우리는 길앞잡이(Cicindela chinensis)의 장에서 다양한 공생 미생물들을 분리하였다. 그중 다양한 곰팡이 성장 을 억제하는 세균을 동정하였고 “Ch-1”이라 명명하였다. 우리는 Ch-1 균주를 사용하여 10종의 식물 병원성 곰팡 이와 2종 곤충 병원성 곰팡이의 생장 억제를 확인하였다. 또한 8종의 항생제에 대한 저항성을 확인하였다. 동시 에, 본 균주의 genomic sequence를 수행하였고 유전적, 생화학적, 생리적 특성을 조사하였다. Ch-1균주는 특허등 록과 친환경 미생물제제로 등록하였고 향후 생물학적 방제제로써 활용될 수 있을 것으로 판단한다.

Epididymal sperm cryopreservation provides a potential method for preserving genetic material from males of endangered species. This pilot study was conducted to develop a freezing method for tiger epididymal sperm. We evaluated post-thaw sperm condition using testes with intact epididymides obtained from a Siberian tiger (Panthera tigris altaica ) after castration. The epididymis was chopped in Tyrode's albumin-lactate-pyruvate 1x and incubated at 5% CO2, 95% air for 10 min. The Percoll separation density gradient method was used for selective recovery of motile spermatozoa after sperm collection using a cell strainer. The spermatozoa were diluted with modified Norwegian extender supplemented with 20 mM trehalose (extender 1) and subsequent extender 2 (extender 1 with 10% glycerol) and frozen using LN2 vapor. After thawing at 37℃ for 25 s, Isolate® solution was used for more effective recovery of live sperm. Sperm motility (computerized assisted sperm analysis, CASA), viability (SYBR-14 and Propidium Iodide) and acrosome integrity (Pisum sativum agglutinin with FITC) were evaluated. The motility of tiger epididymal spermatozoa was 40.1 ± 2.0%, and progressively motile sperm comprised 32.7 ± 2.3%. Viability was 56.3 ± 1.6% and acrosome integrity was 62.3 ± 4.4%. Cryopreservation of tiger epididymal sperm using a modified Norwegian extender and density gradient method could be effective to obtain functional spermatozoa for future assisted reproductive practices in endangered species.

A 19-year-old male Siberian tiger was presented with inappetence and paralysis of hind limbs. In a computed tomography (CT) scan, intervertebral disk disease at L3–L4 was detected. Cardiac arrest occurred during the surgery. At autopsy, myxomatous mitral valve degeneration (MMVD) and eccentric hypertrophy of the left heart were noted. The diagnosis was congestive heart failure caused by MMVD. Microscopically, myocardial and pulmonary fibrosis were observed in addition to the disintegration of the fibrosa layer and accumulation of glycosaminoglycans and proteoglycans in the spongiosa layer of the mitral valve. This is the first case of congestive heart failure with MMVD in a Siberian tiger.

Various biometric and geometric measures were used to discriminate between the morphologically similar river puffer, Takifugu obscurus, tiger puffer, T. rubripes, their hybrids, and their triploid hybrids. The hybrids and triploid hybrids had greater anal fin width, nostril width, and snout length than the parental species (p<0.05). However, they had less caudal peduncle depth, inter-orbital width, head length, and head width (p<0.05). The morphometric and meristic characteristics of the hybrids and triploid hybrids were either intermediate between the parental species or more similar to those of one parental species. However, the external morphology of the hybrids and triploid hybrids was predominantly maternal. The triploid hybrids had asymmetry in the fin rays and gill raker numbers. This study identified phenotypic characteristics by distinguishing the morphological variables of river puffer, tiger puffer, their hybrids, and their triploid hybrids.