• Korean Journal of Poultry Science
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• v.38 no.1
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• pp.45-50
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• 2011

A case of aspergillosis in 39-day-old layer chickens having a history of gradual emaciation and subsequently death with nervous signs such as torticollis and lack of equilibrium was documented. Based on the results from serology and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test, this flock was not affected with known viral or bacterial diseases. On postmortem examination of the affected birds, multiple white to yellow nodules measuring 1~5 mm in diameter were observed in the lungs, cerebrum, liver and kidney. Microscopically, these nodules were identified as granulomatous lesions characterized by mixed population of multinucleated giant cells and lymphocytes. By periodic acid-schiff staining and nucleotide sequencing analysis, Aspergillus flavus with characteristic septate and branched hyphae were identified in the granuloma of lung and cerebrum. This case was a chronic and multisystemic aspergillosis specialized to central nervous system caused by Aspergillus flavus infection in the layer flocks.

• Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.311-318
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• 2020

Chronic hepatitis B viral (HBV) infection remains a major health threat, especially in high-prevalence areas. Most infants infected by mother-to-infant HBV transmission become chronic carriers. In Taiwan, many important preventive interventions have been implemented to block the perinatal transmission of HBV in the past 35 years. The first nationwide universal HBV vaccination program was launched in Taiwan in July 1984. The three-dose HBV vaccine completion rate reached 98.1% in 2018. The prevalence of Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) decreased from 9.8% in pre-vaccinated period in 1984 to 0.5% in the vaccinated cohort in 2014. The incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma in children aged 6-9 years significantly declined from 0.52 to 0.13 per 100,000 children born before and after 1984, respectively. Furthermore, we have performed a maternal HBV screening program during pregnancy since 1984, with the screening rate peaked at 93% in 2012. The HBsAg- and HBeAg-seropositive rate in pregnant women declined from 13.4% and 6.4% in 1984-1985 to 5.9% and 1.0% in 2016, respectively. To closely control perinatal HBV infection, we have administered hepatitis B immunoglobulin immediately after birth and checked the serum level of HBsAg and anti-HBs in high-risk babies born to HBsAg-seropositive mothers, irrespective of their HBeAg status, since July 2019. We have also adopted short-term antiviral treatments such as tenofovir 300 mg daily in the third trimester for highly viremic mothers and reduced the perinatal infection rates from 10.7 to 1.5%. Through all these efforts, we expect to meet the global goal of eliminating HBV infection by 2030.

• Pediatric Infection and Vaccine
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.62-68
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• 2020

Acute bacterial sinusitis is one of the most common diseases in children, and 5-13% of patients with viral upper respiratory infection experience secondary bacterial sinusitis as a complication. Isolated sphenoid sinusitis is rarer than frontal, maxillary, and ethmoid sinusitis. However, it presents potentially devastating complications, such as cranial nerve involvement, brain abscess, and meningitis, owing to its anatomical location. Nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae (NTHi) commonly causes acute bacterial sinusitis but rarely causes bacteremia, particularly in immunocompetent patients. We present a rare case of a 14-year-old boy with bacteremia due to isolated sphenoid sinusitis caused by NTHi.

• Childhood Kidney Diseases
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.47-50
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• 2014

Infection is the most important cause of death in children with nephrotic syndrome. Influenza viral infections can be fatal for these children, given the annual outbreak of this virus, with the mortality rate being similar to that of respiratory syncytial virus in healthy children. Pneumonia is recognized as the most important complication of influenza infections, as it is associated with high death rates. However, the influenza vaccine, as well as antiviral agents, can be used for prevention and treatment. Therefore, aggressive management with influenza vaccination and antiviral agents will lower the overall mortality rate in children with nephrotic syndrome. Here we report the case of a 7-year-old boy with nephrotic syndrome and influenza A virus (H1N1) pneumonia.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Service
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.5-12
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• 2011

Infectious bursal disease (IBD) caused by infectious bursal disease virus (IBDV) is a highly contagious viral disease in chicken. It causes heavy economic loss by immune suppression and high mortality. The IBDV, designated Avibirnavirus in the Family Birnaviridae, has a double-stranded RNA genome formed by two segments, segment A and segment B. Segment A encodes a 108 KDa polypeptide that is self-cleaved to produce pVP2, VP3 and VP4, and later pVP2 is cleaved to VP2. The VP2 contains the antigenic regions responsible for elicitation of neutralizing antibodies and VP3 is a major immunogenic protein of IBDV. In this study, monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) specific for IBDV were produced and characterized. All 15 MAbs were specific for IBDV and did not react with other viruses used in this study. The protein specificity of MAbs was determined by comparing the reactivity patterns of each MAb with IBDV VP2 and VP234 recombinant baculoviruses and Western blot analysis. As a result, 7 MAbs (1F5, 2C8, 2F4, 3C7, 4C3, 6F11, 6G5) and 5 MAbs (2A4, 2G2, 3F5, 3G2, 4F10) were specific for VP2 and VP3, respectively. The protein specificity of 3 MAbs (2B8, 3F7, 3F8) were not determined. Five (2C8, 2F4, 4C3, 6F11, 6G5) of the VP2-specific MAbs had a neutralizing activity against IBDV. Some MAbs reacted with IBDV-infected bursa of Fabricius by indirect fluorescence antibody (IFA) and immunohistochemistry (IHC) assay. The MAbs produced in this study would be used for diagnostic reagents for the detection of IBDV infection.

• Pediatric Infection and Vaccine
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.207-211
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• 2011

Dengue is an acute febrile viral disease which is found in tropical and sub-tropical regions around the world. Dengue fever has steadily increased in both incidence and distribution over the past 50 years. Even though Korea is not an endemic country for dengue fever, with the increasing numbers of overseas travelers in Korea, the numbers of imported dengue cases are steadily increasing. Here, we report a case of imported dengue hemorrhagic fever in a Korean child presenting with fever and epistaxis. Dengue fever should be considered if a patient who has a recent travel history to endemic areas showed classical symptoms.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.482-488
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• 2019

Porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) is the causative agent of postweaning multisystemic wasting syndrome (PMWS) in pigs. Replicase (Rep) proteins are considered essential for viral replication. Capsid (Cap) protein is the primary immunogenic protein that induces protective immunity. Little is known about comparison on the immunogenicity of PCV2 Rep and Cap fusion protein and Cap protein. In the present study, recombinant baculoviruses expressing the Rep-Cap fusion protein (Bac-Rep-Cap) and the Cap protein (Bac-Cap) of PCV2 were constructed and confirmed with western blot and indirect fluorescence assay. Immunogenicities of the two recombinant proteins were tested in mice. The titers of antibodies were determined with a PCV2-specific enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and a serum neutralization assay. The $IFN-{\gamma}$ response of immunized mice was measured by ELISA. The mice immunized with the Bac-Rep-Cap and Bac-Cap successfully produced Cap-specific immunoreaction. The mice immunized with the Bac-Cap developed higher PCV2-specific neutralizing antibody titers than mice injected with the Bac-Rep-Cap. $IFN-{\gamma}$ in the Bac-Rep-Cap group was increased compared to those in the Bac-Cap group. Vaccination of mice with the Bac-Rep-Cap showed significantly decreased protective efficacy compared to the Bac-Cap. Our findings will indubitably not only lead to a better understanding of the immunogenicity of PCV2, but also improved vaccines.

• Pediatric Infection and Vaccine
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.181-188
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• 2021

Anemia commonly occurs in kidney transplantation (KT) recipients. Many factors such as viral infection, bleeding, erythropoietin deficiency, and immunosuppressants are the causes of chronic anemia in KT recipients. We report 2 cases who developed severe anemia caused by parvovirus B19 infection and were successfully treated with intravenous immunoglobulin in pediatric KT recipients.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Service
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• v.46 no.4
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• pp.263-268
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• 2023

Despite regular vaccinations, equine influenza virus (EIV) and Streptococcus equi subsp. equi (strangles) are the cause of highly contagious respiratory infections in horses. Many recent studies have reported that the concurrent administration of two vaccines could simplify horse management and minimize veterinary expenses. However, there is little information available regarding the efficacy of concurrent vaccinations against EIV and strangles. In this study, we evaluated EIV-specific antibody responses following the single EIV vaccination with the recombinant viral-vectored EIV vaccine or concurrent vaccination with the EIV and inactivated strangles vaccines. Blood samples were collected at 1-, 2-, 4-, and 8 weeks post-immunization (wpi) from each group. EIV-specific antibodies were evaluated by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and hemagglutination inhibition (HAI) assay. Both single and concurrent vaccination showed similar levels of EIV-specific serum immunoglobulin g (IgG) at 1 and 2 wpi. However, at 4 to 8 wpi, the EIV-only vaccination group showed significantly higher serum IgG levels than those from the concurrently vaccinated group. The HAI titers showed similar trends as the ELISA data, except at 8 wpi when both groups presented HAI titers with no significant differences. These data demonstrate that the concurrent vaccination against EIV and strangles could compromise the humoral immune response to equine influenza between vaccination intervals, which suggests the use of the consecutive vaccination protocol for EIV and strangles rather than concurrent vaccination.

• Pediatric Infection and Vaccine
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.180-187
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• 2023

In Korea, >90% of children and adolescents aged <19 years have been infected with the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) since 2020. Among confirmed cases of pediatric coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), 40-60% of patients developed neurologic symptoms such as seizures, headache, and encephalitis. Herein, we report the case of a 3-year-old female patient with SARS-CoV-2 infection who presented with seizures and altered consciousness and was diagnosed with COVID-19 encephalitis. The patient recovered after treatment with intravenous immunoglobulin, high-dose steroids, anti-seizure drugs, and an anti-viral agent. She was discharged after regaining the ability to speak words and walk alone on hospital day 39. Complete recovery was observed at the 1-year follow-up. The findings in this case suggest that early detection and active intervention is associated with better outcomes in patients with COVID-19 encephalitis.