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Classical swine fever (CSF) is a highly contagious systemic hemorrhagic viral disease of pigs. Wild boar plays a crucial role in the epidemiology of CSF. Between 2010 and 2014, samples were collected nationwide from 6,654 wild boars hunted in South Korea. Anti-CSF antibodies were identified in 0.59% (39 of 6,654) of the wild boar samples using a virus neutralization test and were primarily detected in wild boars living close to the demilitarized zone and the area of the Taebaek Mountains surroundings. The CSF virus (subgroup 2.1b) was isolated from two wild boars captured in a nearby border area. The criteria used to define high-risk areas for targeted CSF surveillance in South Korea should be further expanded to include other regions nationwide.

Since the 1980's, several kinds of inactivated bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) vaccines have been used to immunize domestic animals such as cattle and goat in Korea. Immunogenicity of the BVDV vaccines has been checked by the Korean Veterinary Authority using laboratory animals. In this study, we applied a molecular method to investigate the genetic characterization of the BVDV genes in six commercial inactivated BVDV vaccines, and determined the efficiency of two extraction reagents (i.e., sodium citrate or isopropyl myristate) to separate the vaccine antigens from the antigen/adjuvant complexes. Six partial non-coding regions (288 bp) were successfully amplified with specific primer sets, which demonstrated that sodium citrate is more efficient in extracting viral RNA from inactivated gel vaccines than isopropyl myristae. In addition, we identified the virus strains from the vaccines by analyzing the nucleotide sequences of the 5' non-coding region (NCR) of BVDV. The nucleotide sim-ilarity of the partial 5' NCR ranged from 95.1 to 100% among BVDV vaccine strains, respectively, in-dicating that a few manufacturers used different BVDV strains to produce their vaccines.

Background: Viral agents associated with reproductive failure such as Aujeszky's disease virus (ADV), encephalomyocarditis virus (EMCV), and porcine parvovirus (PPV) have also been identified in European wild boar. To screen for the presence of antibodies against ADV, EMCV, and PPV from wild boar (Sus scrofa) in South Korea, 481 serum samples were collected from wild boar hunted between December 2010 and May 2011. Results: Of the 481 serum samples tested, 47 (9.8%) and 37 (7.7%) were seropositive for ADV and EMCV antibodies, respectively, based on a neutralization test (VNT), and 142 (29.5%) were seropositive for PPV antibodies based on a hemagglutination inhibition (HI) test. Conclusions: This was the first survey to identify the seroprevalence of the three major viruses associated with reproductive failure in the wild boar population of South Korea. Wild boar may act as a reservoir for many viruses that cause infectious diseases in domestic pigs. Thus, strict prevention and control measures, such as continuous wildlife disease surveillance and strategic methods of downsizing the population density, should be implemented to prevent disease transmission from wild boar to domestic pigs.

In this study, we successfully developed a ssDNA aptamer pairs by using an advanced immobilization-free SELEX method with affinity-based selection and counter-screening process at every round. By implementing this method, two different aptamers specifically binding to bovine viral diarrhea virus type 1(BVDV type 1) with high affinity were successfully screened. This aptamer pair was applied to ultrasensitive detection platform for BVDV type 1 in a sandwich manner. The ultrasensitive detection of BVDV type 1 using one of aptamers conjugated with gold nanoparticles was obtained in aptamer–aptamer sandwich type sensing format, with the limit of detection of 800 copies/ml, which is comparable to a real-time PCR method.

Classical swine fever is a disease that is devastating the pig industry worldwide. Here, we report the complete genome sequences of two classical swine virus strains (YC11WB and PC11WB), isolated from Korean wild boars in 2011. Both strains belong to subgenotype 2.1b. The complete genome sequences of PC11WB and YC11WB are more similar to that of strain ZJ0801 (isolated in China) than to that of the SW03 strain isolated from domestic pigs in South Korea.

Classical swine fever (CSF), a highly contagious disease that affects domestic pigs and wild boar, has serious economic implications. The present study examined the virulence and transmission of CSF virus strain YC11WB (isolated from a wild boar in 2011) in breeding wild boar. Virulence of strain YC11WB in domestic pigs was also examined. Based on the severe clinical signs and high mortality observed among breeding wild boar, the pathogenicity of strain YC11WB resembled that of typical acute CSF. Surprisingly, in contrast to strain SW03 (isolated from breeding pigs in 2003), strain YC11WB showed both acute and strong virulence in breeding pigs. None of three specific monoclonal antibodies (7F2, 7F83, and 6F65) raised against the B/C domain of the SW03 E2 protein bound to the B/C domain of strain YC11WB due to amino acid mutations (720K→R and 723N→S) in the YC11WB E2 protein. Although strains YC11WB and SW03 belong to subgroup 2.1b, they had different mortality rates in breeding pigs. Thus, if breeding pigs have not developed protective immunity against CSF virus, they may be susceptible to strain YC11WB transmitted by wild boar, resulting in severe economic losses for the pig industry.

No information is currently available on porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) infection in wild boars (Sus scrofa) in Korea. In this study, the status of PRRS in wild boars was investigated. Blood samples were collected from 267 wild boars from eight provinces in Korea. Four of the samples tested (1.5%) were positive for PRRSV antibodies and eight (3.0%) were positive for antigens. Of the virus-positive samples, three and five samples were typed as containing European (EU, type 1) or North American (NA, type 2) viruses, respectively. Two amplicons (one from type 1 and one from type 2) were used to analyze the PRRSV open reading frame 7 (ORF7) sequence. The nucleotide sequences of type 1 PRRSV ORF7 had identities between 96.1% and 98.4% with PRRSVs from domestic pigs in Korea. The sequences of type 2 PRRSV ORF7 had identities of 100% with the PRRSV strain VR-2332, which was prototypic North American strain. These results show that PRRSVs are present in wild boars in Korea, and effective PRRSV surveillance of the wild boar population might therefore be useful for disease control.

Two attenuated vaccines, Ingelvac PRRS MLV and Ingelvac PRRS ATP, derived from VR2332 and JA142, respectively, have been used to control porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) virus. However, there have been several field reports concerning the reversion of the vaccine virus to virulence. Furthermore, viruses genetically indistinguishable from the vaccines and wild-type parental viruses have been detected in clinical PRRS cases, raising the need for a better differential tool. As the vaccine viruses replicated better and produced bigger plaques in MARC-145 cells than did the wild-type parental strains, the following study was conducted to determine if the growth difference in MARC-145 cells can be utilized to differentiate a vaccine-like virus (VLV) from a wild-type virus and to identify genetic markers corresponding to such phenotype of the vaccine viruses. The relatedness of 83 field isolates collected between 1996 and 2005 to VR2332 and JA142 was classified genetically and antigenically. Thirteen of 25 VR2332-related viruses and 9 of 10 JA142-related viruses were determined as VLVs, since those viruses produced plaques similar to those by the vaccine viruses. Four unique amino acids each were identified throughout structural genes for MLV and ATP. Among those, F 10 in open reading frame 2 (ORF2) of MLV and E 85 and Y 165 in ORF3 of ATP were stable during pig passages. When the sequences unique for MLV were incorporated into an infectious clone constructed based on VR2332, the virus growth and resultant plaque size in MARC-145 cells were increased, suggesting that these sequences can be used as genetic markers for VLVs.

One hundred ninety-five rabies cases in cattle were identified in South Korea since 1993. As most of rabies cases have a relation to rabid Korean raccoon dogs (Nyctereutes procyonoides koreensis), vaccination to animals including cattle is mandatory in rabies risk region. In order to minimize fatal rabies in animals, eradication policy of the disease has been achieved by controlling reservoirs and by mass vaccination. In this study, we compared the antibody response in cattle and guinea pigs inoculated with rabies vaccines commercially available in Korea. Each group of cattle in Gangwon-do was vaccinated intramuscularly with either one of five commercial inactivated vaccines or a live attenuated rabies vaccine (designated as A to F). Serum samples at the time of vaccination and four weeks post vaccination were obtained from the cattle and guinea pigs and were analyzed with virus neutralizing assay (VNA). Each group of cattle inoculating rabies vaccines showed significant virus neutralizing antibody titers (p < 0.05) ranging from 1.55 to 17.8 mean IU/ml compared with the non-vaccinated cattle and guinea pigs inoculated with 1/20 dose of vaccine showed relatively low VN antibody titers ranging from 0.23 to 6.1 mean IU/ml. All cattle immunized with A, C and F showed high VN antibody titers over 0.5 IU/ml and 62.5% and 37.5% of cattle inoculated with D and E showed protective antibody titer, respectively. This finding suggests that the inactivated or live attenuated rabies vaccination commercially available in Korea could induce protective antibody response in Korean cattle, but sero-conversion rate and sero-positive rate showing VN antibody titer over 0.5 IU/ml depend on vaccines.