Toxoplasma gondii is a worldwide parasite that can infect the central nervous system of warm-blooded animals, including humans. The infection is acquired mainly by eating food or water contaminated with oocyst or tissue cysts of T. gondii [1]. A zoonotic infection of this parasite leads to an asymptomatic infection in healthy persons. Clinical toxoplasmosis appears to occur by reactivation of the infection in individuals who are immunocompromised, especially patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) or cancer [2]. Cats play an important role in the spread of toxoplasmosis because they are the only animals that excrete resistant oocysts into the environment [3]. In the Republic of Korea, large numbers of stray cats are found roaming residential streets and increasing the risk of public health for animals and humans. The present study was performed to determine the prevalence of T. gondii in a Korean stray cat population, as this frequency is important for determining the epidemiological significance of T. gondii infection.A total of 174 stray cats (75 males and 99 females) were assayed for the prevalence of T. gondii using the latex agglutination test (LAT), ELISA, and diagnostic polymerase chain reaction (PCR).Twenty samples were collected from Gwacheon-si, 82 from Bucheon-si, and 72 from Yangju-si in Gyeonggi-do, Korea. Stray cats were captured as the TNR (trap, neuter, return) program, promoted by the government from April to October 2007. Blood was collected from each cat by cephalic or jugular venipuncture, allowed to clot, and centrifuged for 5 min at 1,800 g, and then the serum was collected and stored at -20℃ until used. The presence of T. gondii antibodies was analyzed using a LAT kit (Eiken Chemical Co., Tokyo, Japan). The procedures described in the manufacturer's instructions were followed accurately. Briefly, serial 2-fold dilutions of the sera were prepared to 1 : 2,048 titer. After mixing the sensitive latex suspension for at least 12 hr, titers measuring 32 or higher were recorded as positive. ELISA was performed as previously described in Choi et al. [4]. The cutoff absorbance of 0.25 was recorded as a positive reaction. For diagnostic PCR, 2 pairs of oligonucleotide primers directed against the B1 gene of T. gondii were used to perform nested PCR [5], using a Maxime PCR premix Kit (Intron, Korea). PCR reactions were cycled 40 times with denaturation at 93℃ for 10 sec followed by annealing at 57℃ for 10 sec and finally an extension step at 72℃ for 30 sec. The amplified DNA was visualized following separation in 2% agarose gels.In LAT, T. gondii antibodies were detected in 14 (8.1%) of 174 Prevalence of Toxoplasma gondii in Stray Cats of Gyeonggi-do, KoreaKorean J Parasitol. Vol. 46, No. 3: 199-201, September 2008 DOI: 10.3347/kjp.2008 199 Abstract: Toxoplasma gondii is an obligate intracellular zoonotic protozoan with a worldwide distribution. It infects humans as well as a broad spectrum of vertebrate hosts. Cats and wild felidae play crucial roles in the epidemiology of toxoplasmo...

Human transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGFB1) is a family of polypeptides that regulate cell growth, cell differentiation, and cell function as a multifunctional regulator of cellular activity. TGFB1 is produced by osteoblasts and stored in substantial amounts in the bone matrix, which is an important regulator of both skeletal development and homeostasis of bone metabolism. In the present study, we identified four new polymorphisms in TGFB1 and examined whether these polymorphisms are risk factors for osteoporosis. We have sequenced all exons including in the promoter region up to -1,800bp to identify additional genetic polymorphisms in TGFB1. Four novel polymorphisms were newly identified: one in 5' region (g.14129555_14129557dupAGG), one in promoter region (g.14128838C>T), and two in intron (g.14106505G>A and g.14106215G>A). Two known SNPs (g.14128554C>T and g.14127139T>C) were also confirmed. The frequencies of each SNP were 0.479 (g.14129555_14129557dupAGG), 0.007 (g.14128838C>T), 0.478 (g.14128554C>T), 0.476 (g.14127139T>C), 0.016 (g.14106505G>A), and 0.004 (g.14106215G>A) in the Korean population (n=1,885), respectively. Haplotypes and their frequencies were estimated by EM algorithm, and linkage disequilibrium coefficients (|D'| and r 2 ) between polymorphism pairs were calculated. We analyzed genetic associations of TGFB1 polymorphisms and haplotypes with spinal bone mineral density (BMD) value of 433 postmenopausal Korean women. By statistical analysis, we could not find any associations with spinal BMD. The information from this study of the critical TGFB1 would be useful for genetic studies of other diseases.

Osteoporosis is a disease characterized by exaggerated loss of bone mass, with as much as 50 to 85% of the variation in bone mineral density (BMD) commonly accepted as being genetically determined. Although intensive studies have attempted to elucidate the genetic effects of polymorphisms on BMD and/or osteoporosis in several genes, the genes involved are still largely unknown. The possible associations of genetic variants in five-candidate genes (IL10, CCR3, MCP1, MCP2 and GC) with spinal BMD were investigated in Korean postmenopausal women (n = 370). Fourteen SNPs in five candidate genes were genotyped, and the haplotypes of each gene constructed. The associations of adjusted spinal BMD by age, year since menopause (YSM) and body mass index (BMI), with genetic polymorphisms, were analyzed using multiple regression models. Genetic association analysis of Korean postmenopausal women revealed that IL10 -592A > C and/or IL10 ht2 were associated with decreased bone mass, whereas no significant associations were observed with all polymorphisms in other genes. The levels of spinal BMD in individuals bearing the IL10 -592CC genotype were lower (0.78 ± 0.16) than those in others (0.85 ± 0.17) (P = 0.02), and the BMD of IL10 ht2 bearing individuals were also lower (0.82 ± 0.15) than those in others (0.85 ± 0.17) (P = 0.04). Our results suggest that variants of IL10 might play a role in the decreased BMD, although additional study might need to be followed-up in a more powerful cohort.

Hafnia alvei 5-5, isolated from a soil-litter mixture underneath the canopy of the nickel-hyperaccumulating tree Sebertia acuminata (Sapotaceae) in New Caledonia, was found to be resistant to 30 mM Ni 2+ or 2 mM Co 2+ . The 70-kb plasmid, pEJH 501, was transferred by conjugation to Escherichia coli, Serratia marcescens, and Klebsiella oxytoca. Transconjugant strains expressed inducible nickel resistance to between 5 and 17 mM Ni 2+ , and cobalt resistance to 2 mM Co 2+ . A 4.8-kb Sal-EcoRI fragment containing the nickel resistance determinant was subcloned, and the hybrid plasmid was found to confer a moderate level of resistance to nickel (7 mM Ni 2+ ) even to E. coli. The expression of nickel resistance was inducible by exposure to nickel chloride at a concentration as low as 0.5 mM Ni 2+ . By random TnphoA¢-1 insertion mutagenesis, the fragment was shown to have structural genes as well as regulatory regions for nickel resistance. Southern hybridization studies showed that the nickel-resistance determinant from pEJH501 of H. alvei 5-5 was homologous to that of pTOM9 from Alcaligenes xylosoxydans 31A.