeid Snails and Their Potential Role in Transmission of Fasciola spp. in Vietnam

  • Dung, Bui Thi;Doanh, Pham Ngoc;The, Dang Tat;Loan, Ho Thi;Losson, Bertrand;Caron, Yannick
    • Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
    • /
    • v.51 no.6
    • /
    • pp.657-662
    • /
    • 2013
  • Freshwater snails of the family Lymnaeidae play an important role in the transmission of fascioliasis worldwide. In Vietnam, 2 common lymnaeid species, Lymnaea swinhoei and Lymnaea viridis, can be recognized on the basis of morphology, and a third species, Lymnaea sp., is known to exist. Recent studies have raised controversy about their role in transmission of Fasciola spp. because of confusion in identification of the snail hosts. The aim of this study is, therefore, to clarify the identities of lymnaeid snails in Vietnam by a combination of morphological and molecular approaches. The molecular analyses using the second internal transcribed spacer (ITS2) of the nuclear ribosomal DNA clearly showed that lymnaeids in Vietnam include 3 species, Austropeplea viridis (morphologically identified as L. viridis), Radix auricularia (morphologically identified as L. swinhoei) and Radix rubiginosa (morphologically identified as Lymnaea sp.). R. rubiginosa is a new record for Vietnam. Among them, only A. viridis was found to be infected with Fasciola spp. These results provide a new insight into lymnaeid snails in Vietnam. Identification of lymnaeid snails in Vietnam and their role in the liver fluke transmission should be further investigated.