Pigs are considered a “mixing vessel” that can produce new influenza strains through genetic reassortments, which threaten public health and cause economic losses worldwide. We performed surveillance of swine influenza virus (SIV) using 114,140 nasal swabs from 11,414 Korean farms from 2009 to 2022, and characterized their genetic evolution at each farm level. A total of 169 farms out of the 11,414 (1.48%) were SIV-positive. The positivity rate for the H1N2 subtype, which is most dominant in the pig population, was 37.87% (64/169). Through hemagglutinin (HA) gene analysis, 64 H1N2-positive farms were classified into Eurasian avian-like (46/64, 71.88%), triple-reassortant (14/64, 21.88%), pdm09 (3/64, 4.69%), and classical swine (1/64, 1.56%) groups. The estimated evolutionary rate of HA in H1N2 from 2009 to 2022 in Korea is 1.5309 × 10-3/site/year (95% HPD intervals from 1.0003 × 10-3 to 2.1735 × 10-3) with an estimated mean growth rate of 0.0114. Estimates of the relative genetic diversity of clades over time suggested that the HA of H1N2 exhibited an increase in population size. The results of this study showed that the Eurasian avian-like-HA of the H1N2 subtype was dominant in the pig population. The continued evolution of the HA of H1N2, which is critical for cell entry, might lead to genetic diversity and the loss of vaccine cross-protection. These results indicate that continus surveillance is imperative for monitoring the evolution of the swine influenza virus.

Bovine leukemia virus (BLV) is the causative agent of enzootic bovine leukosis. This study was conducted to clarify the seroprevalence of BLV in the Republic of Korea. Blood samples were obtained from Korean native cattle farms in all provinces of South Korea except Jeju. A commercial indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay with 4,498 samples to detect antibodies against BLV was conducted. The results revealed that the prevalence of BLV was dependent upon age, with increasing prevalence among cattle occurring until they were 5 years old. The highest seroprevalence in cattle was observed in Chungnam (29.6%) and the lowest was observed in Jeonnam (2.6%). The mean overall prevalence for BLV antibodies in the survey was 10.2%, indicating that BLV is widespread nationwide.

Loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) is a rapid, specific, cost-effective detection method by amplifying nucleic acid under isothermal conditions. In this study, we used LAMP for detection of Hamiltonella defensa that lives as a facultive endosymbiont of whitefly ‘Bemisia tabaci’. We designed the Hamiltonella-specific primers by targeting 16S ribosomal RNA gene and validated the specificity of one primer set. To find the optimum temperature for our primer set, the LAMP reaction was held at the temperature, 60℃, 62℃ and 65℃. As a result, 62℃ was the optimum reation temperature for LAMP reaction. Specificity of primer set was tested by the reaction to both Trialeurodes vaporariorum and B. tabaci. After the whole procedure, the amplicons by LAMP were visualized by adding SYBR Green to the reaction tube.

Rotaviruses are double-stranded RNA viruses of the family Reoviridae, a highly diverse family of pathogens of humans and animals. In this study, we identified the lapine rotavirus from diarrheic feces of rabbits by polymerase chain reaction. In order to determine the genetic characteristics of the Korean strain, the sequences of the VP4, VP7, and NSP4 genes were determined and compared with those of reference sequences. Results of sequence and phylogenetic analyses showed that our strain was a G3P [3] rotavirus carrying the group C gene encoding NSP 4 proteins. This is the first report of an outbreak and molecular characterization of lapine rotavirus in Korea.

원자력발전소에서 나온 사용후핵연료 건식저장시스템의 안전한 운영과 유지는 기본적으로 적절하게 선택 된 설계기준에 좌우된다. 저장시스템의 가장 중요한 설계목표는 저장된 사용후핵연료로부터 작업자의 안전과 대중에게 과도한 위험이 없이 보관, 취급, 수납 및 감시할 수 있는 신뢰를 제공하는 것이다. 이러한 목표를 달성하려면, 시스템의 설계, 사용후핵연료로부터의 잔류 열을 제거하고 방사선 차폐를 제공함과 동시에 설계 기 준에 지정된 시스템의 수명동안 격납을 유지하기 위한 기능을 포함한다. 운영 중 발생가능한 설계사항은 설 계 기준에 반영되어야 한다. 본 논문에서는 건식저장시스템의 일반적인 성능 요구 사항을 소개하였다. 저장시 스템은 인허가를 위한 규제 요구 사항과 연관하여 사용후핵연료를 저장할 수 있도록 설계된다. 여기서 최대연 소도의 증가는 냉각기간과 맞물려 가감할 수 있다. 이때 열부하와 방사능의 크기가 최대 설계기준 연소도의 기준을 설정하는 주요한 인자가 된다. 이외에 건식저장시스템의 설계기준사고와 다른 분야 즉 기계 및 구조 그리고 차폐 및 방사선적인 요구사항들의 종류가 기술되었다.