The lung and lymph node samples were collected from 786 pig farms associated with wasting and respiratory syndrome during 2005～2009. All samples were tested for the detection of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) and the differentiation of its genotype using reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). 643 farms (81.8%) of the pig farms examined were positive for PRRSV, of which 57.2% accounted for PRRSV type 1 and 70.2% accounted for PRRSV type 2. Furthermore, 37.5% of the farms positive for PRRSV, showed the coexistence of two genotypes. The results indicate that the PRRSV infections of single genotype or two genotypes are very common in Korean pig farms.

Salmonellosis is the commonest zoonosis worldwide that generally causes enterocolitis and foodborne poisoning which represents a considerable public health burden. Salmonella spp. are potential enteric pathogens and intracellularly replicates in host cells resulting in chronic infections. The medical treatments for salmonellosis have been difficult yet and had a serious problem including the increasing emergence of antibiotic resistance. The present report was designated to investigate the antibacterial effects of Saururus chinensis Baill ethanol extract (SCEE) on pure culture and infection with Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium (S. typhimurium) in murine derived macrophage RAW 264.7 cells. In determination of antibacterial activity of SCEE against S. typhimurium, bacterial viability was markedly decreased compared to the control. Also, SCEE significantly induced morphological change (p<0.05) of RAW 264.7 cells. In infection assay of S. typhimurium in RAW 264.7 cells pretreated with 100㎍/㎖ of SCEE, which is a non-cytotoxic concentration, bacterial uptake ability of macrophage was increased corresponding with morphological change, whereas bacterial survival rates within macrophage were markedly reduced compared with untreated control. Furthermore, nitric oxide (NO) production in SCEE-treated cells was slightly increased until 2 h but showed a tendency of decrease after 4 h until 24 h post infection compared with untreated control with S. typhimurium infection. Taken together, these findings demonstrated that SCEE has the antibacterial activity for S. typhimurium and the protective effects against S. typhimurium infection through activating murine macrophage independent on NO, suggesting that SCEE may be beneficial on the disease caused by intracellularly replicating pathogens as a safe alternatives of conventional chemotherapies.

Influenza virus infection is a zoonosis that results in high mortality in animals and humans. Several recent avian influenza outbreaks have posed a significant public health threat to humans because there have been many cases of direct interspecies transmission from birds to humans. Influenza virus infection causes acute respiratory failure, which is the main cause of death, while chronic influenza virus infection in the central nervous system results in neural dysfunction. Of particular interest, according to one report, a group of patients who recovered from influenza virus infection during pandemics showed neuropsychiatric disorders, including depression, schizophrenia, and Parkinsonism. Thus, study of the etiology of neuropsychiatric disorders caused by influenza virus infection is needed. In order to conduct necessary experiments, it is essential to reproduce neurological phenomena that are manifested by human patients who have recovered from influenza virus infection using laboratory animals. In this review, we will discuss some of the facts that should be considered when establishing an animal model for study of central nervous system responses to influenza virus infection using mice.

Density of malaria vector mosquito was monitored at 24 sites in Korea to estimate malaria epidemic from 2004 to 2009. Twenty four locations include six in Gwangwon province and nine in Kyonggi province and nine in Incheon metropolitan city. Mosquitoes collected by public health centers in 24 sites were sent to each RIPHE(Research Institute of Public Health & Environment) then the RIPHE identified the malaria vector mosquitoes. KCDC analysed the results. Number of malaria vector mosquito collected in 2009 shapely decreased over 33 % when compared with number of mosquito collected from 2004 to 2009. In 2009, malaria vector mosquitoes firstly were collected at Injegun on 2nd week of April (6-13, April) and the highest peak of collected mosquito was demonstrated on 3rd week of August. Number of collected mosquito sharply decreased below 10 at 3rd week of september and None of mosquito was collected 2nd week October. Decrease of number of malaria vector mosquito collected in 2009 seem to be related with lowest temperature around midnight and precipitation days per month.

A new insect member of the STAT family of transcription factors (HcSTAT) has been cloned from the lepidopteran, Hyphantria cunea. The domain involved in DNA interaction and the SH2 domain are well conserved. The gene is transcribed at a low level during all stages of development, and transcribed in hemocyte, fat body, midgut, epidermis, and Malpighian tubule. Especially, hemocyte and Malpighian tubule showed transcriptional activation of HcSTAT upon Gram-negative and -positive bacteria challenge. Gram-negative and -positive bacteria challenge specifically results in nuclear translocation of HcSTAT protein and induction of DNA-binding activity that recognizes a STAT target site in H. cunea hemocyte. In vivo treatment with sodium orthovanadatetranslocates HcSTAT to the nucleus in hemocyte cells.

본 연구는 토마토 수경재배에서 풋마름 병원균의 분포와 침입 및 전파경로를 구명하여 풋마름병 방제의 기초 자료를 얻고자 수행하였다. 배양액 재배시스템에서 토마토 풋미름병의 발생정도별로 배양액탱크, 배지, 폐액에서 병원균의 밀도를 검정한 결과 20% 정도 발병된 포장의 폐액에서는 19,000cfu/mL의 밀도로 검출되었으며 연작연수가 많을수록 병 발생이 심하였다. 토마토 펄라이트 수경재배시스템에서 토마토 풋마름병의 발생전파 과정은 최초 발생지점으로부터 좌우로 급속히 전파되었다. 토마토 풋마름병 발생포쟁에서 병원균의 유입경로를 추적한 결과 육묘 중에 감염되는 경우와 웹스 주변의 이병된 토양에서 감염되는 경우로 크게 두 가지 방법으로 유입되는 것으로 생각된다. 또한 시판용 토마토 종자에서는 풋마름병원균이 검출되지 않았다.

빗자루병에 의하여 심각하게 이병된 제주도 5.16도로의 왕벚나무 가로수들에 대하여 피해 상황과 이병 발병 원인을 생태적으로 밝히고 그에 따른 방제 대책을 마련키 위하여 본 연구를 수행하였다. 왕벚나무 가로수 중 45년생 이상의 노거수들은 거의 모두가 심각한 정도의 빗자루병에 감염되었으며, 30년생 역시 모든 나무들이 감염되었으나 중간 정도의 발병 반응을 보이고 있었다. 그러나 수령이 23년생 미만의 왕벚나무들은 병징을 찾아볼 수 없는 건전주로 생장하고 있었다. 3년 주기로 전정 작업을 실시한 제주대학교 입구에 식재된 왕벚나무에서는 도로변 남쪽면의 나무들이 북쪽면에 비해 병 발생이 심하고 생육 또한 저조하였다. 병 발생이 심각한 산천단으로부터 견월악까지의 횡단로 좌우 인근 30m내에 자생하는 벚나무들은 수령에 따라 차이는 있지만 병 발생이 경미하였다.

For the physiological study on environmental impact of genetically modified (GM) pepper plant on non-target but three-trophically related insect species, we investigated behavioral responses of Aphis gossypii and Aphidius colemani in Y-tube olfactometer to the cucumber mosaic virus (CMV)-resistant transgenic pepper plant (H15 GM line) expressing coat protein gene of CMV and its wild type pepper plant (untransformed, susceptible to CMV pathotype II, P2377 inbred line) in relation to CMV infection. CMV-infected plants were prepared with the 30 min of inoculation by the winged A. gossypii viruliferous or mechanical inoculation using CMV-Fny, and with molecular diagnosis using reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) over 2 weeks after inoculation. In this study, time for attraction responses (attraction time) of A. gossypii were not significantly different in the pepper strain, and the virus infection of plant. However, the attraction time of A. colemani was significantly different between the GM plant and the non-GM plant. In addition, the attraction time of A. colemani to the GM plant was significantly decreased according to the CMV infection. For further study, the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitted by these plants were collected with an entrainment kit and analyzed by Gas Chromatography (GC) on HP-1 column. The specific VOCs related to CMV infection were detected in the GM plant over 4 weeks after inoculation of CMV in this study. Thus, it is suggested that VOCs of the GM plant in this study may be produced more as a signal attracting A. colemani in relation to CMV infection.

The paternal sex ratio (PSR) chromosome is considered as an extremely selfish genetic element. It has only been found in the two hymenopteran insects- Nasonia and Trichogramma- with haplodiploid sex determination. When an egg is fertilized by sperm bearing PSR, the paternal genome is destroyed by PSR soon after fertilization resulting in haploid restoration and the egg develops into a male with only the maternal genome and PSR itself. Recently PSR is paid much attention, since it may be used for controlling haplodiploid pests. PSR can be successfully transferred from its natural host, T. kaykai to the novel host, T. deion. In the two hosts another sex ratio distorter, Wolbachia, is found. Wolbachia is a cytoplasmically inherited bacterium that induces parthenogenesis in this genus resulting in female offspring production without fertilization. The transmission efficiency of PSR in T. deion is lower than that in T. kaykai and is negatively influenced by the Wolbachia infection. The results show that 1) there is a negative host genetic background effect on the transmission of PSR in the novel host, 2) the transmission efficiency becomes even lower, when PSR males are infected with Wolbachia. The results imply that complex interactions among the bacterium, PSR and the species specific genetic background.

Root-knot nematodes, Meloidogyne spp., are the most important plant-parasitic nematodes, causing severe crop yield loss with an estimated 1000 billion dollars a year worldwide. The nematodes also cause disease complexes with other microbial pathogens, damaging plants more severely than each of the pathogens alone or their sum does and making control efficiencies weakened or nullified in disease complexes. In our study, the synergistic effect of the root-knot nematode Meloidogyne incognita was confirmed in the fusarium wilt of tomato caused by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici, which showed greatly increased wilt symptoms in combined inoculations. Use of antifungal and nematicidal plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) were considered for controlling the disease complex because of its causal agents. Among forty PGPR strains tested, P. polymyxa G508, G462 and P. lentimorbus G158 showed strong antifungal and nematicidal activities against F. oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici and M. incognita second stage juveniles (J2), respectively. The Cultures of these bacterial strains inhibited the nematode egg hatching completely even at 1% diluted concentration. In pot experiments, treatment of the Paenibacillus strains reduced wilt severity of tomato with the control efficacy of about 90% ~ 98%. Their treatment also reduced gall formation by 64% - 88% compared to the untreated control. P. lentimorbus GBR158, which well established on seeds and hypocotyls at high population levels, reduced the disease complex greatly with the control value of about 98% when the tomato seeds were treated with the bacterial strain. Plant growth was also stimulated by the seed treatment of the bacterial strain. Scanning electron microscopy revealed alteration and distortion of hyphal cell walls of F. oxysporum and lysis of M. incognita egg shell by the bacterial treatment, showing direct antifungal and nematicidal action mechanisms. No extensive giant cell formation was observed near nematode in the tomato roots treated with the bacteria, indicating a systemic action mechanism. All of these results suggest that the Paenibacillus strains, especially G158 may have a high potential to be developed as biological agents for controlling the root-knot nematode and the disease complex.