• Journal of Veterinary Clinics
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• v.26 no.6
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• pp.595-599
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• 2009

Sarcocystis grueneri-like sarcocysts were found from the cardiac muscles of a rearing red deer (Cervus elaphus) carcass in Korea. In the light microscopical examination of sarcocysts, they were oval to spherical cysts and 90-170$\times$110-380 ${\mu}m$ in size. However, there was no inflammation and myofiber degeneration. In the transmission electron microscope, these cysts were located within the sarcoplasm of the host cell and filled with merozoites. The sarcocysts were enclosed by a very thin wall (0.45-0.6 ${\mu}m$ thick) that consists of protrusions and ground substance. The primary cyst wall formed numerous strip-like protrusions which were 0.2-0.3 ${\mu}m$ wide and up to 4.2 ${\mu}m$ long. The protrusions were running in parallel with the surface of the cyst. A characteristic of the cyst wall was absent of fibrils inside the protrusions. Merozoites in the compartment measured about $15\times4\;{\mu}m$. The merozoite consisted of four regions: micronemes and rhoptries, amylopectin granule, nucleus, and amylopectin granules. The number of rhoptry was counted in 7-13.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.52 no.4
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• pp.439-441
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• 2014

Toxoplasma gondii is the causative agent of toxoplasmosis with symptoms of congenital neurological and ocular diseases and acquired lymphadenitis, retinochoroiditis, and meningoencephalitis. Small molecules which block the activity of protein kinases were tested in in vitro culture of T. gondii to find new therapeutic drugs of safer and more effective than the combined administration of pyrimethamine and sulfadoxine that sometimes provoke lethal Stevens-Johnson syndrome. Among them, Gefitinib and Crizotinib inhibited intracellular growth of T. gondii in HeLa cells by counting the number of T. gondii per parasitophorous vacuolar membrane whereas Sunitinib did not. Gefitinib inhibited the growth of T. gondii in a dose-dependent manner over $5{\mu}M$ up to the tolerable concentration of HeLa cells and halted the division of the parasite immediately from the time point of treatment. Gefitinib inhibition suggests that tyrosine kinases of EGFR family or other homologous kinases of the parasite itself may be the target to cause the block of T. gondii growth.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.465-471
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• 1990

The fine structure of the inoculated Theileria sergenti on the splenectomized Korean native cattle was observed to delineate the morphological. characteristics with transmission and scanning electron microscope. The cattle was inoculated with 1.5ml cryopreserved stabilate ($5.63{\times}10^6/{\mu}l$, PE 3%). At peak parasitemia (40%), infected blood was collected, washed and then T sergenti was observed. Scanning electron micrograph of the erythrocytes infected with T sergenti appeared various irregular from involving specific swelling, and abnormal projections like acantocyte, echinocyte and knizocyte. Transmission electron microscopic studies of T sergenti showed that piroplasm possess intracytoplasmic food vacuole, rhoptries and tubule. Merozoite, $0.6{\sim}1.81{\mu}m$ to $0.4{\sim}1.21{\mu}m$ in length, surrounded by 10~15nm thickness of pellicula. which is surrounded by a single unit membrane. Various size of veil which was observed in stroma of erythrocytes infected with T sergenti, located at the proximate part of the merozoite. The merozoite multiplied by means of binary fission so that two and more oval-like merozoites in the stroma of infected erythrocyte could be observed.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.39 no.1
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• pp.49-56
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• 2001

Excretory/secretory proteins (ESP) from Toxoplasma gondii were analyzed to define the function in the penetration process into host cells. Whole ESP obtained at 37$^{\circ}C$ were composed of 15 bands with molecular mass of 110, 97, 86, 80, 70, 60, 54, 42, 40, 36. 30, 28, 26, 22, and 19 kDa. Five ESP of 86, 80, 42, 36, and 28 kDa were reacted with monoclonal antibodies (mAb). named as Tg386 (microheme), Tg485 (surface membrane), Tg786 (rhoptry), Tg378, and Tg556 (both dense granules), respectively. The ESP was released by a temperature-dependent/-independent manner and all at once whenever ready to pour out except Tg786. Each ESP was not exhausted within the parasite but the amount was limited. Tg786 was released continuously with increment, whereas Tg378 and Tg556 were ceased to release after 3 and 4 hr, Dense granular Tg378 and Tg556 were released spontaneously and constitutively before the entry into host cells also. The entry of T. gondii was inhibited by all the mAbs differentially. And the parasite deprived of ESP was inhibited to enter exponentially up to 90.1%. It is suggested that ESP play an essential function to provide appropriate environment for the entry of the parasite into host cells.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.43 no.1 s.133
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• pp.27-32
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• 2005

Toxoplasma gondii tachyzoites were isolated from an ocular patient in the Republic of Korea and maintained in the laboratory (designated KI-1). In the present study, its genotype was determined by analyzing dense granule antigen 6 (GRA6) gene and surface antigen 2 (SAG2) gene as typing markers. Digestion of the amplification products of GRA6 and of the 5' and 3' ends of SAG2, respectively, with Mse I, Sau3A I, and Hha I, revealed that KI-1 is included in the genotype I, which includes the worldwide virulent RH strain. In addition, when the whole sequences of the coding regions of SAG1, rhoptry antigen 1 (ROP1), and GRA8 genes of KI-1 were compared with those of RH, minor nucleotide polymorphisms and amino acid substitutions were identified. These results show that KI-1 is a new geographical strain of T. gondii that can be included in the genotype I.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.20 no.10
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• pp.1556-1562
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• 2010

This study examined the histopathologic and electron microscopic findings of aborted fetuses from pregnant dairy cows naturally infected with Neospora caninum (N. caninum) at four farms in Gongju city and Yeonki gun of Choongnam province. Systemic subcutaneous edema was observed in the aborted fetuses. The necropsy revealed considerable serosanguinous fluid in the body cavity of the aborted fetuses. Light microscopy showed the infiltration of many inflammatory cells consisting of macrophages, lymphocytes and mononuclear cells, accompanied by congestion, hemorrhage and necrosis of myocardiac cells and hepatocytes in the liver and heart of the aborted fetuses. In the liver, clusters of tachyzoites were formed in the cytoplasm of hepatocytes and the interstitial tissue. In the brain, many tissue cysts of various sizes were observed in the nerve cells and their adjacent areas. Tissue cysts had a round shape and contained a large amount of bradyzoite. In addition, there was diffuse gliosis accompanied by congestion and hemorrhage and focal necrosis in the brain. Infiltration of microglial cells were observed at the periphery of the focal necrosis and perivascular area in the brain. Electron microscopy showed that the tissue cyst wall had a thickness of approximately 1 ${\mu}m$ with an irregular shape. On the interior side, more than 100 bradyzoites with lengths of 2-5 ${\mu}m$ and widths of 1-2 ${\mu}m$ were observed. The nucleus of in the bradyzoites was located approximately 1-1.5 ${\mu}m$ anterior to the posterior tip of the zoite. In the cytoplasm between the nucleus and the posterior tip, there were many amylopectin granules, electron-dense small-sized and electron-thin large-sized round granules, homogeneously electron-dense rhoptries and micronemes oriented perpendicularly to the zoite pellicle. To summarize, tissue cysts were identified on electron microscopy from the aborted fetus from N. caninum seropositive pregnant cow by the ELISA. This led to the confirmed presence of N. caninum.