No abstract available.
Birds* ; Chiroptera* ; Hantavirus Infections* ; Hantavirus* ; Korea* ; Seroepidemiologic Studies*

No abstract available.
Diagnostic Tests, Routine* ; Hantaan virus*

Hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HIFRS), scrub typhus, murine typhus and leptospirosis have been the principal acute febrile diseases in Korea. To evaluate the seroepidemiologic patterns of acute febrile illness, sera collected from 2,423 patients in 1996 were examined for antibodies against Hantaan virus, Orientia tsutsugamushi, Rickettsia typhi, and Borrelia burgdorferi by indirect immunofluorescent antibody technique (IFA) and macroscopic agglutination test for Leptospira interogans. Seropositive cases against O. tsutsugamushi, Rickettsia typhi, Leptispira interogans and Hantaan virus were 192 (7.9%), 193 (8.0%), 12 (0.5%) and 324 (13.4%), respectively. Male was more affected in HFRS and murine typhus contrasting to scrub typhus and leptospirosis in female. Most positive cases occurred during October and November for scrub typhus, and during November and December for HFRS. These results showed similar patterns with previous epidemical data for recent couple of years, and possibly implied no significant changes occurred in ecologic situations for acute febrile diseases in Korea.
Agglutination Tests ; Antibodies ; Borrelia burgdorferi ; Female ; Hantaan virus ; Hemorrhagic Fever with Renal Syndrome ; Humans ; Korea* ; Leptospira ; Leptospirosis ; Male ; Orientia tsutsugamushi ; Rickettsia typhi ; Scrub Typhus ; Typhus, Endemic Flea-Borne

Since HantavaxTM, formalin inactivated Hantaan virus vaccine (10,240 ELISA units/ml), has been developed in 1990 to prevent against haemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) caused by Hantaan or Seoul virus, it has been commercially available in Korea. Twenty-one healthy people were booster shot once and twice after primary basic vaccination with HantavaxTM. Seroconversion rates were measured by immunofluorescent antibody technique (IFAT), enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), high density composite particle agglutination (HDPA), and plaque reduction neutralization test (PRNT). Seroconversion rates of 21 vaccinees at one year after primary basic vaccination were 52.3%, 95.2%, 0.0%, 47.6%, and 28.6%, and 13 vaccinees of one month after 1st booster vaccination were 100%, 100%, 30.7%, 100% and 100% by IFAT, ELISA (IgG, IgM), HDPA and PRNT, respectively. Seroconversion rates declined slightly by twenty months, and they were 84.6%, 92.3%, 0.0%, 84.6% and 69.2% by IFAT, ELISA (IgG, IgM), HDPA and PRNT, respectively. Seroconversion rates of 9 vaccinees at three months after 2nd booster vaccination were 100%, 100%, 0.0%, 100%, and 88.9%, and 16 vaccinees at one year after the 2nd booster vaccination were 87.5%, 93.8%, 0.0%, 87.5% and 81.3% by IFAT, ELISA (IgG, IgM), HDPA and PRNT, respectively. Based on the above result HantavaxTM has proved a vigorous anamnestic response after the 1st and the 2nd booster vaccination and has persisted higher fluorescence, agglutination and neutralizing antibody titers in vaccinees.
Agglutination ; Antibodies, Neutralizing ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Fever* ; Fluorescence ; Formaldehyde ; Hantaan virus ; Korea ; Neutralization Tests ; Seoul virus ; Vaccination

Multiple species of muridae and arvicolidae rodents serve as the natural reserviors of hantaviruses. Hantaviruses are distributed in rodent populations world-widely even in geographical areas where hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) has not been reported. Serologic diagnosis of infection, using hantaviral antigen, indicates that hantaviruses are wider distributed in wild rodents. This study was designed to intended the hantavirus infection among wild rodents captured in Kyebang mountain, Kangwon-do in Korea. A total of 216 wild rodents in 3 species were trapped in July and September in 1995. Serological evidence for hantaviruses infection were tested against five hantavirus antigens by indirect immunofluorescent antibody technique (IFA). Among 100 Eothenomys regulus, 78 Apodemus peninsulae and 38 Apodemus agrarius (IFA). Among 100 Eothenomys regulus, 78 Apodemus peninsulae and 38 Apodemus agrarius; 12 C. regulus, 15 A. peninsulae and 6 A. agrarius were IF antibody positive against hantaviruses. This data suggest that Eothnomys regulus and Apodemus peninsulae would be a natural reservoir of hantaviruses.
Animals ; Diagnosis ; Gangwon-do ; Hantavirus Infections* ; Hantavirus* ; Hemorrhagic Fever with Renal Syndrome ; Korea ; Muridae ; Murinae ; Rodentia*

Hantaviruses are distributed in rodent population world-widely even in geographical areas where hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) has not been reported. Va.ictus species of Family Muridae and Arvicolidae serve as the natural reservoirs of hantaviruses. Hantaan virus, Seoul virus, Puumala virus, Prospect Hll virus, Sin Hombre virus and New York virus are members of genus Hantavirus and isolated from lungs of A. agrarius, C glareolus, M. pennsylvanicus, P. maniculatus and P. leucopus respectively. This experiment was intended to find the distribution of hantavirus infection among wild rodents and isolate the hantavirus from lung tissue of seropositve Apodemus peninsulae, and compared the nucleotide and amino acid sequences with prototype of hantaan virus 76-118 strain. Hantaviral sequences were amplified from lung tissues of A. peninsulae by reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction. Alignment and comparison of the 324 nucleotide of G2 region of M-genomic segment diverged 4.6% and 0% at the nucleotide and amino acid levels, and complete N protein-coding region of S-genomic segment diverged 3.7% and 1.4% nucleotide and amino acid levels, respectively. This is the report to spill-over on the hantaan virus from A. peninsulae to A. peninsulae in Korea.
Amino Acid Sequence ; Animals ; Gyeonggi-do* ; Hantaan virus ; Hantavirus Infections ; Hantavirus* ; Hemorrhagic Fever with Renal Syndrome ; Humans ; Korea ; Lung ; Muridae ; Murinae* ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Puumala virus ; Rodentia ; Seoul virus

In Sprague Dawley (SD) rats, antibodies against strains of Orinentia tsutsugamushi, Kato, Karp and Gilliam, were produced in order to investigate their longevity and cross-reactivities to their corresponding homologous and heterologous antigens. By immunofluorescence assay (IFA) of IgG and IgM, it was shown that the immunity to the homologous strains persisted at a higher level (longevity of at least 34 weeks with higher IFA titers). On the other hand, the immunity to the heterologous strains persisted at a lower level (longevity of 10 to 34 weeks with lower IFA titers). Since infection with one strain of O. tsutsugamushi does not preclude reinfection with other strains, understanding of the antigenic diversity of O. tsutsugamushi and duration of the immunity to both homologous and heterologous strain is very important in diagnosis of scrub typhus.
Animals ; Antibodies* ; Antigenic Variation ; Antigens, Heterophile ; Diagnosis ; Fluorescent Antibody Technique ; Hand ; Immunoglobulin G ; Immunoglobulin M ; Longevity* ; Orientia tsutsugamushi* ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley* ; Scrub Typhus

During the recent epidemic period (1995~1996), seven strains of rubella virus were isolated in Korea. To analyze phylogenetic relationship between seven Korean strains and rubella virus strains from other different geographical areas, structural genes (E1, E2 and C) of Korean strains were enzymatically amplified and automatically sequenced. The sequence similarities of the E1, E2 and C genes of the cosmopolitan types were 95.8~98.1%, 92.6~99.2% and 96.4~99.3% based on 1,441, 122 and 139 nucleotides and 96.9~98.5%, 90~100% and 97.8~100% based on 480, 40 and 46 amino acids compared to the sequences of strain RA27/3, respectively. In contrast, the sequence similarities of the E1, E2 and C genes of the Asian types were 91.5~92.1%, 83.6~88.5% and 91.4% based on nucleotides ad 96.9~97.7%, 85.5% and 97.8% based on amino acids compared to the sequences of strain RA27/3. respectively. However, immunodominent epitopes of the E1 gene of the cosmopolitan and Asian types were well conserved, and the growth patterns in cell culture and immunofluorescent antibody titers in cross-reaction test showed no differences between two different types. In phylogenetic analysis based on nucleotide sequences of each gene regions, the comopolitan and Asian types formed tow distinct phylogenetic lineages. These data showed two distinct genotypes of rubella viruses cocirculated in Korea, but no significant differences in the antigenicity of two different rubella virus strains were found.
Amino Acids ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Base Sequence ; Cell Culture Techniques ; Epitopes ; Genotype ; Humans ; Korea ; Nucleotides ; Rubella virus* ; Rubella* ; Sequence Analysis*

Two distinct hantaviruses have been isolated from Apodemus agrarius in 1976 and Rattus norvegicus in 1980 in Korea. Since our serosurveys conducted in 1994, a genetically distinct hantavirus from Apodemus peninsulae has been investigated. To isolate hantavirus from A. peninsulae captured in Korea, the lung homogenate of seropositive A. peninsulae inoculted Vero E6 cells. Viral antigen was detected in a progressively higher percentage of cells with subsequent passage after 80 days postinoculation. The new isolate from seropositive Apodemus peninsulae was designated Suchong virus after Suchong valley located in northeastern region of South Korea. Comparing with hantaan virus 76-118 strain, Suchong virus-1, 2, 3 and 4 showed the similarity of 71.0~91.8% at nucleotide and 90.9~94.8% at amino acid sequences in 231 nucleotides region of M segment, and the similarity of 75.1~81.0% at nucleotide and 97.5~100% at amino acid sequences in 237 nucleotides of S segment.
Amino Acid Sequence ; Animals ; Hantaan virus ; Hantavirus* ; Korea ; Lung ; Murinae* ; Nucleotides ; Population Characteristics* ; Rats

Hantaviruses, members of the family Bunyaviridae, are causative agents of hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) and hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS). Hantaan (HTN) virus, the etiologic agent of clinically severe HFRS in Far East Asia, Russia and the Balkans, was first isolated in 1976 from lung tissues of striped-field mice (Apodemus agrarius) captured in Songnae-ri, Kyungki-do, Korea. Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) in vertebrates evolve very rapidly, and hence it can provide a high resolution for distinguishing between closely related organism and species. To clarify the phylogenetic relationship of HTN viruses with their natural rodent host, a part of M segment of HTN virus and 424-nucleotide region of cytochrome b gene of mtDNA were amplified and sequenced from tissues of striped-field mice by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and PCR, respectively. A 324-nucleotide region of G2 glycoprotein-encoding M segment of HTN virus was amplified from lung tissues of A. agrarius mice, revealed 84-86% sequence similarity with Apodemus-borne HTN virus strains from China. The co-speciation of Apodemus-borne hantaviruses with its natural reservoir rodents, A. agrarius and A. flavicollis, be found. A. agrarius rodent population from South Korea had almost same genetic background irrespective of their geographic origin. HTN virus strains from South Korea shared a common ancestry and were evolutionarily distinct from HTN viruses kom China. We have found no evidence for the presence of phylogenetic relationship of A. agrarius-borne Korean HTN virus strains with the genetic diversity of their rodent host captured in Korea based on cytochrome b gene of mtDNA.
Animals ; Asia ; Balkan Peninsula ; Bunyaviridae ; China ; Cytochromes b ; DNA, Mitochondrial* ; Far East ; Genetic Variation ; Gyeonggi-do ; Hantaan virus* ; Hantavirus ; Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome ; Hemorrhagic Fever with Renal Syndrome ; Humans ; Korea ; Lung ; Mice* ; Murinae* ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Rodentia* ; Russia ; Vertebrates