Sero-surveillance of Getah Virus among Thoroughbred Horses in Korea

Getah virus (GETV), which is transmitted by mosquitoes, causes lower limb edema and stiffness in horses. In this study, we investigated the sero-surveillance of GETV among Thoroughbred racehorses in Korea during 2013 and 2014. A total of 1,182 equine serum samples collected from Thoroughbred racehorses in four provinces (Gyeongnam, Gyeonggi, Jeonbuk and Jeju provinces) were analyzed using virus neutralization (VN) tests. An antibody titer of > or = 1:2 was considered positive. Overall, the seropositivity rate for GETV was found to be 12.4% (146/1,182) among the racehorses; the annual seropositivity rates were 12.4% and 12.2% in 2013 and 2014, respectively. The seropositivity rates in April and September in 2013 turned out to be 8.6% and 15.2%, respectively. The regional distribution of seropositivity ranged from 5.0% to 22.3% in 2013 and from 0.0% to 15.0% in 2014, respectively. Gyeongnam province had the highest seropositivity rate than other provinces. By analyzing the distribution of VN titers according to horse age, we found that the highest GETV seropositivity rate was in horses over 6 years of age (22.4% and 28.1%, 2013 and 2014, respectively), and that the incidence of GETV was higher in geldings (17.6% and 18.6%, 2013 and 2014, respectively) than in males and females. These results indicate that Thoroughbred horses raised in Korea were bitten by mosquitoes harboring GETV.

Histological Evaluation of Bone Ingrowth around Titanium and Hydroxyapatite-coated Titanium Implant in Dogs / 대한정형외과연구학회지

Since the concept of osseointegration has been introduced, a lot of researches were performed to achieve stronger fixation of the implant. In this study, we tried to find the different pattern of bone ingrowth after implanting pure titanium implant and Hydroxyapatite coated titanium implant in dogs. Four typed of cylindrical titanium implants (diameter 6 mm, length 1 mm) were inserted in the distal femur of adult dogs. The histological examination was done at postoperative 2, 4, 8, and 12 weeks. There was no foreign body reaction at contact site and all implants kept direct contact with bone tissue. In the light microscopic finding, after 2 weeks, the cases with Hydroxyapatite-coated Implant (HAP) showed greater formation of immature woven bone in comparison to Titanium implant. After 4 weeks, Hydroxyapatite-coated Implant (HAP) showed more mature lamellar bone. After 8 and 12 weeks, most of the woven bone was transformed into mature lamellar bone. The fluorescence microscopic finding, after 2 weeks, revealed calcein green fluorescence around implants in all cases and it was more prominent in the cases with Hydroxyapatite-coated Implant (HAP). After 4 weeks, the center of trabecula gave out green fluorescent light, the corner of them showed red fluorescent light, and they were more prominent in the cases with Hydroxyapatite-coated Implant (HAP). After 8 and 12 weeks, green fluorescence disappeared gradually, red fluorescence appeared for the most part, and there was no difference in each cases, especially in 12 weeks. As a result, we support the concept that Hydroxyapatite-coated Implant (HAP) induces faster bone ingrowth in 4 weeks than Titanium implant, and that it may be more profitable for early bone ingrowth and implant stability.