The worldwide distribution and continuing genetic mutation of avian influenza virus (AIV) has been posed a great threat to human and animal health. A comparison of 3 isolates of AIV H9N2, A/chicken/Korea/KBNP-0028/00 (H9N2) (KBNP-0028), A/chicken/Korea/SNU8011/08 (H9N2) (SNU 8011) and an inactivated oil vaccine strain A/chicken/Korea/01310/01 (H9N2) (01310), was performed. The former 2 AIVs were isolated from field cases before and after the application of an inactivated H9N2 vaccine in 2007, respectively. The antigenic relationship, viral shedding, tissue tropism and genetic analysis were examined. The comparison of virus shedding from the cloaca and the oropharynx revealed that both isolates were more frequently isolated from the upper respiratory tract (90~100%) 1 day post inoculation (DPI) compared with isolation 5 DPI from gastrointestinal tracts (10~60%). Moreover, the isolate KBNP-0028 were recovered from all organs including bone marrow, brain and kidneys, indicating higher ability for broad tissue dissemination than that of SNU 8011. KBNP-0028 replicated earlier than other strains and with a higher titer than SNU 8011. In full-length nucleotide sequences of the NA gene and a partial sequence of the HA gene of SNU 8011, we found that there might be significant changes in tissue tropism, virus replication and genetic mutation in AIV H9N2 isolates.

In this study, we produced iron-fortified yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) producing Sus scrofa ferritin heavy-chain to provide iron supplementation in anemic piglets. We determined whether iron-ferritin accumulated in recombinant yeasts could improve iron deficiency in mice. C57BL/6 male mice exposed to Fe-deficient diet for 2 weeks were given a single dose of ferrous ammonium sulfate (FAS), ferritin-producing recombinant yeast (APO), or APO reacted with iron (Fe²+) (FER). The bioavailability of recombinant yeasts was examined by measuring body weight gain, hemoglobin concentration and hematocrit value 1 week later. In addition, ferritin protein levels were evaluated by western blot analysis and iron stores in tissues were measured by inductively coupled plasma spectrometer. We found that anemic mice treated with FER exhibited increased levels of ferritin heavy-chain in spleen and liver. Consistently, this treatment restored the iron concentration in these tissues. In addition, this treatment significantly increased hemoglobin value and the hematocrit ratio. Furthermore, FER treatment significantly enhanced body weight gain. These results suggest that the iron-fortified recombinant yeast strain is bioavailable.

In the present study, we investigated the expression patterns of ErbB family proteins in the pre-pubertal and pubertal mammary glands of dairy cows in association with gland development. For this study, we performed immunohistochemistry for ErbB-1-4 and Ki-67 cell proliferation marker. We found that the pre-pubertal and pubertal mammary glands had typical structures, including ducts and terminal end buds embedded in the stroma, and no development of lobuloalveolar structures. On immunohistochemistry, ErbB-2 and ErbB-3 were strongly expressed in the cytoplasm and nuclei in the epithelial cells of mammary ducts and terminal end buds, and stromal cells, whereas ErbB-1 and ErbB-4 were weakly expressed only in the cytoplasm of gland epithelium and stromal cells, irrespective of the developmental stage. Cell proliferation was inactive in the mammary gland cell compartments in both phases. Thus, expression of the ErbB family in the developing mammary glands was not associated with their functional effects, such as cell proliferation and lobuloalveolar development. In conclusion, ErbB receptors were differentially expressed in the epithelial and stromal cells of virgin mammary glands of dairy cows. Compared with rodent mammary glands, ErbB-3 and ErbB-4 were found to be highly expressed in bovine mammary glands.

Salmonella I 4,[5],12:i:- was a monophasic variant of Salmonella (S.) Typhimurium and notorious for reemerging candidate which would replace S. Typhimurium DT104 for antibiotic resistance. Recently, isolation rate was increased on human and industrial animals but there was no case in domestic animals but human in Korea. This was first isolation case from domestic animals in Korea. The five isolates from feces of duck (n = 3), chicken (n = 1), and wild bird (n = 1) showed antibiotic resistance against cephems and aminoglycosides. These means that the spread of emerging bacterial pathogens to domestic animals and the need of systemic management for Salmonella I 4,[5],12:i:-.

Brucella (B.) canis is mainly transmitted by direct or indirect contact with aborted fetuses and placenta. It's also known to be able to infect human, which likely results in providing veterinarians and companion animal owners for infectious risk. To develop diagnostic ELISA, we cloned and expressed rp1L gene of B. canis, which encodes the ribosomal protein L7/L12. Using this purified recombinant protein, indirect-ELISA (iELISA) was evaluated using 78 positive and 44 negative sera. The sensitivity and the specificity of iELISA were 94% and 89%, respectively. The results indicated that indirect-ELISA using recombinant ribosomal protein L7/L12 may be useful for diagnosis of canine brucellosis.

Germanium biotite, a natural mineral, has been used as a feed supplement to reinforce innate immune ability. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effects of germanium biotite on the adsorptive and inhibition of growth abilities against Escherichia (E.) coli and Salmonella spp. in vitro. Two strains of enterotoxigenic E. coli and four strains of two Salmonella serotypes (Salmonella Derby and Salmonella Typhimurium), major bacterial diarrheal pathogens, were used for this experiment. The absorptive ability of germanium biotite against most Salmonella used in present experiment was observed weakly. The germanium biotite, however, showed significant effect of bacterial growth inhibition in most experiment bacteria. These results suggest that the use of the germanium biotite as feed supplement could alleviate diarrhea following inhibition of bacteria growth. It is also presumed that antibiotics usage for farm animals, considered as causes of antibiotic residue in meat and emerging antibiotic resistance, could be reduced through the use of germanium biotite as a feed supplement, in place of antibiotics used for the prevention of diarrhea.

In this study, we investigate the status of calcium (Ca) homeostasis at parturition in three dairy farms (Ⅰ, Ⅱ, and Ⅲ), Heilongjiang, China. Twenty multiparous Holstein cows from each farm were randomly assigned to this experiment. The dietary cation-anion difference (DCAD) was 91 mEq/kg of DM for farm Ⅰ, 152 mEq/kg of DM for farm Ⅱ, and 85 mEq/kg of DM for farm Ⅲ. Incidence of hypocalcemia was above 75% and urine pH was above 7.25 at calving in each farm. Compared to other farms, cows in farm Ⅱ that fed the greatest positive DCAD had the lowest concentration of serum Ca, the highest concentration of serum PTH, and the greatest urine pH at calving (p less than 0.05). However, there was not significant difference in serum 1,25-dihydroxy-vitamin D and hydroxyproline concentration of the cows among three farms. This is the first study to confirm that hypocalcemia is very prevalent at calving in Chinese dairy farms, and the high positive DCAD is a major risk factor that results in hypocalcemia at calving, which may reduce ability of the cow to maintain Ca homeostasis.

Feline parasites were investigated in the area of Suwon in Korea from September to October, 2003. Wild cat had spread to zoonotic parasites, these parasites could cause infection with a person. People have a lot of interest in parasite infection of wild cat. This article reviews rate of infection of a parasites and kind of a parasite of wild cats. We will report the critical characteristic features of parasites to a better understanding of the disease. The incidence rates of Toxocara cati, Trichuris felis, Ancylostoma braziliense and Capillaria sp were 37.0, 4.3, 1.1 and 1.1% in nematodes. Those of Taenia taeniaformis and Opisthorchis sp were 2.2 and 1.1% in cestode and trematode. Those of Isospora felis, Toxoplasma gondii, and Sarcocystis sp were 8.7, 9.8, and 2.2% in protozoa. Almost of these were zoonotic parasites without Isospora felis.

The analytical method of trace toxic metals in livestock products was confirmed and validated through certified reference material (CRM) and the international proficiency tests. There are some difficulties to determine low levels of toxic metals in livestock products because of interferences due to the matrix. The recoveries of CRM (NIST 1577c) ranged from 73.9 to 119% for lead and from 86.4 to 111% for cadmium in bovine liver. The international proficiency tests were carried out with the milk powder and cocoa powder samples including metals provided by Food Analysis Performance Assessment Scheme (FAPAS∨®, UK). The test samples were prepared by microwave digestion using solution of HNO₃: H₂O₂ : H₂O (v/v/v = 5 : 2 : 4) and analyzed by ICP/MS. The analytical result of cadmium in milk powder was 121 ㎍/kg with .0.3 of the z-score compared to the assigned value of 131 ㎍/kg by FAPAS∨®. The analytical results of lead and cadmium in cocoa powder were 29.2 ㎍/kg and 97.6 ㎍/kg, respectively, which satisfied the assigned values of 34.2 ㎍/kg for lead and 126 ㎍/kg for cadmium by FAPAS∨®. It is verified that the analytical method is accurate and reliable to determine trace lead and cadmium in livestock products by microwave digestion and ICP/MS.

The study of pigs as a human disease model has been conducted in neuroscience. But the morphological development of pig brain by using MRI is rare. The purpose of this study is to determine whether cerebellum maintains consistent proportion to other brain regions in aging. Clinically healthy sixteen micropigs, 1, 2, 4, and 8 months were studied. The micropigs were anesthetized with isoflorane. MRI was acquired using a 0.3T system. To figure out development of ratio that allowed identification of normal cerebellum size, we measured the area of the cerebellum, brainstem, and forebrain from the mid-sagittal brain images on T1W. Mid-sagittal cross-sectional area (CSA) of total brain, forebrain, brainstem, and cerebellum were expressed as absolute values and also as percentages which were compared between the four age groups of micropigs for the purpose to define the effect of age on brain morphometry. It was found that there was not a significant difference in the percentage of the brain occupied by an individual region between groups although the absolute CSA differed significantly among age groups. There was no effect of age on the ratio between the cerebellum and total brain in 4 age groups. The normal size of cerebellum changes during brain development maintained a consistent ratio to other brain regions in normal micropigs. The ratio of CSA quantified on the mid-sagittal MR images offers a suitable method to detect presence of cerebellar anomalies in micropigs.