In the present study, the outbreak patterns of bovine brucellosis in Korea from 2000 to 2011 were analyzed to understand the epidemiological evolution of this disease in the country. A total of 85,521 brucella reactor animals were identified during 14,215 outbreaks over the 12-year study period. The number of bovine brucellosis cases increased after 2003 and peaked in 2006 before decreasing thereafter. The majority of the bovine brucellosis cases were Korean native cattle, Han Woo. The numbers of human brucellosis cases and cattle outbreaks increased and decreased in the same pattern. The correlation coefficient for human and bovine cases per year was 0.96 (95% confidence interval = 0.86~0.99; p < 10(-3)). The epidemiological characteristics of bovine brucellosis appeared to be affected by the intensity of eradication programs that mainly involved a test-and-slaughter policy. Findings from the present study were based on freely available statistics from web pages maintained by government agencies. This unlimited access to information demonstrates the usefulness of government statistics for continually monitoring the health of animal populations.
Animals ; Brucellosis/epidemiology/virology ; Brucellosis, Bovine/*epidemiology/microbiology ; Cattle ; Disease Outbreaks/*veterinary ; Humans ; Republic of Korea

A simplified polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay was developed for fast and easy screening of mycoplasma mastitis in dairy cattle. Species of major mycoplasma strains [Mycoplasma (M.) bovis, M. arginini, M. bovigenitalium, M. californicum, M. bovirhinis, M. alkalescens and M. canadense] in cultured milk samples were detected by this simplified PCR-based method as well as a standard PCR technique. The minimum concentration limit for detecting mycoplasma by the simplified PCR was estimated to be about 2.5 x 10(3) cfu/mL and was similar to that of the standard PCR. We compared the specificity and sensitivity of the simplified PCR to those of a culture method. Out of 1,685 milk samples cultured in mycoplasma broth, the simplified PCR detected Mycoplasma DNA in 152 that were also positive according to the culture assay. The sensitivity and specificity of the simplified PCR were 98.7% and 99.7%, respectively, for detecting mycoplasma in those cultures. The results obtained by the simplified PCR were consistent with ones from standard PCR. This newly developed simplified PCR, which does not require DNA purification, can analyze about 300 cultured samples within 3 h. The results from our study suggest that the simplified PCR can be used for mycoplasma mastitis screening in large-scale dairy farms.
Animals ; Cattle ; Colony Count, Microbial/veterinary ; DNA, Bacterial/chemistry/genetics ; Disease Outbreaks/prevention & control/veterinary ; Female ; Mastitis, Bovine/diagnosis/*microbiology ; Milk/cytology/*microbiology ; Mycoplasma/genetics/*isolation & purification ; Mycoplasma Infections/diagnosis/microbiology/*veterinary ; Polymerase Chain Reaction/veterinary

Mites in the genus Chorioptes cause a mild form of skin disease in both domestic and wild ruminants. In July 2006, dermatitis characterized by alopecia, marked lichenification, accumulation of crust, and fissuring was recognized in 14 out of 200 Holstein dairy cattle raised in the cattle farm of the National Institute of Animal Science in Cheonan, Republic of Korea. Skin lesions were distributed mainly over the tail base, and sacral and perineal regions. Microscopic examinations of skin scraping samples from severely affected areas revealed numerous mites of all developmental stages. Morphologically, pedicels of the mites were short and unjointed. The tarsal suckers occurred on the pedicels of all the legs in the male worm and on the first, second, and fourth pair of legs in the adult female worm. A single long seta at the tarsus of legs III and the length of legs II being about twice as long as legs IV in adult male mites were observed. Arising anterior to the inner-most spatulate seta was a short seta with an average of 26.4 +/- 5.8 micrometer in length. Also, the length of setae #4 on the opisthosomal lobes was relatively short. Based on these observations, the mites were identified as Choriptes texanus. Although the chorioptic mange may not influence the mortality rate in the affected farm, reports indicate that a decline in milk production can be observed. This is the first report of chorioptic infestation in a cattle farm from Korea.
Animals ; Cattle ; Cattle Diseases/epidemiology/*parasitology/pathology ; Disease Outbreaks/*veterinary ; Female ; Korea/epidemiology ; Mite Infestations/epidemiology/pathology/*veterinary ; Psoroptidae/*anatomy & histology/*classification

An outbreak of fatal hemorrhagic pneumonia with 70~90% morbidity and 50% mortality occurred in an animal shelter in Yangju, Gyeonggi Province, Korea. Clinically, the affected dogs showed severe respiratory distress within 48 h after arriving in the shelter. The dead were found mainly with nasal bleeding and hematemesis. At necropsy, hemothorax and hemorrhagic pneumonia along with severe pulmonary consolidation was observed, though histopathological analysis showed mainly hemorrhagic bronchopneumonia. Lymphoid depletion was inconsistently seen in the spleen, tonsil and bronchial lymph node. Gram-positive colonies were shown in blood vessels or parenchyma of cerebrum, lung, liver, spleen, and kidney. Also, Streptococcus (S.) equi subsp. zooepidemicus was isolated from the various organs in which the bacterium was microscopically and histologically detected. In addition, approximately 0.9 Kb specific amplicon, antiphagocytic factor H binding protein, was amplified in the bacterial isolates. In this study, we reported an outbreak of canine hemorrhagic bronchopneumonia caused by S. equi subsp. zooepidemicus in an animal shelter in Yangju, Korea.
Animals ; Disease Outbreaks/*veterinary ; Dog Diseases/*epidemiology/*microbiology/pathology ; Dogs ; Korea/epidemiology ; Pneumonia, Bacterial/epidemiology/microbiology/pathology/*veterinary ; Streptococcus equi/isolation & purification/*physiology

Most isolates of foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) display a broad host range. Since the late 1990s, the genetic lineage of PanAsia topotype FMDV serotype O has caused epidemics in the Far East, Africa, the United Kingdom, France, the Netherlands, and numerous other countries throughout Europe and Asia. In contrast, there are several FMDV isolates that exhibit a more restricted host range. A Cathay topotype isolate of FMDV serotype O from the 1997 epizootic in Taiwan (O/TAW/97) demonstrated restricted host specificity, only infecting swine. Methods used to evaluate infectivity and pathogenicity of FMDV isolates in cattle are well-documented, but there has been less progress studying transmission and pathogenicity of FMDV isolates in pigs. In previous studies designed to examine pathogenicity, various chimeric viruses derived from O/TAW/97 were intradermally inoculated in the heel bulb of pigs. Subsequent quantitative scoring of disease and evaluation of virus released into nasal secretions and blood was assessed. Here we prove the usefulness of this method in direct and contact inoculated pigs to evaluate infectivity, pathogenicity and transmission of different Asian FMDV isolates. Virus strains within the Cathay topotype were highly virulent in swine producing a synchronous disease in inoculated animals and were efficiently spread to in-contact naive pigs, while virus strains from the PanAsia topotype displayed more heterogeneous properties.
Animals ; Antibodies, Viral/blood ; Disease Outbreaks/*veterinary ; Foot-and-Mouth Disease/epidemiology/transmission/*virology ; Foot-and-Mouth Disease Virus/*pathogenicity ; Host Specificity ; Swine ; Swine Diseases/epidemiology/transmission/*virology ; Taiwan/epidemiology

In order to evaluate the genetic variability of the causative agent of cold water disease (CWD), plasmid profiling was used to characterize Flavobacterium (F.) psychrophilum isolates (n = 169). Size analysis of plasmids in F. psychrophilum isolates (n = 128) from several fish species demonstrated that six kinds of plasmids were harbored, and ayu isolates had different profiles compared to other isolates. Moreover, multiple isolates (n = 41) from CWD outbreaks in 2002 to 2003 at a single ayu farm were examined to determine differences between isolates from successive outbreaks and showed different profiles by the sources of seedlings.
Animals ; DNA, Bacterial/genetics ; Disease Outbreaks/*veterinary ; Electrophoresis, Agar Gel/veterinary ; Fish Diseases/genetics/*microbiology ; Flavobacteriaceae Infections/microbiology/*veterinary ; Flavobacterium/genetics/*isolation & purification ; Genetic Variation/*genetics ; Japan ; *Osmeriformes ; Plasmids/genetics

This report deals with the acute onset of an abortion outbreak and high sow mortality in one pig herd consisted of 1,200 pigs and 120 sows on Jeju Island, Korea. Affected pregnant sows showed clinical signs, including high fever, gradual anorexia, vomiting, depression, recumbency, prostration, abortion, and a few deaths. Four dead sows, five aborted fetuses from the same litter, and 17 sera collected from sows infected or normal were submitted to the Pathology Division of the National Veterinary Research and Quarantine Service for diagnostic investigation. Grossly, hepatomegaly and splenomegaly were observed in sows. Multiple necrotic foci were scattered in the lungs, liver, spleen, and lymph nodes. Microscopically, multifocal necrotizing lesions and protozoan tachyzoites were present in the lesions. Tachyzoites of Toxoplasma (T.) gondii were detected immunohistochemically. Latex agglutination showed that the sera of 7 of 17 (41.2%) sows were positive for antibody to T. gondii. The disease outbreak in this herd was diagnosed as epizootic toxoplasmosis. To our knowledge, this is the first report of porcine toxoplasmosis with a high abortion rate and sow mortality in Korea.
Aborted Fetus ; Abortion, Veterinary/blood/epidemiology/*parasitology/pathology ; Animals ; Antibodies, Protozoan/blood ; Disease Outbreaks/*veterinary ; Female ; Hepatomegaly/parasitology/veterinary ; Immunohistochemistry/veterinary ; Korea/epidemiology ; Latex Fixation Tests/veterinary ; Pregnancy ; Splenomegaly/parasitology/veterinary ; Swine ; Swine Diseases/blood/epidemiology/*parasitology/pathology ; Toxoplasma/*isolation & purification ; Toxoplasmosis, Animal/blood/epidemiology/parasitology/*pathology

Routine and emergency vaccination of small ruminants against foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) is mandatory in many endemic countries, yet data on the field effectiveness of the vaccines used is scarce. We conducted an investigation of a serotype O FMD outbreak that took place in a sheep and goat pen, and estimated the effectiveness of various routine vaccination statuses. We also evaluated the protection provided by colostrum administration and emergency vaccination. Animals which were routinely vaccinated twice were not clinically affected while disease incidence was observed among animals routinely vaccinated only once (p = 0.004 according to a two-sided Fisher's exact test). In groups vaccinated only once, there was a significant association between the average time that elapsed since last vaccination and the disease incidence (n = 5; Spearman correlation coefficient: r(s) = 1.0, p < 0.01). In addition, non-vaccinated lambs fed colostrum from dams vaccinated more than 2 months before parturition had a mortality rate of 33%. Administration of emergency vaccination 2 days after the occurrence of the index case was the probable reason for the rapid blocking of the FMD spread within 6 days from its onset in the pen.
Animals ; Colostrum ; Disease Outbreaks/veterinary ; Foot-and-Mouth Disease/*prevention & control ; Goat Diseases/*prevention & control ; Goats ; Immunization Schedule ; Sheep ; Sheep Diseases/*prevention & control ; Viral Vaccines/administration & dosage/*immunology

In August 2008, forty dogs out of 400 developed oral warts in a breeding farm in Korea. Canine oral papilloma infection is a common disease in dogs. However, there has been no report of an outbreak of canine oral papillomavirus (COPV) in a group of dogs or in dog breeding farms in Korea, and the genetic analysis of COPV in Korea has yet to be performed. This study diagnosed canine oral papilloma from the oral samples of these dogs based on histopathological examination and immunohistochemistry. Polymerase chain reaction was applied to amplify the corresponding products using pre-existing primer sets for COPV and a universal human papillomavirus targeting L1 gene. Further genetic analysis of the major viral capsid gene L1 confirms the sequences of Korean COPV, which shows a close relationship to previously reported COPV. This study describes the histopathological and immunohistochemical characteristics of canine oral papilloma in a group of breeding dogs in Korea and discloses the complete L1 gene sequences of Korean COPV.
Animals ; Base Sequence ; Capsid Proteins/chemistry/genetics ; DNA, Viral/chemistry/genetics ; Disease Outbreaks/*veterinary ; Dog Diseases/epidemiology/*virology ; Dogs ; Immunohistochemistry/veterinary ; Korea/epidemiology ; Lambdapapillomavirus/genetics/*isolation & purification ; Molecular Sequence Data ; Mouth Diseases/epidemiology/*veterinary/virology ; Papillomavirus Infections/epidemiology/*veterinary/virology ; Polymerase Chain Reaction/veterinary ; Sequence Analysis, DNA

In 2014, two genetically distinct H5N8 highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) viruses were isolated from poultry and wild birds in Korea. The intravenous pathogenicity indices for the two representative viruses were both 3.0. Mortality of chickens intranasally inoculated with the two H5N8 viruses was 100% with a mean death times of 2.5 and 4.5 days. Mortality rates of the contact groups for the two H5N8 viruses were 33.3% and 66.6%. Our study showed that transmissibility of the novel H5N8 viruses was different from that of previously identified H5N1 HPAI viruses, possibly due to genetic changes.
Animals ; Chickens ; Disease Outbreaks/veterinary ; Influenza A virus/*pathogenicity/*physiology ; Influenza in Birds/*mortality/transmission/virology ; Poultry Diseases/*mortality/transmission/virology ; Republic of Korea/epidemiology ; Virulence