• Journal of Wetlands Research
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.129-137
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• 2011

The aim of this study is to evaluate the biodegradability of the micro-contaminant, clindamycin antibiotic, under nitrifying activated sludge (AS) condition. Based on the short-term clindamycin degradation batch test at an environmentally relevant concentration (10 ppb), clindamycin disappearance half-life ($t_{0.5}$) was estimated to be 9.1hrs under nitrification condition. However, biodegradation was slower (26.1 hrs) when nitrification was inhibited. Also, one clindamycin metabolite was detected under nitrification condition, but not under inhibited nitrification condition. Based on the mass spectra, the metabolite is suspected to be clindamycin-sulfoxide (m/z 441), which is known to have antimicrobial activity. The metabolite was not degraded during the long term batch study, suggesting that under the conditions tested, biodegradation of clindamycin in activated sludge systems is ineffective.

• Research in Plant Disease
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.168-173
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• 2023

Agricultural antibiotics are widely used to inhibit the growth of phytopathogenic bacteria involved in plant diseases. However, continuous antibiotic overuse in crop production may lead to the development of antibiotic resistance in phytopathogenic bacteria. This study was conducted to evaluate the resistance to three different agricultural antibiotics (oxytetracycline+streptomycin, streptomycin, and validamycin A) in 91 strains of phytopathogenic bacteria including Pectobacterium carotovorum, Pseudomonas syringae pv. actinidiae, Clavibacter michiganensis subsp. michiganensis, C. michiganensis subsp. capsici, and Xanthomonas arboricola pv. pruni. Bacterial growth in the presence of various concentrations of validamycin A was also assessed spectrophotometrically by analyzing the optical density. All strains did not grow when the cells were exposed to oxytetracycline+streptomycin or 100× of streptomycin. However, among the 91 strains, 4% and 2% strains showed bacterial growth at the concentrations of 1× and 10× of streptomycin, respectively. Furthermore, 97%, 93%, and 73% strains were resistant to the 1×, 10×, and 100× of validamycin A, respectively, and especially, P. carotovorum contained the highest resistance to the validamycin A. Minimum bactericidal concentration values of validamycin A did not correlate with the patterns of agricultural antibiotic resistance. Further studies are needed to understand the incidence and development of antibiotic resistance in phytopathogenic bacteria.

• Pediatric Infection and Vaccine
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.83-89
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• 2020

Purpose: Group A streptococcus (GAS) is a common pathogen in pediatric patients and often causes acute pharyngotonsillitis and skin and soft tissue infections. In addition, bacteremia with significant morbidity and mortality can also occur. This study was conducted to describe the clinical manifestations and treatment outcomes of pediatric GAS bacteremia patients in Korea. Methods: This was a single-center, retrospective study. From January 2000 to December 2016, pediatric patients aged ≤18 years with GAS bacteremia were studied. Clinical manifestations, underlying diseases, intensive care unit stay, and antibiotic susceptibility were evaluated. Results: During the study period, 19 patients had GAS bacteremia. Ten (53%) were male, and the median age was 7.4 years (range, 0.3-17.4 years). Fourteen (74%) had chronic underlying diseases. Five (26%) were immunocompromised (leukemia and chronic kidney disease). Eight (42%) had lymphatic or vascular malformations, of which seven had lesions with signs of inflammation. Three (16%) developed pneumonia, and two of them received ventilator care. The 30-day mortality rate was 6% (1/19), and the cause of death was bacteremic pneumonia. All GAS isolates were sensitive to penicillin. Fifteen (79%) were sensitive to both erythromycin and clindamycin. Conclusions: This study identified various clinical manifestations of GAS bacteremia. GAS should be considered as a potential pathogen that can cause bacteremia and result in a serious clinical course.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.42 no.3
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• pp.185-194
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• 2006

The aim of this study was to identify the bacteria isolated from endodontic lesions by cell culture and to determine the antimicrobial susceptibility of them against 8 antibiotics. The necrotic pulpal tissues were collected from 27 infected root canals, which were diagnosed as endodontic infection. Samples were collected aseptically from the infected pulpal tissue of the infected root canals using a barbed broach and a paper point. The cut barbed broaches and paper points were transferred to an eppendorf tube containing $500{\mu}l\;of\;1{\times}PBS$. The sample solution was briefly mixed and plated onto a BHI-agar plate containing 5% sheep blood. The agar plates were incubated in a $37^{\circ}C$ anaerobic chamber for 2 to 5 days. The bacteria grown on the agar plates were identified by comparison of 16S rRNA gene (rDNA) sequencing method at the species level. To test the sensitivity of the bacteria isolated from the infected root canals against 8 antibiotics, minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) were determined using broth dilution assay. The data showed that 101 bacterial strains were isolated and were identified. Streptococcus spp. (29.7%) and Actinomyces spp. (21.8%) were predominantly isolated. The 9 strains were excluded in antimicrobial susceptibility test because they were lost during the experiment or were not grown in broth culture. The percentage of bacteria susceptible for each antibiotic in this study was clindamycin, 87.0% (80 of 92); tetracycline, 75.0% (69 of 92); cefuroxime axetil, 75.0% (69 of 92); amoxicillin + clavulanic acid (5:1), 71.7% (66 of 92); penicillin G, 66.3% (61 of 92); erythromycin, 66.3% (61 of 92); amoxicillin, 44.6% (41 of 92); and ciprofloxacin, 31.5% (29 of 92). The susceptibility pattern of 8 antibiotics was dependent on the host of the bacteria strains rather than the kinds of bacterial species. These results indicate that antibiotic susceptibility test should be performed when antibiotics are needed for the treatment of infected root canals.

• Pediatric Infection and Vaccine
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.79-86
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• 2017

Purpose: This study was aimed at analyzing the serotypes of group B streptococcus (GBS) isolated from Korean infants with invasive disease and evaluating their association with disease manifestation. Methods: Data were retrospectively collected from invasive GBS infections at Gachon University Gil Medical Center from January 2006 to June 2012 and at Samsung Medical Center from April 2010 to November 2012. Serotypes were determined by slide agglutination test. Results: A total of 37 cases were identified, which included 22 full-term infants and 15 preterm infants. Fifteen cases (40.5%) were early-onset, 19 (51.4%) was late-onset, and three (8.1%) was very late-onset. Early-onset diseases among preterm infants were higher than those among full-term infants (60.0% [9/15] vs. 27.3% [6/22], P=0.17). The most common manifestation was bacteremia (70.3%), followed by meningitis and septic arthritis. Among 24 isolates retrievable for serotyping, serotype III (41.7%) was most common, followed by V (16.7%), Ia, Ib, and II (12.5%, respectively), and non-typeable (4.2%). Serotype III was more common in isolates from full-term infants (10/22) than from preterm infants (0/15), whereas serotype V was more common in isolates from preterm infants (4/15) than from full-term infants (0/22) (P=0.002). No penicillin-resistant strain was detected, and resistance to erythromycin and clindamycin were both 64.9%. Conclusions: GBS is an important pathogen in both preterm and full-term infants, and serotype distribution of GBS causing invasive diseases can differ between preterm and full-term infants. It is necessary to monitor the nationwide epidemiology of GBS diseases, including in preterm infants, in order to prepare preventive measures without underestimating early-onset diseases.