• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.71-76
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• 1999

Since 1993, the number of vivax malaria cases has increased every year in the northern part of the Republic of Korea (ROK). This study was designed to characterize factors related to the reemergence of malaria in the ROK. A total of 21 cases diagnosed in 1993 and 1994 distributed sporadically in the narrow zone along the demilitarized zone (DMZ). Of total 317 civilian inhabitant cases reported in 1994-1997, 287 cases were studied and 80.8% of them resided within 10km from the southern border of the DMZ. The frequency distribution of anti-Plasmodium vivax antibody titers using indirect fluorescent antibody test was compared in three villages in relation with distance from the DMZ. The number of inhabitants with high antibody titers was larger in the village nearest to the border than that in more distant villages. The present results highly suggested that the reemerging vivax malaria start in the border area, most possibly caused by infected mosquitoes which flew across the border. This pattern of transmission repeated year after year.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Service
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.9-17
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• 2000

Epidemic malaria is prevalent in the demilitarized zone and the northern area of Kyonggi province in Korea. Malaria has broken out in Gangwha-Gun since 1997 due to geographical condition. The results obtained from an epidemiological surveillance for the malaria that happened in 1999 were as follows ; Anopheles sinensis collected in UV-light traps in the barn in Wolgogri and Dangsanri of Songhaemyon showed the distribution of 27,156 of 49,280 figures, corresponding to 55.1%, between July and August. The numbers of patients with malaria were 48(32.4%) in July, 36(24.3%) in August, and 38(25.7%) in September with a prevalence with the ages of the twenties to the seventies. Of a total 154 patients, the male were 86(58.1%) and the female were 68(41.8%). The annual parasite index(API) were 6.44, 5.89 and 4.45 in Songhaemyon, Yangsamyon and Kyodongmyon, respectively. A high infection rate was found Particularly in the areas within 2km from the Han river. By the immunofluorescence assays(IFA), 26 cases were positive with an antibody titers of $\geq$ 1 : 32, of 220 residents in Songhaemyon and 336 ones with a potential case and contacted with the patients. By the blood test, there was no significance in alkaline phosphatase, alanine aminotransferase, total cholesterol, glucose, hemoglobin, hematocrit, white blood cell, red blood cell, and platelet between residents with an antibody titers of $\geq$ 1 : 32 and < 1 : 32 in Songhaemyon.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.291-294
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• 1997

On July and August 1997 two 15-year-old mates of a football team of Tongjin Middle School in northern Kyon99i-do, Korea were consecutively diagnosed as vivax malaria by peripheral blood smear. They had no histories of travelling abroad or drug abuse. Thry witnessed that othev mates in the tram were ill of fever in the same period. A small survey was therefore undertaken to determine whether vivax malaria was outbroken locally. A total of 57 students of the team living together in a dormitory was examined for history of fever. presence of splenomegaly, blood smear and anti-p. uiuax antibody test by immunofluorescent antibody test (IFAT) . Except for the above two patients, only one case rrvraled a marginal tiler of IFAT. No other positive findings of vivax malaria were found. In the results of this local survey. no move cases of vivax malaria were revealed except the two sporadic cases.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.52 no.1
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• pp.1-7
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• 2014

Plasmodium vivax reemerged in the Republic of Korea (ROK) in 1993, and is likely to continue to affect public health. The purpose of this study was to measure levels of anti-P. vivax antibodies using indirect fluorescent antibody test (IFAT) in border areas of ROK, to determine the seroprevalence of malaria (2003-2005) and to plan effective control strategies. Blood samples of the inhabitants in Gimpo-si, Paju-si, and Yeoncheon-gun (Gyeonggi-do), and Cheorwon-gun (Gangwon-do) were collected and kept in Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC). Out of a total of 1,774 serum samples tested, the overall seropositivity was 0.94% (n=17). The seropositivity was the highest in Paju-si (1.9%, 7/372), followed by Gimpo-si (1.4%, 6/425), Yeoncheon-gun (0.67%, 3/451), and Cheorwon-gun (0.19%, 1/526). The annual parasite incidence (API) in these areas gradually decreased from 2003 to 2005 (1.69, 1.09, and 0.80 in 2003, 2004, and 2005, respectively). The highest API was found in Yeoncheon-gun, followed by Cheorwon-gun, Paju-si, and Gimpo-si. The API ranking in these areas did not change over the 3 years. The seropositivity of Gimpo-si showed a strong linear relationship with the API of 2005 (r=0.9983, P=0.036). Seropositivity data obtained using IFAT may be useful for understanding malaria prevalence of relevant years, predicting future transmission of malaria, and for establishing and evaluating malaria control programs in affected areas.

• Pediatric Infection and Vaccine
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.200-207
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• 2003

Purpose : Malaria is known to have been eradicated for a few decades through persistent national health program in South Korea. However, malaria caused by Plasmodium vivax has started to reappear incidiously among military personnel near to DMZ since 1993. After then, the number of malarial cases have been increased abruptly year by year. We analyzed the children of indigenous malaria who were diagnosed by peripheral blood smear and malarial antibody test with regards to epidemiologic and clinical manifestations. Methods : The study 13 cases below 15 years of age, who were confirmed as vivax malaria during from January 2000 to August 2003. We retrospectively analyzed epidemiologic data, clinical manifestations, laboratory findings and therapeutic responses. Results : All of 13 cases were indigenous and tested positive for Plasmodium vivax. Of 13 patients, 9 were male and 4 were female. Mean age of onset was $9.5{\pm}3.6$ years old. Ilsan(n=9) was the most prevalent area, the most patients(n=11) were presented in summer (from June to August). A characteristic feature of periodic 3 day fever in patients with P.vivax infection was reported in only 2 among 13 cases. Thrombocytopenia was most prominent findings, which was accompanied by 12 of 13 patients and pancytopenia was appeared in 3 patients on this study. The therapeutic responses of hydroxycholoquine were very good in all cases, and abnormal laboratory findings were recovered and no relapse during follow-up period. Conclusion : Vivax malaria is indigenous in Korea near to DMZ, but recently endemic area seemed to be extended southward. Plasmodium vivax is the cause of indigenous malaria of children. As for children with high fever accompanying thrombocytopenia in endemic area of Korea, malaria must be included in differential diagnosis whether the type of fewer is periodic 3 day fever or not. Malaria antibody test is helpful as a screening test for malaria.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.52 no.4
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• pp.443-447
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• 2014

Babesiosis is an emerging tick-borne disease in humans worldwide; however, little is known about the frequency of infection or prevalence of this disease in other parts of the world, excluding North America. In this study, we aimed to investigate Babesia microti infection frequency in a human population in Mongolia. One hundred blood samples were collected from stock farmers living in Khutul city of Selenge province, Mongolia. The sera and DNA from blood samples were evaluated for the presence of B. microti infection by using indirect fluorescent antibody (IFA) tests and PCR. The positive detection rates obtained using the IFA tests and PCR assays were 7% and 3%, respectively. This study is the first to detect of B. microti infections based on antibody seroprevalence or PCR assays for the presence of B. microti DNA in a Mongolian population.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.36 no.2
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• pp.142-149
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• 2000

It had been evaluated the recombinant Circumsporozoite(CS) protein of Plasmodium viva in serologic diagnosis of vivax malaria. Western blot was done to analyse the sera of malaria patients according to the days after onset. The sera which have the terms within 15 days were shown 43.8%(14/32) of positive rates and the sera over the 16 days were shown 94.4%(17/18) of positive rates. So the total positive rate was 62%(31/50). It was 22.6%(7/31) which was shown negative response in Western blot, even though they were shown positive response in Immuuofluorescent antibody test(1FAT) using whole blood stage antigens. The positive rate of non-epidemic area(Yechon-gun, Kyongsangbuk-do) was 10.7%(3/28), and epidemic area(Kangwha-gun, Inchon-shi) was 27.6%(13/47) in Western blot analysis using recombinant CS protein. In order to applicate the recombinant CS protein in seroepidemiological survey, blood samples of 422 inhabitants were collected who lived in malaria epidemic areas, Chosm-ri, Majeong-ri, Hyangyang-ri and Noejo-n in Paju-shi, Kyonggi-do. All of them were negative in microscopic examination and two(0.5%) of them were positive in Polymerase Chain Reaction. 42(10.0%) of them were seropositive in FAT using whole blood antigens and 71(16.8%) of them were seropositive in Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay using recombinant CS protein. It was figured out the positive rates were much higher according to the distances of villages which were closed to the demilitalized zone(DMZ) in all kind of diagnostic methods, respectively.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.52 no.2
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• pp.143-149
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• 2014

To evaluate the seroprevalence against circumsporozoite protein (CSP) of Plasmodium vivax in sera of Korean patients, the central repeating domain (CRD) of CSP was cloned and analyzed. From the genomic DNA of patient's blood, 2 kinds of CSPs were identified to belong to a VK210 type, which is the dominant repeating of GDRA(D/A)GQPA, and named as PvCSPA and PvCSPB. Recombinantly expressed his-tagged PvCSPA or PvCSPB in Escherichia coli reacted well against sera of patients in western blot, with the detecting rate of 47.9% (58/121), which included 15 cases positive for PvCSPA, 6 cases positive for PvCSPB, and 37 cases for both. The mixture of PvCSPA and PvCSPB was loaded to a rapid diagnostic test kit (RDT) and applied with the same set of patient sera, which resulted in detection rates of 57.0% (69/121). When the protein sequences of PvCSPA were compared with those of P. vivax in endemic regions of India and Uganda, they were compatibly homologous to PvCSPA with minor mutations. These results suggested that the recombinant PvCSPA and PvCSPB loaded RDT may be a milestone in latent diagnosis which has been a hot issue of domestic malaria and important for radical therapy in overlapped infections with P. falciparum in tropical and subtropical areas. During the biological process of malarial infection, exposure of CSP to antigen-antibody reaction up to 57.0% is the first report in Korea.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.48 no.1
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• pp.23-33
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• 2010

An understanding of the nature of the immune response to asexual erythrocytic stages of malaria parasites will facilitate vaccine development by identifying which responses the vaccine should preferentially induce. The present study examined and compared the immune responses of NIH mice in either single or mixed infections with avirulent (DK) or virulent (DS) strains of Plasmodium chabaudi adami using the ELISA test for detecting and measurement of cytokines and antibody production. In both single and mixed infections, the study showed that both cell- and antibody-mediated responses were activated. In all experiments, an early relatively high level of IFN-$\gamma$ and IgG2a during the acute phase of the infection, and later elevation of IL-4 and IgG1, suggested that there was a sequential Th1/Th2 response. However, in the avirulent DK strain infection a stronger Th1 response was observed compared to the virulent DS strain-infection or in mixed infections. In the virulent DS infection, there was a stronger Th2 response compared to that in the DK and mixed infections. The faster proliferation rate of the virulent DS strain compared to the DK strain was also evident.