• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.109-114
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• 1986

In order to observe the growth and development of Fibricola seoulensis metacercariae, the tadpoles of Rana nigromaculata were experimentally infected with the cercariae. The meta cercariae of various developmental stages were recovered from the tadpoles after 2 to 65 days of infection. They were prepared for morphological observation, and were given orally to mice to observe their infectivity. The following results were obtained. 1. All of the tadpoles exposed to the cercariae were observed to harbour the larvae in their abdominal cavity. 2. The young metacercariae of 2 days after infection were $121.1{\mu}m$ long and $63.3{\mu}m$ wide. They grew linearly for the first 14 days to be $262.0{\mu}m$ long and $166.4{\mu}m$ wide. Thereafter, no more growth recognized until 65 days. 3. The larvae of 2 days old were similar with cercarial body and had 2 suckers, a pharynx, 2 ceca and a primordium of germ cells but no tribocytic organ. On the 8th day, they had tribocytic organ, and their morphology resembled that of mature metacercariae. 4. The metacercariae younger than 10 days could not infect the mice. Only the metacercariae older than 14 days had infectivity. The recovery rates increased by the age of metacercariae from 19.0% in 14 days old to 70.0% in 40 days old. Above findings indicate that the tadpole is indispensable for metacercarial development and it needs at least 2 weeks for maturation. The tadpole is a pivotal host in the life cycle of F. seoulensis for connection between the snail and the frog.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Environmental Restoration Technology
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.1-15
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• 2013

This study was carried out to make a plan and design the substitute habitat for Kaloula borealis by pre-proposed planning model for wildlife based on wetlands. The habitat characteristics and distribution status in study area, Shingi village in Gunpo, Gyeonggi Province, were surveyed and restoration strategies of habitats including conservation, enhancement were established by conservation value assessment, and the substitute habitat needed to replace was selected. One of three potential substitute habitats in the same watershed to the original habitat was selected by suitable site assessment. And finally the substitute habitat for Kaloula borealis was planned by the planning indices, and some adults and tadpoles were captured and released into built substitute.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.110-113
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• 2009

In recent years, there has been a rapid global decline in amphibian populations, and infectious diseases have been associated with this decline. Diseased Gold-spotted pond frogs (Rana plancyi chosenica) were collected from a frog farm in Korea and identified using morphological and molecular analysis to identify the disease. The typical symptoms of ranaviral infection were observed in the tadpoles and adults frogs. The nucleotide sequence analysis revealed that the sequences showed the closest similarity with sequences to Frog virus 3, which belongs to the genus Ranavirus.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.53 no.3
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• pp.221-228
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• 2020

We studied the development of the endangered gold-spotted pond frog, Pelophylax chosenicus eggs and analyzed growth and survival rate of the tadpoles while feeding different feed to obtain the basic data on the its biological traits and reproduction. We observed the fertilized eggs of gold-spotted pond frog that naturally spawned in a breeding tank using a microscope. Fertilized eggs were sphere shape surrounded by colloid layers, clearly distinct with animal and plant poles. The fertilized eggs hatched 31 hours after fertilization and operculum complete at 175 hours after fertilization at water temperature of 27.0±1.0℃. As a result of growth and survival rate by different feed from 35 days after mouth open stage, vegetable feed (VF) group and tetra-min (T) group were significantly higher average weight gain rate (WG)(5843.9% and 5736.3%, respectively) and average specific growth rate (SGR) (11.67% and 11.62, respectively) compared with other groups (WG: 641.8~4625.2%, SGR: 5.72~11.01%). The vegetable (V) group showed the lowest growth rate (P<0.05). The average feed efficiency was 177.83% in the VF group, about 17 times higher than the V group. In addition, the average survival rate of the VF and T groups were the high at 97.5% and 100%, respectively, and the V group was the lowest at 32.5%. Therefore, the more efficient feeds for successful breeding is singly with VF or T.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.153-163
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• 2005

To clarify the species validity of the genus Spirometra, the biological characteristics of Spirometra erinacei and S. mansonoides by developmental stages were compared. Their experimental life cycles were maintained under the same laboratory conditions, and the biological characteristics were experimentally observed in vivo and in vitro conditions. Eggs of S. erinacei and S. mansonoides were $59.6\pm35.6{\mu}m\;and\;61.4\pm35.8{\mu}m$ in each average size. Both of them became fully matured and hatched in 8 days after incubation at $29^{\circ}C$. The coracidium of S. erinacei was $43.6\times35.8{\mu}m$ in average size, and retained a oncosphere of $39.3\times31.0{\mu}m$. That of S. mansonoides was $43.0\times36.3{\mu}m$ in average size, and retained a oncosphere of $38.3\times30.8{\mu}m$. Procercoids of S. erinacei were somewhat larger than those of S. mansonoides. Both species of procercoids older than 7 days in cyclops had minute spines at the anterior end, calcium corpuscles in the parenchyme and a cercomer at the posterior end. The procercoids older than 4 days in cyclops were infective to tadpoles. The procercoids older than 8 days revealed the infectivity to mice. Plerocercoids of S. erinacei were somewhat lager than those of S. mansonoides when they were compared by age of worms in tadpoles. Both species of plerocercoids older than 5 days were infective to mice. Among 138 plerocercoids of S. erinacei recovered from the experimental mice, $55(39.9\%)$ were detected in the neck portion, $35 (25.4\%)$ in the back portion, $25(18.1\%)$ in the anterior legs, and $23 (16.7\%)$ were found in the abdomen. In case of S. mansonoides plerocercoids, $42.0\%$ were found in the neck portion, $23.8\%$ in the back portion, $14.4\%$ in the abdomen, $13.3\%$ in the anterior legs, and $6.1\%$ were found in the posterior legs. From the above results, it was confirmed that the biological characteristics of S. erinacei and S. mansonoides are almost same when their life cycles are mainteined under the same laboratory condition. Accordingly, these findings suggest that S. erinacei and S. mansonoides may be the same species.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.61-64
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• 1988

A human case of Echinostoma cinetorchii infection was found in Seoul Paik Hospital on August, 1987. Large trematode eggs, $98.9{\times}62.7{\mu\textrm{m}}$ in average size, were detected in stool examination. The eggs had a small.sired operculum and abopercular wrinkling. After treatment with praziquantel (single dose of 16.2mg/kg) and purgation with magnesium citrate, an adult fluke was collected. It was 8.0 mm long, equipped with 37 collar spines around head crown, and had only one testis just behind the Mehlis' gland. It was identified as E. cinetorchis Ando et Ozaki, 1923. The patient is an 18-year old man residing in Seoul, and was hospitalized due to nephritis. He had eaten raw meat juice of fresh water fishes such as top minnows (Orygias Satipes) and loaches, or tadpoles, which are considered possible source of this fluke infection. This is the 4th human case of E, cineterchis infection in Korea.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.287-306
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• 2012

Amphibian population declines globally. Environmental contamination by heavy metals has been suspected to the one of the reason for distinction of amphibian which has obligate aquatic life style during larval period. Amphibians have been widely accepted as animal model for the study of endocrine disruption in aquatic ecosystem at molecular as well as individual levels. There are increasing need for toxicological data in amphibians at multiple endpoints for management of contamination and development of safety guidelines. Here, we reviewed toxicological information about toxicity of heavy metals (arsenic, cadmium, chromium, copper, lead, mercury, nickel, zinc) on various end-point of amphibian.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.23-30
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• 2011

In this study, the Comet assay (evaluation of DNA damage) used the fish hepatocellular carinoma cell, PLHC-1, was tried to the sediment extract obtained from freshwater to understand its applicability as a tool for monitoring sediment toxicity. In parallel, induced EROD (7-ethoxyresorufin- O-deethylase) activity and DNA damage (TEM values) in PLHC-1 cells were measured for establishing the tandem endpoints of the PLHC-1cell test to test the ecotoxicity of sediment. Among several study sites in a small river passed through downtown and industrial park area, one of them, site B, showed a higher level of EROD activity and DNA damage than other sites. It indicates that a tandem endpoints of PLHC-1 cells could be useful tools for assessing the toxicity of sediment. The sensitivity of Comet assay with PLHC-1 cells was a little higher than that with a blood cell of frog tadpoles to the solvent extract of sediment. According to the results, a PLHC-1 cell-Comet assay could be used as a useful tool for evaluating ecotoxicity of the freshwater sediment. In addition, more detailed studies are needed to the contaminated site.

• Animal cells and systems
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.13-18
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• 2005

Cannibalism plays important roles at the levels of both individual and population. To enhance overall rate of successful survival and reproduction, salamander larvae may have evolved to consume both conspecifics and heterospecifics. Consuming conspecifics could result in decreased inclusive fitness possibly by killing relatives. In several salamander species, discrimination of salamander larval siblings from non-siblings and heterospecifics to avoid such a risk has been reported. To determine whether the Korean salamander larvae consume non-siblings more often than siblings and to analyze prey preferences of the salamander larvae in several different experimental conditions, a series of foraging experiments was conducted in the laboratory. We found that 1) large cannibal larvae preyed on small sibling more often than small non-sibling in a mixed group of sibling and non-sibling, 2) cannibal larvae prefered to consume live, weak, and small larvae to dead, healthy, and large larvae, and 3) cannibal larvae consumed heterospecific tadpoles more often than conspecific nonsibling larvae in a mixed group. In addition, the larval density was positively correlated with the occurrence of spacing behavior, one of the agonistic predator behaviors among salamander larvae.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.44 no.2 s.138
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• pp.127-131
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• 2006

The furcocercus cercariae of Neodiplostomum seoulense (Digenea: Neodiplostomidae) penetrate the skins of tadpoles and shed their tails. The speculated mechanism of this tail loss was physical efforts required to produce a vigorous zigzag motion during skin penetration; no other mechanism has been proposed. We examined the relationship between the host serum and cercarial tail loss. Cercariae of N. seoulense were collected from experimentally infected Segmentina hemisphaerula, and lots of 300 cercariae were cultured in medium 199 contained several types of sera. Cercarial tail degradation was induced in all media, but all the cercariae cultured except those cultured in media containing fetal bovine serum (FBS) died within 48 hr. After 72 hr cultivation in media containing FBS, cercarial tail degradation was induced in 67.0%; in continuous cultivation 13.3% of larvae survived for 7 days. Tail degradation did not occur in the absence of serum and when serum was heat inactivated at $56^{\circ}C$ for 30 min. The addition of 20 mM ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) blocked cercarial tail degradation completely. Moreover, the addition of 20 mM $MgCl_2$ restored tail degradation blocked by EDTA. These results suggest that the alternative complement pathway is related with the N. seoulense cercarial tail degradation induced by serum.