OBJECTIVES: The incidence of zoonoses in Korea has increased recently. However, the study of high risk groups for zoonoses has not been conducted to date in Korea. Thus, we did this study to obtain data on brucellosis among slaughterhouse workers in Korea. METHODS: We evaluated the structure of slaughterhouses and the process of slaughtering by reviewing the relevant literature and doing field studies. We visited 73 slaughterhouses and 62 residual products handle houses across the country. In addition, we conducted a questionnaire survey of the work activities, and obtained blood samples in order to determine the seroprevalence and risk factors of brucellosis. The titers of brucellosis antibodies were measured using the standard tube agglutination test (SAT). We diagnosed subjects as seropositive for Brucellosis if the titers were more than 1:160. The data collected was evaluated using SPSS ver. 17.0. RESULTS: We included 1,503 subjects and obtained 1,482 blood samples among them: 849 workers involved in slaughtering, 351 handlers of residual products, 190 inspectors and their assistants, and 92 grading testers and their assistants. The seroprevalence of brucellosis among the slaughterhouse workers was 0.8% (95% CI=0.4-1.5). Broken down, the seroprevalence of brucellosis among the workers involved in slaughtering was 0.7% (95% CI=0.3-1.6), the handlers of residual products was 1.7% (95% CI=0.7-3.9) respectively. Risk factors for contracting brucellosis among slaughterhouse workers were being splashed with cattle blood around the mouth, cattle secretions around the body and not putting on protective apron while at work. CONCLUSIONS: An educational program is needed for high risk groups on zoonoses about the prevention of infection. Thus, effective working guidelines for workers who participate in the slaughter of animals must be developed in order to protect them from zoonoses.
*Abattoirs ; Animals ; Brucellosis/blood/*epidemiology ; Cattle ; Humans ; Korea/epidemiology ; Occupational Diseases/blood/*epidemiology/microbiology ; *Occupational Exposure ; Seroepidemiologic Studies ; Zoonoses/epidemiology/microbiology

Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli serotype O157:H7 is a pathotype of diarrheagenic E. coli that produces one or more Shiga toxins, forms a characteristic histopathology described as attaching and effacing lesions, and possesses the large virulence plasmid pO157. The bacterium is recognized worldwide, especially in developed countries, as an emerging food-borne bacterial pathogen, which causes disease in humans and in some animals. Healthy cattle are the principal and natural reservoir of E. coli O157:H7, and most disease outbreaks are, therefore, due to consumption of fecally contaminated bovine foods or dairy products. In this review, we provide a general overview of E. coli O157:H7 infection, especially focusing on the bacterial characteristics rather than on the host responses during infection.
Animals ; Cattle ; Cattle Diseases/blood/epidemiology ; Developing Countries ; *Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli ; Escherichia coli Infections/blood/*epidemiology/veterinary ; *Escherichia coli O157/genetics/pathogenicity ; Feces/microbiology ; Hemolytic-Uremic Syndrome/blood/epidemiology/veterinary ; Operon ; Shiga Toxins/analysis ; Shigella dysenteriae ; Virulence

Paratuberculosis (PTB) is a major disease problem worldwide, and causes major economic losses in the dairy industry. Although PTB has been reported in Korea, no studies have been conducted to determine its prevalence and no program has been developed to control the disease. In this study, the sera of beef (n = 1,056) and dairy cattle (n = 1,105) from all provinces in Korea were tested to determine the prevalence of PTB using two different ELISA: an 'in house' modified absorbed ELISA (P-ELISA) based on sonicated antigen from Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis ATCC 19698, and a commercial ELISA (C-ELISA). Receiver operating characteristic analysis was used to determine the cutoff point for P-ELISA. Based on C-ELISA results, the area under the curve for P-ELISA was 0.913 (95% CI, 0.883 to 0.943). Using a cutoff point of 0.100, P-ELISA showed a sensitivity of 62.0% and a specificity of 93.7%. The kappa value and the percent agreement between the two ELISAs were 0.322 and 92.5%, respectively. Both ELISAs showed a significant correlation between age and seropositivity (p < 0.01). According to C-ELISA, 71 of 2,161 sera (3.3%, 95 CI, 2.6% to 4.1%) were test-positive. The national true prevalence of PTB was estimated to be 7.1%. The findings suggest that a control program should be implemented to limit the spread of this disease, and that P-ELISA could be used as a screening test that produces results similar to C-ELISA.
Animals ; Antibodies, Bacterial/blood ; Cattle ; Cattle Diseases/*epidemiology/*microbiology ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay/veterinary ; Female ; Korea/epidemiology ; Male ; Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis/*isolation & purification ; Paratuberculosis/blood/*epidemiology ; ROC Curve ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Seroepidemiologic Studies

OBJECTIVETo determine the presence of Babesia bovis (B. bovis) in large ruminants in southern Punjab and its effect on hematological and serum biochemical profile of host animals.

METHODSBlood samples were collected from 144 large ruminants, including 105 cattle and 39 buffaloes, from six districts in southern Punjab including Multan, Layyah, Muzaffar Garh, Bhakar, Bahawalnagar and Vehari. Data on the characteristics of animals and herds were collected through questionnaires. Different blood (hemoglobin, glucose) and serum (ALT, AST, LDH, cholesterol) parameters of calves and cattle were measured and compared between parasite positive and negative samples to demonstrate the effect of B. bovis on the blood and serological profile of infected animals.

RESULTS27 out of 144 animals, from 5 out of 6 sampling districts, produced the 541-bp fragment specific for B. bovis. Age of animals (P=0.02), presence of ticks on animals (P=0.04) and presence of ticks on dogs associated with herds (P=0.5) were among the major risk factors involved in the spread of bovine babesiosis in the study area. ALT concentrations were the only serum biochemical values that significantly varied between parasite positive and negative cattle.

CONCLUSIONS: This study has reported for the first time the presence of B. bovis in large ruminant and the results can lead to the prevention of babesiosis in the region to increase the livestock output.

Alanine Transaminase ; blood ; Animals ; Aspartate Aminotransferases ; blood ; Babesia bovis ; genetics ; Babesiosis ; blood ; epidemiology ; parasitology ; Blood Glucose ; analysis ; Buffaloes ; Cattle ; Cattle Diseases ; blood ; epidemiology ; parasitology ; Cholesterol ; blood ; India ; epidemiology ; L-Lactate Dehydrogenase ; blood ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; RNA, Protozoan ; blood ; RNA, Ribosomal ; blood ; Surveys and Questionnaires

Vector-borne arboviruses produce mild to severe symptoms in domestic animals. Bovine ephemeral fever (BEF), Akabane, Aino, and Chuzan virus have been primarily attributed to reproductive disorders or febrile diseases in cattle, and Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) is mainly associated with reproductive failures in swine. We investigated antibody titers from domestic swine against four bovine arboviruses (BEF, Akabane, Aino, and Chuzan virus) and from cattle against JEV in Korea. While the positive rates for Akabane and BEF were 37.4% and 15.7%, the positive incidence of Chuzan and Aino were relatively low, with positive rates of 3.04% and 0.4%, respectively, based on a virus neutralization assay. Antibody titers against more than one virus were also frequently detected in domestic swine. The incidence of JEV was 51.3% among domestic cattle. In addition, one positive case was detected in the thoracic fluids from 35 aborted calves, based on the hemagglutination inhibition test. Our results indicate that swine are susceptible hosts of bovine arboviruses without showing clinical symptoms in a natural environment. Moreover, we confirmed that JEV could be associated with reproductive failure in pregnant cattle, as were other vector-borne bovine arboviruses assessed in this study.
Animals ; Antibodies, Viral/blood ; Cattle ; Cattle Diseases/*epidemiology/*virology ; Encephalitis Virus, Japanese/*immunology ; Encephalitis, Japanese/blood/epidemiology/*veterinary/virology ; Ephemeral Fever/blood/*epidemiology/virology ; Ephemeral Fever Virus, Bovine/*immunology ; Hemagglutination Tests ; Incidence ; Korea/epidemiology ; Neutralization Tests ; Swine ; Swine Diseases/*epidemiology/*virology

We report results on the seroprevalence of antibodies to Coxiella burnetii in cattle and healthy people in Korea. Upon agreement with dairy owners, serum samples from 414 dairy cattle were collected between March and June 2001 and samples from 205 people for health screening were collected between April and December 2002. The sera were analyzed for the presence of anti-C. burnetii phase II antibodies using an indirect microimmunofluorescence test; strong fluorescence at a 1:32 dilution was regarded as positive. The overall seroprevalence of C. burnetii in cattle in Korea was 25.6%, with regional variation from 8.9 to 59.3%. Of the positive serum samples, 75.5% had antibody titers > or =1:256. By contrast, only 1.5% of people in a rural area were seropositive, and most of the positive samples had low antibody titers. In conclusion, this study showed that relatively high seropositivity of C. burnetii in dairy cattle, accordingly, the studies on the high-risk groups are needed to evaluate the seroprevalence for this organism in Korea.
Seroepidemiologic Studies ; Retrospective Studies ; Q Fever/*epidemiology/veterinary ; Middle Aged ; Male ; Humans ; Female ; Coxiella burnetii/*immunology ; Cattle Diseases/*epidemiology ; Cattle ; Antibodies, Bacterial/*blood ; Animals ; Aged, 80 and over ; Aged ; Adult

From May to June 2002, a total of 16 foot-and mouth disease (FMD) outbreaks due to the serotype O virus, Pan Asia strain, were recorded in Korea. The viruses were identified by antigen ELISA, RT-PCR and sequence analysis. The overall nucleotide sequence divergence of the VP1 region among the 4 isolates in 2002 was 0 to 1.4%, but between O/SKR/2002 and O/SKR/2000 isolates was 1.9-4.9%. Phylogenetic analysis with the some known strains from East Asian countries showed that the 4 Korean isolates in 2002 formed one distinct cluster, which different from clusters of Korean isolates in 2000, with in the same lineage of the ME-SA topotype strains. Deduced amino acid sequences around neutralizable antigenic site on VP1 site of O/SKR/2002 isolates were aligned and compared with other strains. At the antigenic site 1, the replacements of the critical amino acid residues at position 144 from V to L and at position 152 from A to T were observed in O/SKR/2002 viruses. For antigenic site 2 and 4, there were not significant variations in general. At the antigenic site 3, the substitutions of amino acid residues were present at positions 54 and 56 in O/SKR/2002 isolates and an alternative residue I at position 54 are observed only at the sequence of O/SKR/AS/2002 (cow) virus. And the substitution (L-->P) of significant residue at position 144 was detected at the amino acid sequence of the O/SKR/2002 (cow) virus.
Amino Acid Sequence ; Animals ; Antibodies, Viral/blood ; Base Sequence ; Capsid Proteins/genetics/*immunology ; Cattle ; Cattle Diseases/epidemiology/*virology ; Cluster Analysis ; Disease Outbreaks/*veterinary ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay/veterinary ; Epitopes/analysis ; Foot-and-Mouth Disease/epidemiology/*virology ; Foot-and-Mouth Disease Virus/genetics/*immunology ; Korea/epidemiology ; Molecular Sequence Data ; Phylogeny ; RNA, Viral/chemistry/genetics ; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction/veterinary ; Sequence Alignment ; Swine ; Swine Diseases/epidemiology/*virology

Neospora caninum is an important cause of abortion in dairy cattle worldwide. Dog is the definitive host for N. caninum and can infect dairy cattle. The aim of this study is to determine the prevalence of Neospora oocysts in feces of dogs from dairy farms. A total of 174 fecal samples was collected from 89 farm dogs and 85 household dogs during 2006 and 2008. Fecal samples of dogs were microscopically examined for detecting Hammondia Neospora-like oocysts (HNLO) by Mini Parasep(R)SF fecal parasite concentrator. HNLO were microscopically detected in 4 fecal samples (2.2%). The fecal samples with HNLO were examined by N. caninum-specific PCR. Two of the samples were positive for N. caninum. The 2 positive fecal samples were selected for inoculation to calves. Two inoculated calves were seronegative by ELISA for 4 months post-infection. This is the first report of finding N. caninum DNA in feces of farm dogs in Mashhad area, Iran.
Animals ; Antibodies, Fungal/blood ; Cattle ; Cattle Diseases/immunology/parasitology ; Coccidiosis/epidemiology/parasitology/*veterinary ; DNA, Fungal/genetics/isolation & purification ; Dog Diseases/*epidemiology/*parasitology ; Dogs ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay/methods ; Feces/*microbiology ; Iran/epidemiology ; Male ; Microscopy/methods ; Neospora/*genetics/*isolation & purification ; Oocysts/cytology ; Polymerase Chain Reaction/methods ; Prevalence

Eleven cases of human brucellosis occurred among livestock workers and a veterinarian who lived and worked in a rural area around Jeongeup City, Jeollabuk-Do, Korea from February 2003 to August 2003. Eight of the patients had taken care of Korean native cattle that were infected with bovine brucellosis and had already been slaughtered. Two of the patients had taken care of dairy cattle, and one case was a veterinarian who acquired the disease through an accidental contact with infected cattle while assisting in calf delivery. Eleven cases were identified by serologic work ups and four cases were identified via positive blood cultures. This study shows that the Republic of Korea is no longer free of human brucellosis, Brucella abortus biotype 1. We reviewed the patients' characteristics and serologic data during the oneyear follow up period, and we also discuss on the efficacy and side effects of the rifampin and doxycyline regimen used for the treatment of human brucellosis.
Adult ; Animal Husbandry ; Animals ; Anti-Bacterial Agents/adverse effects/therapeutic use ; Antibodies, Bacterial/blood ; Base Sequence ; Brucella abortus/genetics/immunology/isolation and purification ; Brucellosis/drug therapy/*epidemiology/microbiology/transmission ; Brucellosis, Bovine/transmission ; Cattle ; DNA, Bacterial/genetics ; Disease Outbreaks ; Doxycycline/adverse effects/therapeutic use ; Female ; Humans ; Korea/epidemiology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Occupational Diseases/drug therapy/epidemiology/immunology/microbiology ; Rifampin/adverse effects/therapeutic use ; Veterinarians