서부마른나무흰개미(신칭)는(Incisitermes minor) 미국 서부와 멕시코 북부를 포함하여 북미 서부가 원산인 종이며 주택을 포함한 목조 구조물에 치명적인 해충이다. 국내에선 2023년 9월 외래생물신고센터를 통해 경남 창원시 진해구의 한 가정집에서 흰개미 유시충이 발견되었다는 민원 신고로 처음 확인되었다. 그 이후 주변 지역 조사 결과 민원인 주택 주변에서 군집비행하는 흰개미 유시충 및 목재 피해 흔적을 통해 군체를 발견 확인하였다. 또한, 최초발견지에서 약 1km 떨어진 한 아파트 단지의 정자 및 그 일대에서 추가 군체가 확인되었다. 본 연구에서 는 채집된 흰개미의 형태와 유전자 정보를 통해 대상종을 확인하였고, 발견 및 피해 상황 정보를 통해 향후 해당 종의 관리를 위한 기초자료를 제공하고자 한다.

Swine influenza is a respiratory infectious disease in pigs caused by Orthomyxoviridae influenza virus A. As a multihost pathogen, the virus can infect humans, birds, and pigs and has pandemic potential due to rapid mutation rate. This study investigated the seroprevalence of influenza A antibodies in pigs in Chungbuk Province to overview its temporal and spatial distribution. From March to November 2021, blood samples collected for swine fever and foot-and-mouth disease antibody tests from swine farms located in Cheongju, Jincheon, Jeungpyeong, and Goesan within the jurisdiction of the Chungbuk Animal Health Laboratory were used. Blood samples from both sows and growing pigs were collected. Additionally, three farms participating in the Expendable Disease Guidance Support Project were chosen to investigate the seroprevalence status by parity of sows and age of piglets. A total of 468 sows and 1,519 growing-finishing pigs were employed in this study. The results showed that Jincheon had the highest seropositivity rate, suggesting that more effort should be made in biosecurity to prevent mechanical transmission, given the close proximity of farms. The analysis of antibody levels in farms targeted by the Expendable Disease Guidance Support Project could suggest that once the virus enters a farm, it spreads throughout the entire pig population regardless of age. Farms that were positive in the first half of the year remained positive in 86% of cases in the second half, suggesting continuous infection within the farm unless depopulation or all-in-all-out practices are implemented. Moreover, 67% of farms that were negative in the first half remained negative in the second half, and farms managed by the same person showed identical antibody change patterns, indicating that the swine influenza virus can be transmitted by humans or vehicles. The results highlight the need for further analysis of biosecurity systems and geographical risk factors.

Swine atrophic rhinitis is a respiratory disease that causes nasal turbinate loss and septal deformation due to Bordetella bronchiseptica and Pasteurella multocida. Turbinate loss facilitates pathogens to infect lungs, which leads to various respiratory diseases and productivity reduction. In this study, descriptive analysis was implemented for atrophic rhinitis and pneumonia. From 6 pig farms shipped to slaughterhouses in Chungbuk province, 20 heads and 20 lungs were collected by each farm from March 2020 to September 2020. Their atrophic rhinitis lesions and lung lesions were scored and blood samples were also collected to test the seroprevalence of several respiratory diseases. Pasteurella multocida from nasal swab was cultured and antibiotic resistance tests were performed. Correlation between atrophic rhinitis scores and lung lesion scores was not found. Abdominal nasal lesions were more severe than dorsal lesions. Differences in lung lesion scores were relatively small between lobes. The score of pneumonia was higher in castrated pigs than in female pigs. There was no relationship between lesion score and seroprevalence of respiratory diseases. Antibiotic resistance levels for Pasteurella multocida differed by farm, and several antibiotics were not effective. The results of this study imply that antimicrobial susceptibility tests are highly recommended before administration.

Calcium exerts antiproliferative effects on cellular targets through the promotion of differentiation and apoptosis. We investigated the influence of calcium on the formation of colonic aberrant crypt foci (ACFs), which were induced by exposure to azoxymethane (AOM) followed by dextran sodium sulfate (DSS), in ICR mice. Six-week-old ICR mice received 3 (weeks 0–2) intraperitoneal injections of AOM (10 mg/kg BW), followed by treatment with 2% DSS via drinking water for a week to induce preneoplastic lesions. The mice were then divided into 3 groups: the control (AOM/DSS), AOM/DSS + 1.0% Ca, and AOM/DSS + 2.0% Ca groups. Calcium (1.0 or 2.0%) was administered via drinking water for 12 weeks. After sacrificing the mice, the total numbers of aberrant crypts (ACs) and ACFs were measured in the colonic mucosa after methylene blue staining. The control group displayed 11.58 ± 2.43 ACFs/colon, which were composed of a total of 30.42 ± 5.18 ACs/colon. The number of ACFs with more than 3 ACs, which are likely to progress to colon cancer, was 2.37 ± 0.68. Compared to the control, 1.0% or 2.0% calcium treatment significantly decreased the number of total ACFs and ACs in a concentration-dependent manner. The decrease in ACFs or ACs after calcium treatment was associated with decreases in cell proliferation and β-catenin expression and an increase in apoptosis in colonic mucosal cells. These results suggest that calcium may exert a protective effect against colon cancer by inhibiting the development of ACFs/ACs in ICR mice.

Copper is an essential micronutrient whose deficiency is often seen to occur in humans. Although many biomedical studies have focused on the use of nanoparticles, the nutritional effects of nano-sized copper oxide particles are not well known. This aim of this study was to investigate the nutritional bioavailability of nano- and micro-sized copper oxide (CuO) particles in copper-deficient (CuD) mice. Copper deficiency was induced in mice by feeding a CuD diet (0.93 mg Cu/kg diet) for 7 weeks. After the induction of copper deficiency, nano- or micro-sized copper oxide particles were administered orally at two different doses (0.8 and 4.0 mg CuO/kg body weight) to mice in the following groups: (1) normal control (NC), (2) CuD, (3) low dose micro-sized CuO, (4) high dose micro-sized CuO, (5) low dose nano-sized CuO, and (6) high dose nano-sized CuO. The hepatic copper concentration in the CuD group was significantly lower than that in the NC group. Compared to the NC group, the CuD group exhibited lower serum ceruloplasmin (CP) activity and CP level. The copper/zinc-superoxide dismutase activity in the CuD group was significantly lower than that in the NC group. Treatment with nano- or micro-sized copper oxide particles for 2 weeks restored the hepatic copper levels and serum CP activities to values similar to those observed in the NC group. The CP levels and copper/zinc-superoxide dismutase activities in all the copper oxide treatment groups also recovered to normal values after 3 weeks of copper oxide treatment. These results show that oral administration of either nano- or micro-sized copper oxide particles for 2–3 weeks restored the normal condition in previously CuD mice.