• Journal of fish pathology
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.89-96
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• 2017

The majority of freshwater ornamental fish are imported and distributed domestically, causing high risk of exposure to exotic pathogens and drug resistant bacteria in Korea. Aeromonas hydrophila is known as a common species of fresh water bacteria and opportunistic fish pathogen, as well as a species causing zoonotic infection. In this study, we isolated motile aeromonads from various imported freshwater ornamental fish and studied the characters of the isolates. Imported freshwater ornamental fish were purchased on day 1 after the fish were deposited in the aquarium. Bacteria were isolated from the liver, kidney and spleen of fish using 0.5% NaCl containing tryptic soy agar medium. Bacteria were grouped on the basis of their morphological characteristics. The colonies with clear zone on starch-ampicillin agar (SA agar) were tentatively identified as Aeromonas spp. Two hundred and twenty-six strains, about 70% of total isolates were assumed to be Aeromonas spp. Nine isolates were further identified based on the result of the API 20E test and PCR using primers specific for A. hydrophila 16S rRNA gene. The isolates were identified as A. hydrophila and the API 20E test showed differences in trisodium citrate, D-sucrose, D-melibiose, amygdalin and L-arabinose availability between the nine isolates and standard A. hydrophila. The susceptibilities of the isolated bacteria to 10 antibacterial agents were confirmed by the disk diffusion method. Isolated strains were found to be resistant to amoxicillin and ampicillin and sensitive to florfenicol. However, 7 isolates showed multiple drug resistances to erythromycin, oxytetracycline, nalidixic acid etc. Pathogenicity of the isolates was determined by the artificial challenge test on goldfish (Carassius auratus). Three isolates caused 60 ~ 80% mortality in goldfish within 5 days after the initiation of challenge. These results indicate that multiple drug resistant, highly pathogenic and exotic A. hydrophila can spread to domestic aquarium and the preventive treatment of fish before sale is necessary.

• Journal of the korean academy of Pediatric Dentistry
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.274-282
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• 2000

Stainless steel crowns are widely used for restoration for primary molars. The material used for the crowns is an alloy of $70\sim80%$ nickel and $5\sim15%$ chromium. Nickel has been known to cause allergic reaction, cancer and cell toxicity. Little is known about nickel with respect to the relationship between Ni-contained SS crown and graining of Ni-resistance in oral microorganisms. The purpose of this study is to examine whether use of Ni-contained SS crown leads to occurrence of Ni-resistant microorganism, especially enterococci. The gingival crevicular fluid of two different groups was taken. Experimental group included patients wearing SS crown, and control group comprised individuals without SS crown. The samples were plated in BHI agar, BHI agar supplemented with nickel chloride at the concentration of 3mM and bile esculin azide (BEA) agar. The cultured enterococci on BEA agar medium were tested their Ni-resistance in nickel-containing media increasing concentrations from 3mM to 50mM. The results were as follows: 1. In experimental group, a total of 507,350 strains were isolated on BHI agar, of which 53,864(10.62%) strains were found to be resistant to 3mM nickel. In control group, of 414,590 isolates on BHI agar, 37,523 isolates were resistant to 3mM nickel. 2. A total of 95 enterococci were isolated on BEA agar in experimental group, while 20 were isolated in control group. of the enterococci, 68 and 12 isolates were found to be nickel-resistant in experimental and control group, respectively. 3. Of 68 nickel-resistant isolates in experimental group, one survived 50mM nickel. In contrast, none of the isolates in control group was observed to grow at the concentrations over 30mM nickel.

• Annals of Clinical Microbiology
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.9-13
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• 2019

Background: The isolation of carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae (CPE) has become increasingly common. Continuous surveillance for these organisms is essential because their infections are closely related to outbreaks of illness and are associated with high mortality rates. The aim of this study was to develop and evaluate multiplex PCR as a means of detecting several important CPE genes simultaneously. Methods: We aimed to develop a multiplex PCR that could detect seven CPE genes simultaneously. The multiplex PCR was composed of seven primer sets for the detection of KPC, IMP, VIM, NDM-1, GES, OXA-23, and OXA-48. We designed different PCR product sizes of at least 100 bp. We evaluated the performance of this new test using 69 CPE-positive clinical isolates. Also, we confirmed the specificity to rule out false-positive reactions by using 71 carbapenem-susceptible clinical strains. Results: A total of 69 CPE clinical isolates showed positive results and were correctly identified as KPC (N=14), IMP (N=13), OXA-23 (N=12), OXA-48 (N=11), VIM (N=9), GES (N=5), and NDM (N=5) by the multiplex PCR. All 71 carbapenem-susceptible clinical isolates, including Enterococcus faecalis, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Acinetobacter baumannii, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, showed negative results. Conclusion: This multiplex PCR can detect seven CPE genes at a time and will be useful in clinical laboratories.

• The Journal of the Korean Society for Microbiology
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.7-11
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• 1974

The authors identified fifty-eight Shigella cultures among 1644 cultures and specimens of enteric pathogens collected from all over the country in 1973. Fifty-one out of fifty-eight cultures belonged to Shigella flexneri and the rest to Shigella sonnei. None of cultures belonging to either subgroup A or C was detected in 1973. Of fifty-one cultures of Shigella flexneri twenty-six cultures were $B_{2a}$, which were isolated in Seoul area and Kwangwon-Do. The rest were $B_{3a}$ which were isolated in Jeonla-bug-Do and Kangwon-Do. It would not be possible to understand that there might not have been the cases or carriers of Shigella in the areas where the organisms were not isolated in 1973 and that there might not have been any other serotypes existing in the country, although there was a quite disparity found in the distribution between different areas and in the detection of the serotypes as shown in Table 1. Concerning the biochemical properties there were only two cultures showing positive arginine decarboxylase test among $B_{2a}$, and there were three cultures of trehalose negative cultures, one of rhamnose positive culture and one of glycerol positive culture observed, which were considered to be unusual. All the Shigella cultures were sensitive to nitrofurantoin, cephalosporin and ampicillin, and resistant to colistin, bacitracin and neomycin. Majority of them showed sensitive results to gentamycin, and the majority of Shigella $B_{3a}$ appeared to be sensitive to chloramphenicol, tetracycline, oxytetracycline and doxycycline, but the majority of $B_{2a}$ and Shigella sonnei were observed resistant to those antibiotics by means of the In-Vitro tests.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.37-44
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• 2020

This study investigated the probability of foodborne illness caused by raw oyster consumption contaminated with high risk Vibrio species such as V. vulnificus and V. cholerae. Eighty-eight raw oyster samples were collected from the south coast, west coast and Seoul areas, and examined for the prevalence of high risk Vibrio species. The growth patterns of V. vulnificus and V. cholerae in raw oysters were evaluated, and consumption frequency and amounts for raw oyster were investigated from a Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. With the collected data, a risk assessment simulation was conducted to estimate the probability of foodborne illness caused by intake of raw oysters, using @RISK. Of 88 raw oysters, there were no V. vulnificus- or V. cholerae-positive samples. Thus, initial contamination levels of Vibrio species in raw oysters were estimated by the statistical methods developed by Vose and Sanaa, and the estimated value for the both Vibrio spp. was -3.6 Log CFU/g. In raw oyster, cell counts of V. vulnificus and V. cholerae remained unchanged. The incidence of raw oyster consumers was 0.35%, and the appropriate probabilistic distribution for the consumption amounts was the exponential distribution. A risk assessment simulation model was developed with the collected data, and the probability of the foodborne illness caused by the consumption of raw oyster was 9.08×10^-15 for V. vulnificus and 8.16×10^-13 for V. cholerae. Consumption frequency was the first factor, influencing the probability of foodborne illness.

• The Journal of the Korean Society for Microbiology
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.7-11
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• 1973

The authors identified eighty-eight Shigella cultures among about four thousands specimens collected from all over the country in 1972. Of eighty-eight cultures, seventy-seven cultures belonged to Shigella flexneri and eleven cultures to Shigella sonnei. None of cultures belonging to either subgroup A or C was detected in 1972. Of seventy-seven cultures of Shigella flexneri one was $B_{1b}$, fifty-six were $B_{2a}$, nine were $B_{3a}$, six were $B_{4a}$, three were By and one was each of $B_{3b}$ and $B_{3c}$. Of eleven cultures of Shigella sonnei seven cultures appeared to be phase I and the others phase II. Although there was quite a difference found in the incidence of isolating Shigella organisms between different areas as shown in Table 1, it would not be possible to understand that there might not have been the cases or carriers of Shigella in the areas where the organisms were not isolated in 1972. Concerning the biochemical properties it was not possible to compare the results obtained from the decarboxylase and dihydrolase tests with them obtained in previous years except that of lysine decarboxylase tests since they were not reported individually by the different serotypes in the previous reports. These results obtained in 1972 would be the data for the future comparison. In regards to the antibiotics-sensitivity of Shigella cultures the most of them showed sensitive results to nitrofurantoin, ampicillin, cephalosporin, gentamycin and geopen, and the majority of them appeared to be resistant to cloxacillin, tetracycline and streptomycin by means of the In Vitro tests.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.48 no.1
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• pp.48-54
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• 2005

Purpose : The pathologic mechanisms of central nervous system(CNS) injuries in human meningitis are not yet completely understood. Recent studies indicate that the host inflammatory responses are as important in brain damage as the infecting organisms and toxins. There have been some reports on the relationship of nitric oxide(NO), macrophage inflammatory protein-$1{\alpha}$(MIP-$1{\alpha}$), and lactoferrin in bacterial meningitis, but few reports in aseptic meningitis. Thus, we investigated the concentrations of NO, MIP-$1{\alpha}$ and lactoferrin in cerebrospinal fluid(CSF) and serum of patients with aseptic meningitis and control subjects and evaluated their relationship with other parameters of meningitis. Methods : CSF and blood were obtained from 25 subjects with aseptic meningitis and 15 control subjects. After centrifugation, supernatants were stored at $-70^{\circ}C$ and we assayed the concentrations of NO, MIP-$1{\alpha}$ and lactoferrin with the ELISA method. There were no patients with neurologic sequelae after being recovered from aseptic meningitis. Results : Concentrations of CSF and serum NO, MIP-$1{\alpha}$ were not increased in aseptic meningitis subjects compared to control subjects. Concentration of CSF lactoferrin was significantly elevated in patients with aseptic meningitis and concentration of serum lactoferrin was significantly decreased in patients with aseptic meningitis compared with those in control subjects(P<0.05). CSF lactoferrin level was positively correlated with CSF WBC counts($r_s=0.449$, P=0.007), especially with neutrophil counts($r_s=0.574$, P<0.001) and CSF protein level($r_s=0.508$, P=0.002). Conclusion : Lactoferrin plays an important role in aseptic meningitis and may be released from neutrophils recruited from blood to the CSF through breakdown of blood-brain barrier. NO and MIP-$1{\alpha}$ may not be important factors in the pathogenesis of aseptic meningitis without neurologic sequelae.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.589-596
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• 2010

We investigated antimicrobial activities of various pine (Pinus densiflora) needle extracts against antibiotic resistant strains of Staphylococcus aureus. Hot water extract showed the highest antimicrobial activity against normal and methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), however, it exhibited no antimicrobial activity against penicillin resistant S. aureus (PRSA). Hot water-hexane (HWH), hot water-ethanol (HWE), hexane, and ethanol extracts showed antimicrobial activity against S. aureus, PRSA and MRSA. Minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) of HWH, HWE, hexane, and ethanol extracts were 0.05, 0.05, 0.5 and 5 mg/ml, respectively, and HWH and HWE extracts showed the strongest antimicrobial activity among these extracts. Antimicrobial activities of pine needle extracts were stable after heating at $121^{\circ}C$ for 20 min. These results suggested that pine needle extracts can be used as an effective natural antimicrobial agent for food and medical industries.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.255-263
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• 2008

Bacteria that antagonize plant pathogenic fungi were isolated from the sediment soil at the Ansan industrial estate. One isolate of them showed growth inhibition of Rhizoctonia solani, Botrytis cenerea, and Fusarium oxysporum. This strain was identified as Pandoraea sp. based on phenotypic and phylogenetic characteristics and termed Pandoraea sp. BCNU 315. Tryptone as nitrogen source and sucrose as carbon source were found to be most effective for the microbial growth. In addition, the optimum temperature and pH for microbial growth were $30^{\circ}C$ and pH 7.0, respectively. The substances generated from Pandoraea sp. BCNU 315 were purified and analyzed by column chromatography, HPLC, GC-MS and NMR. As a result, one compound was determined to be indole, another compound was predicted as cyclopentadecaheptene. Detailed structural clarification of the all of the rest six compounds from Pandoraea sp. BCNU 315 has to be accompanied in the further studies.

• Journal of Marine Bioscience and Biotechnology
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.42-51
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• 2019

We compared the antibacterial activities of spermidine and astaxanthin against two gram-positive bacteria such as Streptococcus parauberis and S. iniae to find new antibacterial candidates. We also evaluated the preventive effects of spermidine against oxidative stress-induced cytotoxicity in C2C12 myoblasts. Our results indicated that spermidine has more significant antibacterial activities than astaxanthin against both two fish pathogenic bacteria as well as gram-negative bacteria Escherichia coli used as a control group. Minimum inhibitory concentration and minimum bactericidal concentration of spermidine were 0.25 mM and 1 mM against S. parauberis, 1 mM and 3 mM against S. iniae, and 0.5 mM and 1.5 mM against E. coli, respectively. In addition, the postantibiotic effect lasted from 7 h, 5 h and 6 h for S. parauberis, S. iniae and E. coli, respectively. The results also showed that the decreased C2C12 cell viability by H₂O₂ could be attributed to the induction of DNA damage and apoptosis accompanied by the increased production of reactive oxygen species, which was remarkably protected by spermidine. Additionally, the antioxidant effect of spermidine was associated with the activation of Nrf2 signaling pathway. According to the data, spermidine may be a potential lead compound which can be further optimized to discover novel antibacterial and antioxidant agents.