OBJECTIVES: Confirmation of Kudoa septempunctata (K. septempunctata) as the pathogenic agent causing acute food poisoning remains under debate owing to inconsistencies in the reproducibility of experimental evidence. Higher intake of olive flounder infected with K. septempunctata would result in increased diagnosis of food poisoning by K. septempunctata, if the latter was one of the causal agents of acute food poisoning. The aim was to evaluate the relationship between the shipping amount of olive flounder aquacultured from Jejudo and the incidence of K. septempunctata food poisoning in 2015, Korea.METHODS: Data of shipping amounts between March 2014 and February 2016 and of monthly reported events of Kudoa food poisoning were taken from Jejudo Fish-Culture Fisheries Cooperatives and Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, respectively. Non-parametric correlation analyses were conducted.RESULTS: Shipping amounts indicated the seasonal changes according to variation of consumption. Spearman's rho and Kendall's tau-a between the monthly shipping amounts and the reported events in 2015 were 0.39 (p=0.21) and 0.27 (p=0.20), respectively.CONCLUSIONS: An independent relationship was noted between the shipping amount and the reported events, which contrasted with the claim that the virulence of K. septempunctata caused acute food poisoning.
Bias (Epidemiology) ; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (U.S.) ; Diagnosis ; Fisheries ; Flounder ; Food Parasitology ; Foodborne Diseases ; Incidence ; Intestinal Diseases, Parasitic ; Jeju-do ; Korea ; Myxozoa ; Olea ; Seasons ; Ships ; Virulence

OBJECTIVES: Recently kudoa septempuctata in olive flounders is suggested as a cause of food poisoning, however whether kudoa septempuctata can affect human gastrointestinal systems is controversial and its pathogenecity remains unclear. In view of the field epidemiology, food poisonings caused by kudoa septempuctata should be distinguished from those caused by Staphylococcus aureus and bacillus cereus.METHODS: The statistics of food poisoning investigations published by Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 2013-2015 were reviewed. The characteristics of kudoa septempuctata food poisoning reported by Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention were reviewed. Information regarding clinical symptoms or epidemiology was extracted.RESULTS: Total eleven kudoa septempuctata food poisoning cases were analyzed. Food poisonings caused by kudoa septempuctata, Staphylococcus aureus and bacillus cereus have clinical and epidemiological similarities. Forty five percent of food poisoning outbreaks occurred in Korea was concluded as unknown. The food poisoning caused by Staphylococcus aureus and bacillus cereus accounted for 4.5% (50/1,092) of all food poisoning outbreaks in Korea between 2013 and 2015.CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests the possibilities of misdiagnosis in the investigations of food poisoning by Staphylococcus aureus and bacillus cereus with kudoa septempuctata.
Bacillus cereus ; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (U.S.) ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Diagnostic Errors ; Disease Outbreaks ; Epidemiology ; Flounder ; Food Parasitology ; Foodborne Diseases ; Humans ; Korea ; Myxozoa ; Olea ; Staphylococcus aureus

After publishing results of a study that revealed diarrheagenic and emetic activity in 4-5-day old mice infected with Kudoa septempunctata (K. septempunctata) spores, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 11 events of “Kudoa food poisoning” in 2015. The epidemiological design of the previous study was descriptive rather than analytical; therefore, this study aimed to further investigate the pathogenicity of K. septempunctata. Academic articles showing evidence of the pathogenicity of K. septempunctata were searched via PubMed using the citation discovery tool. Information regarding the kinds of experimental animals and inoculum spores used, as well as study results were extracted. Four articles evaluating the pathogenicity of Myxospran parasites were selected; the first article suggested the pathogenicity of K. septempunctata, while the remaining three articles reported no abnormal symptoms or histopathologic changes. Our findings indicate that there is weak evidence supporting the pathogenicity of K. septempunctata. Further studies evaluating the pathogenicity of K. septempunctata are needed urgently.
Animals ; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (U.S.) ; Food Parasitology ; Foodborne Diseases ; Intestinal Diseases, Parasitic ; Korea ; Mice ; Myxozoa ; Parasites ; Spores ; Virulence

OBJECTIVES: Confirmation of Kudoa septempunctata (K. septempunctata) as the pathogenic agent causing acute food poisoning remains under debate owing to inconsistencies in the reproducibility of experimental evidence. Higher intake of olive flounder infected with K. septempunctata would result in increased diagnosis of food poisoning by K. septempunctata, if the latter was one of the causal agents of acute food poisoning. The aim was to evaluate the relationship between the shipping amount of olive flounder aquacultured from Jejudo and the incidence of K. septempunctata food poisoning in 2015, Korea. METHODS: Data of shipping amounts between March 2014 and February 2016 and of monthly reported events of Kudoa food poisoning were taken from Jejudo Fish-Culture Fisheries Cooperatives and Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, respectively. Non-parametric correlation analyses were conducted. RESULTS: Shipping amounts indicated the seasonal changes according to variation of consumption. Spearman's rho and Kendall's tau-a between the monthly shipping amounts and the reported events in 2015 were 0.39 (p=0.21) and 0.27 (p=0.20), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: An independent relationship was noted between the shipping amount and the reported events, which contrasted with the claim that the virulence of K. septempunctata caused acute food poisoning.
Bias (Epidemiology) ; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (U.S.) ; Diagnosis ; Fisheries ; Flounder* ; Food Parasitology ; Foodborne Diseases* ; Incidence ; Intestinal Diseases, Parasitic ; Jeju-do* ; Korea* ; Myxozoa ; Olea* ; Seasons ; Ships* ; Virulence

After publishing results of a study that revealed diarrheagenic and emetic activity in 4-5-day old mice infected with Kudoa septempunctata (K. septempunctata) spores, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 11 events of “Kudoa food poisoning” in 2015. The epidemiological design of the previous study was descriptive rather than analytical; therefore, this study aimed to further investigate the pathogenicity of K. septempunctata. Academic articles showing evidence of the pathogenicity of K. septempunctata were searched via PubMed using the citation discovery tool. Information regarding the kinds of experimental animals and inoculum spores used, as well as study results were extracted. Four articles evaluating the pathogenicity of Myxospran parasites were selected; the first article suggested the pathogenicity of K. septempunctata, while the remaining three articles reported no abnormal symptoms or histopathologic changes. Our findings indicate that there is weak evidence supporting the pathogenicity of K. septempunctata. Further studies evaluating the pathogenicity of K. septempunctata are needed urgently.
Animals ; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (U.S.) ; Food Parasitology ; Foodborne Diseases* ; Intestinal Diseases, Parasitic ; Korea ; Mice ; Myxozoa ; Parasites ; Spores ; Virulence

OBJECTIVES: Recently kudoa septempuctata in olive flounders is suggested as a cause of food poisoning, however whether kudoa septempuctata can affect human gastrointestinal systems is controversial and its pathogenecity remains unclear. In view of the field epidemiology, food poisonings caused by kudoa septempuctata should be distinguished from those caused by Staphylococcus aureus and bacillus cereus. METHODS: The statistics of food poisoning investigations published by Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 2013-2015 were reviewed. The characteristics of kudoa septempuctata food poisoning reported by Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention were reviewed. Information regarding clinical symptoms or epidemiology was extracted. RESULTS: Total eleven kudoa septempuctata food poisoning cases were analyzed. Food poisonings caused by kudoa septempuctata, Staphylococcus aureus and bacillus cereus have clinical and epidemiological similarities. Forty five percent of food poisoning outbreaks occurred in Korea was concluded as unknown. The food poisoning caused by Staphylococcus aureus and bacillus cereus accounted for 4.5% (50/1,092) of all food poisoning outbreaks in Korea between 2013 and 2015. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests the possibilities of misdiagnosis in the investigations of food poisoning by Staphylococcus aureus and bacillus cereus with kudoa septempuctata.
Bacillus cereus ; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (U.S.) ; Diagnosis, Differential* ; Diagnostic Errors ; Disease Outbreaks ; Epidemiology ; Flounder ; Food Parasitology ; Foodborne Diseases ; Humans ; Korea ; Myxozoa ; Olea ; Staphylococcus aureus

No abstract available.
Animals ; Biopsy ; Clonorchiasis/diagnosis/*parasitology ; Clonorchis sinensis/*isolation & purification ; Cystadenoma, Mucinous/*parasitology/pathology/surgery ; Foodborne Diseases/diagnosis/*parasitology ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Pancreatectomy ; Pancreatic Neoplasms/*parasitology/pathology/surgery ; Seafood/*parasitology ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; Treatment Outcome

Until 2012, a total of 48 cases of diphyllobothriasis had been reported in Korea, all of which were morphologically identified as Diphyllobothrium latum. However, some of these specimens were analyzed by nucleotide sequencing of the mitochondrial cox1 gene, which showed that all were D. nihonkaiense, not D. latum. After that, 3 further cases of diphyllobothriasis were confirmed as D. nihonkaiense. In the present study, 3 new cases of D. nihonkaiense were detected from 2011 through 2013. The hosts were infected through consumption of salmonid fishes, such as the trout or salmon, and 2 of them experienced severe diarrhea prior to proglottid passage. All of the tapeworms were confirmed to be D. nihonkaiense by genetic identification. This proved again that most diphyllobothriasis in Korea have been caused by D. nihonkaiense.
Adult ; Animals ; Cyclooxygenase 1/genetics ; Diphyllobothriasis/*diagnosis/parasitology/*pathology ; Diphyllobothrium/classification/genetics/*isolation & purification ; Foodborne Diseases/*diagnosis/parasitology/*pathology ; Humans ; Korea ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Sequence Analysis, DNA ; Sequence Homology

Cryptosporidium parvum is a zoonotic protozoan parasite that causes cryptosporidial enteritis. Numerous outbreaks of cryptosporidiosis have been reported worldwide. Cryptosporidium is transmitted to hosts via consumption of contaminated water and food but also by direct contact with contaminated soil or infected hosts. The present study investigated farm soil collected from 34 locations along the western Korean peninsula and 24 vegetables purchased from local grocery markets in Seoul. The soil and vegetable samples were examined by real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) to estimate the risk of infection. Eleven of 34 locations (32.4%) and 3 of 24 vegetable samples (12.5%) were contaminated with Cryptosporidium parvum, as confirmed by TaqI enzyme digestion of qPCR products and DNA sequencing. It is suggested that Cryptosporidium infection can be mediated via farm soil and vegetables. Therefore, it is necessary to reduce contamination of this organism in view of public health.
Base Sequence ; Cryptosporidiosis/parasitology ; Cryptosporidium parvum/*genetics/*isolation & purification ; DNA, Protozoan/analysis/genetics ; Enteritis/parasitology ; Foodborne Diseases/*parasitology ; Humans ; Sequence Alignment ; Sequence Analysis, DNA ; Soil/*parasitology ; Vegetables/*parasitology

We encountered a patient with heavy Hymenolepis nana infection. The patient was a 44-year-old Korean man who had suffered from chronic hepatitis (type B) for 15 years. A large number of H. nana adult worms were found during colonoscopy that was performed as a part of routine health screening. The parasites were scattered throughout the colon, as well as in the terminal ileum, although the patient was immunocompetent. Based on this study, colonoscopy may be helpful for diagnosis of asymptomatic H. nana infections.
Adult ; Animals ; Colon/parasitology ; Colonoscopy ; Foodborne Diseases/*diagnosis/parasitology ; Humans ; Hymenolepiasis/*diagnosis ; Hymenolepis nana/*isolation & purification ; Ileum/parasitology ; Male