Background: Confirmatory tests for failure of transfer of passive immunity (FTPI) in dairy calves require direct measurements of the serum immunoglobulin G concentration. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) has advantages over single radial immunodiffusion (SRID) in terms of cost and time.Objectives: To evaluate the agreement between ELISA and SRID, and to compare the diagnostic performance of ELISA with indirect methods, in the detection of FTPI in calves.Animals: One hundred and fifteen dairy calves (aged 0-10 days) from 23 calf-rearing facilities.Methods: Prospective, observational study. The agreement between SRID and ELISA was determined by the Bland-Altman method. Fixed bias (SRID À ELISA) was calculated. For comparison of the diagnostic performance of ELISA with indirect methods, sensitivity, specificity, and area under the curve (AUC) of receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were calculated at cut-off values of 500 and 1,000 mg/dL.Results: The agreement between SRID and ELISA was 94%. Fixed bias (SRID À ELISA) was 140 AE 364 mg/dL. The AUC and sensitivity of ELISA at the cut-off value of 1,000 mg/dL were higher than those of indirect methods (Po.004). The specificity of ELISA at the cut-off value of 1,000 mg/dL was not higher than that of indirect methods, except for serum total protein concentration assay.Conclusion and Clinical Importance: ELISA exhibited good diagnostic performance and good agreement with SRID. ELI-SA is an adequate method for both screening and confirmatory tests for FTPI in dairy calves at the cut-off value of 500 mg/dL.

Salmonellosis is an important zoonotic disease that affects both people and animals. The incidence of reptile-associated salmonellosis has increased in Western countries due to the increasing popularity of reptiles as pets. In Korea, where reptiles are not popular as pets, many zoos offer programs in which people have contact with animals, including reptiles. So, we determined the rate of Salmonella spp. infection in animals by taking anal swabs from 294 animals at Seoul Grand Park. Salmonella spp. were isolated from 14 of 46 reptiles (30.4%), 1 of 15 birds (6.7%) and 2 of 233 mammals (0.9%). These findings indicate that vigilance is required for determining the presence of zoonotic pathogen infections in zoo animals and contamination of animal facilities to prevent human infection with zoonotic diseases from zoo facilities and animal exhibitions. In addition, prevention of human infection requires proper education about personal hygiene.

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This study describes the epidemiology of hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) in the past 10 yr (2001)(2002)(2003)(2004)(2005)(2006)(2007)(2008)(2009)(2010) in Korea. During this period, a total of 3,953 HFRS patients and an average prevalence rate of 0.81 per 100,000 population were recorded, with a total of 40 fatal cases, corresponding to a case fatality rate of 1.01%. More HFRS cases were found in men than in women (57% vs 43%), and a higher prevalence rate of HFRS was observed in patients older than 40 yr (82.1%). The highest numbers of HFRS cases were found amongst farmers (35.6%). The majority of HFRS cases (71.3%) occurred in the last quarter of the calendar year (October to December). More HFRS cases occurred in the western part than in the eastern part of Korea (68.9% vs 31.1%). The incidence of HFRS was significantly higher (P < 0.001) in rural areas than in urban areas (80.3% vs 19.7%). HFRS still occurs commonly among men, in autumn, and in western rural area of Korea. http://dx.doi.org/10. 3346/jkms.2013.28.10.1552 • J Korean Med Sci 2013 28: 1552-1554 BRIEF COMMUNICATION Infectious Diseases, Microbiology & ParasitologyHantavirus infection induces 2 different diseases, hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) and hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS), mainly in Korea, far east Russia, and China and in the United States, respectively (1, 2). The viruses are transmitted to humans by the inhalation of excreta of rodents infected with hantaviruses (3). HFRS was first recognized during the Korean War in the early 1950s, and although a hantavirus vaccine has been developed, the disease remains a serious problem in Asia and Europe (1, 4), and especially among soldiers in Korea (5, 6). A 2006 report describes HFRS epidemiology in endemic regions in Korea during a relatively short period, 1995-1998 (7); however, an updated epidemiological study is necessary to better understand the current status of HFRS in Korea. This study provides a comprehensive epidemiological overview of HFRS during the past decade in Korea.Raw data were utilized from the National Notifiable Disease Surveillance System (NNDSS) website of the Korean Center for (Table 1). The prevalence rate (PR) of HFRS per 100,000 population and case fatality rate (CFR) were estimated by the criteria established by the World Health Organization (WHO), and the upper and lower limits of the 95% confidence interval (CI) were calculated. Statistically significant differences between the epidemiological aspects were determined at P < 0.05 and P < 0.01 using the chi-square test or the paired t-test. The data analyses were carried out using the statistical system software included in Microsoft Excel 2007.As shown in Table 1, the HFRS cases were analyzed according to the PR, CFR, gender, age, and occupation of the infected individuals. There were a total of 3,953 HFRS patients with an average PR of 0.81 (95% CI, 0.79-0.85) per 100,000 population and a total of 40 fatal cases with a CFR of 1.01% (95% CI, 0.7-1.3). A significantly higher number (P <...

SUMMARY:In this study, we performed a retrospective, quantitative analysis of the epidemiological aspects and risk factors of Vibrio vulnificus infections in Korea from 2001 to 2010. In a total of 588 V. vulnificus infection cases (prevalence rate, 0.12 cases/100,000 persons), 285 were fatal (case-fatality rate [CFR], 48.5z). Males were more significantly infected by V. vulnificus than females (86.1z versus 13.9z; P º 0.01), and a higher incidence of V. vulnificus infections was observed in people aged more than 40 years (95.1z; P º 0.01). Moreover, most V. vulnificus infections occurred in the unemployed (42.0z; P º 0.01). The seasonal patterns of outbreaks revealed that most outbreaks occurred in June (early summer) throughout November (the end of autumn) (99.6z; P º 0.01), and significantly more outbreaks occurred in the southern part (65.3z) of the Korean peninsula compared with those in the northern (29.4z) and central (5.3z) parts (P º 0.01). In addition, the number of V. vulnificus infections was significantly higher in rural and coastal villages (69.9z) than in urban areas (30.1z) (P º 0.01). In conclusion, because of the rapid aggravation and high CFR of V. vulnificus infections, public health education should strongly recommend avoiding raw seafood products and limited exposure to marine water during the summer.Of all foodborne infectious diseases, Vibrio vulnificus infection is one of the most severe because the fatality rate of V. vulnificus septicemia exceeds 50z (1). V. vulnificus is a Gram-negative bacillus that only infects humans and other primates. It is a member of the same family of bacteria that cause cholera. V. vulnificus is normally found in warm seawater and is a part of a group of vibrios classified as a halophile because of their salt requirements (2). V. vulnificus was first isolated in 1976 from a series of blood culture samples submitted to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC; Atlanta, Ga., USA) (3). In Korea, the first reported case of V. vulnificus infection was in 1982 (4); however, it was not officially reported. V. vulnificus can cause an infection in those who eat contaminated seafood or have an open wound exposed to seawater. Among healthy people, ingestion of V. vulnificus can cause vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal pain. In immunocompromised persons, particularly those with chronic liver disease, V. vulnificus can infect the bloodstream, causing a severe and life-threatening illness characterized by fever and chills, decreased blood pressure, and blistering skin lesions (1-6). V. vulnificus is found in marine coastal waters surrounding Korea, and infection with this organism by ingestion of raw shellfish or exposure to marine water can cause necrotizing fasciitis and sepsis, which are characterized by high mortality rates and short latency periods (6,7). In Korea, V. vulnificus infection is classified as a type IV notifiable disease by the Communicable Disease Prevention Act of the Korea Center for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) in 2000 (7). Thereafte...