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Study on the therapeutic effects of interferon and gamma-globulin in experimental Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia.

Dae Whan SHIN ; Dae Young KANG ; Young Ha LEE ; Young Eun NA ; Keon Jung YUN

The Korean Journal of Parasitology.1992;30(3):219-226. doi:10.3347/kjp.1992.30.3.219

This study was performed to observe the therapeutic effects of interferon-gamma(IFN-gamma) and gamma-globulin(gamma-globulin) in experimental Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia of immune suppressed mice. After 9 weeks, trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole(TMP-SMZ; 10-50 mg/mouse/day), mouse IFN-gamma(5 x 10(4) units/mouse/day) and mouse gamma-globulin(20 mg/mouse/day) were administered to the mice for 3 weeks by the experimental group. The therapeutic efficacy was evaluated by body weights, histopathologic and electron microscopic findings of the lungs, and number of P. carinii cysts by Gomori's methenamine silver stain. Body weights of the mice were significantly increased in the group of combination therapy of TMP-SMZ with IFN-gamma or gamma-globulin, and in the group of TMP-SMZ treatment (p < 0.05), however, little effect was found in the group of gamma-globulin alone. Histopathologic findings of P. carinii pneumonia were much improved in the group of combination therapy of TMP-SMZ with IFN-gamma. Treatment with either TMP-SMZ or IFN-gamma significantly reduced the number of cysts in the P. carinii pneumonia, but gamma-globulin alone was ineffective. In electron microscopic findings of P. carinii pneumonia, the number of trophozoites and cysts were reduced by treatment with either TMP-SMZ or IFN-gamma, and most of the cysts were empty or containing one or two intracystic bodies. The present results suggested, that combination therapy of TMP-SMZ with IFN-gamma had synergistic effects in treatment of P. carinii pneumonia in experimental mice.
Drug-Synergism ; Drug-Therapy,-Combination ; English-Abstract ; Gamma-Globulins-administration-and-dosage ; Interferon-Type-II-administration-and-dosage ; Mice- ; Trimethoprim-Sulfamethoxazole-Combination-administration-and-dosage ; *Gamma-Globulins-therapeutic-use ; *Interferon-Type-II-therapeutic-use ; *Pneumonia,-Pneumocystis-carinii-therapy ; Gamma-Globulins ; Trimethoprim-Sulfamethoxazole-Combination ; Interferon-Type-II

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Karyotypes of Pneumocystis carinii from Korean rats.

Sung Tae HONG ; Beyong Il KIM ; Weon Gyu KHO ; Jae Ran YU ; Jina KOOK ; Jong Yil CHAI ; Chong Ku YUN ; Soon Hyung LEE

The Korean Journal of Parasitology.1992;30(3):183-189. doi:10.3347/kjp.1992.30.3.183

Molecular karyotyping was applied to Pneumocystis carinii(Pc) from two strains of experimental rats, Sprague Dawley(SD) and Fisher(F), in Korea. Field inversion gel electrophoresis and contour clamped homogeneous electric field electrophoresis resolved 15 chromosomal bands from the Pc. The size of the bands was estimated 270kb to 684kb from SD rats, and 273kb to 713 kb from F rats. The bands of 283 kb from SD rats and of 273 kb from F rats stained more brightly suggesting duplicated bands. Total number of chromosomes was at least 16, and total genomic size was estimated 7 x 10(6) bp. All of the bands from F rats hybridized to the probe of repeated DNA sequences of Pc and the band of 448 kb size was proved to contain rDNA sequences, but Pc. chromosome bands from SD rats showed no reactions to the probes. The 2 different karyotypes of P. carinii from 2 strains of rats were maintained consistently for 2 years.
Electrophoresis- ; ; Korea- ; ; Nucleic-Acid-Hybridization ; Pneumocystis-carinii-isolation-and-purification ; Rats- ; *Karyotyping- ; ; *Pneumocystis-carinii-genetics ; *Rats,-Inbred-F344-microbiology ; *Rats,-Sprague-Dawley-microbiology

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Prevalence of Enterobius vermicularis among Preschool Children in Muan-gun, Jeollanam-do, Korea.

Sung Hee HONG ; Young Il JEONG ; Jin Hee LEE ; Shin Hyeong CHO ; Won Ja LEE ; Sang Eun LEE

The Korean Journal of Parasitology.2012;50(3):259-262. doi:10.3347/kjp.2012.50.3.259

We assessed the prevalence of Enterobius vermicularis infection and changes in the egg positive rate (EPR) over 1-year time, using the adhesive cellophane-tape perianal swab method in 2,347 preschool children in Muan-gun, Jeollanam-do, Republic of Korea in 2008 and 2009. The overall EPR for E. vermicularis was 4.1% in 2008 and 4.5% in 2009. A study population of 389 children was repeatedly examined for 2 years. Within this group, the EPR in 2009 was twice higher than in 2008, and the EPR of the group of 5-7-year-old children was significantly higher than that of other age groups. Moreover, in the group of 5-7-year-old children in 2009, the rates of positive and negative conversion were significantly higher and lower, respectively, than in other age groups. Conclusively, enterobiasis was prevalent during 2008-2009 among preschool children in Muan-gun, Jeollanam-do, and the increased EPR in 2009 was due to an increase in newly acquired infections among 5-7-year-old children.
Anal Canal/parasitology ; Animals ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Enterobiasis/*epidemiology/parasitology ; Enterobius/*isolation & purification ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Prevalence ; Republic of Korea/epidemiology

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Molecular Identification of Oesophagostomum and Trichuris Eggs Isolated from Wild Japanese Macaques.

Naoki ARIZONO ; Minoru YAMADA ; Tatsuya TEGOSHI ; Kotaro ONISHI

The Korean Journal of Parasitology.2012;50(3):253-257. doi:10.3347/kjp.2012.50.3.253

Natural habitat fragmentation and reducing habitat quality have resulted in an increased appearance of Japanese macaques, Macaca fuscata (Gray, 1870), in suburban areas in Japan. To investigate the risk of zoonotic infections, a coprological survey of helminth eggs passed by wild Japanese macaques was carried out in 2009 and 2010 in Shiga Prefecture, Japan. Microscopic examination found helminth eggs in high prevalence, and nucleotide sequencing of DNA extracted from the eggs identified Oesophagostomum cf. aculeatum and Trichuris trichiura. A fecal culture also detected infective larvae of Strongyloides fuelleborni. These zoonotic nematodes pose a potential health issue to local people in areas frequented by Japanese macaques.
Animals ; DNA/chemistry/genetics ; Feces/*parasitology ; Japan ; Macaca ; Molecular Sequence Data ; Oesophagostomiasis/parasitology/*veterinary ; Oesophagostomum/classification/*isolation & purification ; Primate Diseases/*parasitology ; Sequence Analysis, DNA ; Strongyloides/classification/isolation & purification ; Strongyloidiasis/parasitology/veterinary ; Trichuriasis/parasitology/*veterinary ; Trichuris/classification/*isolation & purification

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A Seroepidemiological Survey of Toxocariasis among Eosinophilia Patients in Chungcheongnam-do.

Min SEO ; Sung Chul YOON

The Korean Journal of Parasitology.2012;50(3):249-251. doi:10.3347/kjp.2012.50.3.249

There have been several reports on the relationship between toxocariasis and eosinophilia, but all have been limited to the areas of Seoul or Gangwon-do. In the present study, we investigated the seroprevalence of toxocariasis among eosinophilia patients in Chungcheongnam-do, the central district of Korea. Among the 101 patients tested, 51 (50.5%) were identified as positive by Toxocara ELISA, and 46 (45.5%) were confidently diagnosed with toxocariasis because of absence of any other cause of eosinophilia. Whereas 22 of 42 seropositive patients (52.3%) had a recent history of consuming raw livers, especially the cow liver, only 1 of 25 seronegative patients (4%) had done so (P<0.01). From these results, we could confirm that toxocariasis is related to eosinophilia, and infer that ingestion of raw cow liver plays a vital role in the transmission of toxocariasis in Chungcheongnam-do.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Animals ; Antigens, Helminth/*blood ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Eosinophilia/*etiology ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Republic of Korea/epidemiology ; Seroepidemiologic Studies ; Toxocariasis/*epidemiology ; Young Adult

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Quantitative Evaluation of Viability- and Apoptosis-Related Genes in Ascaris suum Eggs under Different Culture-Temperature Conditions.

Yong Man YU ; You Hang CHO ; Young Nam YOUN ; Juan Hua QUAN ; In Wook CHOI ; Young Ha LEE

The Korean Journal of Parasitology.2012;50(3):243-247. doi:10.3347/kjp.2012.50.3.243

Ascaris suum eggs are inactivated by composting conditions; however, it is difficult to find functional changes in heat-treated A. suum eggs. Here, unembryonated A. suum eggs were incubated at 20degrees C, 50degrees C, and 70degrees C in vitro, and the gene expression levels related to viability, such as eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4E (IF4E), phosphofructokinase 1 (PFK1), and thioredoxin 1 (TRX1), and to apoptosis, such as apoptosis-inducing factor 1 (AIF1) and cell death protein 6 (CDP6), were evaluated by real-time quantitative RT-PCR. No prominent morphological alterations were noted in the eggs at 20degrees C until day 10. In contrast, the eggs developed rapidly, and embryonated eggs and hatched larvae began to die, starting on day 2 at 50degrees C and day 1 at 70degrees C. At 20degrees C, IF4E, PFK1, and TRX1 mRNA expression was significantly increased from days 2-4; however, AIF1 and CDP6 mRNA expression was not changed significantly. IF4E, PFK1, and TRX1 mRNA expression was markedly decreased from day 2 at 50degrees C and 70degrees C, whereas AIF1 and CDP6 mRNA expression was significantly increased. The expressions of HSP70 and HSP90 were detected for 9-10 days at 20degrees C, for 3-5 days at 50degrees C, and for 2 days at 70degrees C. Taken together, incremental heat increases were associated with the rapid development of A. suum eggs, decreased expression of genes related to viability, and earlier expression of apoptosis-related genes, and finally these changes of viability- and apoptosis-related genes of A. suum eggs were associated with survival of the eggs under temperature stress.
Animals ; *Apoptosis ; Ascaris suum/*genetics/*radiation effects ; Cell Survival/radiation effects ; Eggs/radiation effects ; Female ; Gene Expression Profiling ; Gene Expression Regulation/*radiation effects ; Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Survival Analysis ; Temperature

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Effect of Temperature on Embryonation of Ascaris suum Eggs in an Environmental Chamber.

Min Ki KIM ; Kyoung Ho PYO ; Young Sang HWANG ; Ki Hwan PARK ; In Gyun HWANG ; Jong Yil CHAI ; Eun Hee SHIN

The Korean Journal of Parasitology.2012;50(3):239-242. doi:10.3347/kjp.2012.50.3.239

The influence of temperature on the development and embryonation of Ascaris suum eggs was studied using coarse sand medium in an environmental chamber with 50% humidity. The time required for development and embryonation of eggs was examined under 3 different temperature conditions, 5degrees C, 25degrees C, and 35degrees C. A. suum eggs did not develop over 1 month at the temperature of 5degrees C. However, other temperature conditions, 25degrees C and 35degrees C, induced egg development to the 8-cell-stage at days 5-6 after incubation. All eggs examined developed to the 8-cell stage at day 6 after incubation in the sand medium at 25degrees C. The higher temperature, 35degrees C, slightly accelerated the A. suum egg development compared to 25degrees C, and the development to the 8-cell stage occurred within day 5 after incubation. The formation of larvae in A. suum eggs at temperatures of 35degrees C and 25degrees C appeared at days 17 and 19 after incubation, respectively. These findings show that 35degrees C condition shortens the time for the development of A. suum eggs to the 8-cell-stage in comparison to 25degrees C, and suggest the possibility of accelerated transmission of this parasite, resulting from global warming and ecosystem changes.
Animals ; Ascaris suum/*embryology/growth & development/*radiation effects ; Culture Media ; Eggs/radiation effects ; Humidity ; Larva/growth & development/radiation effects ; Silicon Dioxide ; Temperature

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Production and Evaluation of Toxoplasma gondii Recombinant GRA7 for Serodiagnosis of Human Infections.

Mina SELSELEH ; Hossein KESHAVARZ ; Mehdi MOHEBALI ; Saeedeh SHOJAEE ; Monavar SELSELEH ; Mohammad Reza ESHRAGIAN ; Fatemeh MANSOURI ; Mohammad Hossein MODARRESSI

The Korean Journal of Parasitology.2012;50(3):233-238. doi:10.3347/kjp.2012.50.3.233

The precise diagnosis of the acute toxoplasmosis in pregnant women and immunocompromsied patients has critical importance. Most of the commercially available assays use the whole Toxoplasma soluble extract as the antigen. However, the assays currently available for the detection of specific anti-Toxoplasma antibodies may vary in their abilities to detect serum immunoglobulins, due to the lack of a purified standardized antigen. The aim of this study was production and evaluation of the usefulness of the recombinant Toxoplasma gondii GRA7 antigen for the serodiagnosis of Toxoplasma gondii IgM and IgG by ELISA. A total of 70 T. gondii IgM positive sera, 74 T. gondii IgG positive sera, and 60 sera from subjects who were not infected with T. gondii were examined. These sera were shown different absorbance values in ELISA test. To control the specificity of the rGRA7 other parasitic diseases, for example, echinococcosis, malaria, leishmaniasis, fascioliasis, and strongyloidiasis were tested of which none showed positive results. Sensitivity and specificity of the generated recombinant IgG ELISA in comparison with commercial ELISA (com ELISA) were 89% and 90%, and the sensitivity and specificity of the generated recombinant IgM ELISA were 96% and 90%, respectively. The results obtained here show that this antigen is useful for diagnostic purposes.
Antibodies, Protozoan/*blood ; Antigens, Protozoan/*diagnostic use/genetics/*isolation & purification ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay/methods ; Female ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin G/blood ; Immunoglobulin M/blood ; Protozoan Proteins/*diagnostic use/genetics/*isolation & purification ; Recombinant Proteins/diagnostic use/genetics/isolation & purification ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Toxoplasma/*immunology ; Toxoplasmosis/*diagnosis

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Detection of Ocular Toxoplasma gondii Infection in Chronic Irregular Recurrent Uveitis by PCR.

Sang Eun LEE ; Sung Hee HONG ; Seong Ho LEE ; Young Il JEONG ; Su Jin LIM ; Oh Woong KWON ; Sun Hyun KIM ; Young Sung YOU ; Shin Hyeong CHO ; Won Ja LEE

The Korean Journal of Parasitology.2012;50(3):229-231. doi:10.3347/kjp.2012.50.3.229

Toxoplasma gondii is a zoonotic parasite resulting in human infections and one of the infectious pathogens leading to uveitis and retinochoroiditis. The present study was performed to assess T. gondii infection in 20 ocular patients with chronic irregular recurrent uveitis (20 aqueous humor and 20 peripheral blood samples) using PCR. All samples were analyzed by nested PCR targeting a specific B1 gene of T. gondii. The PCR-positive rate was 25% (5/20), including 5% (1) in blood samples, 25% (5) in aqueous humor samples, and 5% (1) in both sample types. A molecular screening test for T. gondii infection in ocular patients with common clinical findings of an unclear retinal margin and an inflammatory membrane over the retina, as seen by fundus examination, may be helpful for early diagnosis and treatment.
Aqueous Humor/parasitology ; Blood/parasitology ; Chronic Disease ; Humans ; Polymerase Chain Reaction/*methods ; Recurrence ; Toxoplasma/genetics/*isolation & purification ; Toxoplasmosis, Ocular/*diagnosis/*parasitology ; Uveitis/*parasitology

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Seroprevalence of Toxoplasmosis in the Residents of Cheorwon-gun, Gangwon-do, Korea.

Hye Jin AHN ; Pyo Yun CHO ; Seong Kyu AHN ; Tong Soo KIM ; Chom Kyu CHONG ; Sung Jong HONG ; Seok Ho CHA ; Ho Woo NAM

The Korean Journal of Parasitology.2012;50(3):225-227. doi:10.3347/kjp.2012.50.3.225

The seroepidemiological status of toxoplasmosis was surveyed among the residents of Cheorwon-gun, Gangwon-do by means of ELISA using a crude extract antigen of Toxoplasma gondii. The sera of 1,661 adult residents (866 males and 795 females) were collected and checked for IgG antibody titers, which showed 17.0% positive rate (282 sera). The positive rate was significantly different between the sex; 20.6% for males and 13.1% for females (P<0.05). The positive rates were higher in fifties of males (28.7%) and forties of females (20.0%). This positive rate of toxoplasmosis in Cheorwon-gun residents is regarded as the highest among the surveys of different geographical regions of Korea. This high positive rate may due in part to peculiar geographical locality of the surveyed area near the naturally well preserved demilitarized zone (DMZ) or presumably consumption of the pork imported from high endemic nations. Therefore, it is necessary to study further the epidemiology of toxoplasmosis in Cheorwon-gun.
Adult ; Age Factors ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Antibodies, Protozoan/*blood ; Antigens, Protozoan/diagnostic use/isolation & purification ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Female ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin G/blood ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Republic of Korea/epidemiology ; Seroepidemiologic Studies ; Sex Factors ; Toxoplasma/*immunology ; Toxoplasmosis/*epidemiology

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