• Journal of fish pathology
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.17-26
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• 2015

The purpose of this study is to explore the possibility of essential oils and flavonoids improving the performance of antibiotics, proving a higher efficacy in the presence of natural substances against Edwardsiella tarda and Streptococcus iniae. Increased efficacy was observed in several cases: both essential oils and flavonoids increased antibacterial efficacy of oxytetracycline and flumequine against E. tarda by 2-fold; essential oils and flavonoids increased antibacterial efficacy of nalidixic acid against E. tarda by 4-fold; flavonoids increased antibacterial efficacy of josamycin against S. iniae by 4-fold. The results obtained in this study suggest that essential oils and flavonoids might be especially useful in increasing the antimicrobial activity of nalidixic acid and josamycin against E. tarda and S. iniae in fish. Natural compounds examined in this study could also be useful to help decrease the overuse of antibiotics in fish.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.27 no.12
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• pp.2075-2088
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• 2017

Salmonella is one of the principal causes of foodborne outbreaks. As traditional control methods have shown less efficacy against emerging Salmonella serotypes or antimicrobial-resistant Salmonella, new approaches have been attempted. The use of lytic phages for the biocontrol of Salmonella in the food industry has become an attractive method owing to the many advantages offered by the use of phages as biocontrol agents. Phages are natural alternatives to traditional antimicrobial agents; they have proven effective in the control of bacterial pathogens in the food industry, which has led to the development of different phage products. The treatment with specific phages in the food industry can prevent the decay of products and the spread of bacterial diseases, and ultimately promotes safe environments for animal and plant food production, processing, and handling. After an extensive investigation of the current literature, this review focuses predominantly on the efficacy of phages for the successful control of Salmonella spp. in foods. This review also addresses the current knowledge on the pathogenic characteristics of Salmonella, the prevalence of emerging Salmonella outbreaks, the isolation and characterization of Salmonella-specific phages, the effectiveness of Salmonella-specific phages as biocontrol agents, and the prospective use of Salmonella-specific phages in the food industry.

• Advances in nano research
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.183-200
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• 2018

In the present study silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) were successfully synthesized using aqueous extract of Sargassum muticum. The aqueous extract (10%) treated with 1 mM silver nitrate solution resulted in the formation of AgNPs and the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) of the formed AgNPs was recorded at 360 nm using UV-Visible spectrophotometer. The molecules involved in the formation of AgNPs were identified by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), surface morphology was studied by using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), SEM micrograph clearly revealed the size of the AgNPs was in the range of 40-65 nm with spherical, hexagonal in shape and poly-dispersed nature, and X-ray diffraction spectroscopy (XRD) was used to determine the crystalline structure. High positive Zeta potential (36.5 mV) of formed AgNPs indicates the stability and XRD pattern revealed the crystal structure of the AgNPs by showing the Bragg's peaks corresponding to (111), (200), (311) and (222) planes of face-centered cubic crystal phase of silver. The synthesized AgNPs exhibited effective anticancerous activity (at doses 25 and $50{\mu}g/ml$ of AgNPs) against Breast cancer cell line (MCF7).

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.49 no.2
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• pp.113-119
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• 2009

Atrophic rhinitis (AR) is the one of important respiratory diseases and causes severe economic losses in pig industry. Severe attempts have been made to reduce the economic losses by preventing the disease. One of the methods is the spraying of antibiotics into nasal cavity of piglets. Recently, the efficacy of the spraying with kanamycin and gentamicin was reduced in the Korean swine industry. Therefore, the preventive methods have been required to be changed based on the antimicrobial susceptibility profiles of causative agents of swine AR. Based on the current situations of this disease, Bordetella (B.) bronchiseptica and Pasteurella (P.) multocida 4D were isolated from pigs with clinical signs of AR. The isolation rates of B. bronchiseptica and P. multocida 4D were 58.5% and 32.9%, respectively. In the antimicrobial susceptibility test, the bacteria were resistant to kanamycin and gentamicin which have been used as the spraying agents, but they were susceptible to amikacin. A new spraying agent was developed using amikacin using ${\beta}$-glucan and yakbaltag as supplementary agents. Field efficacy of the agent was carried out with different schedule. The results from this study suggested that the newly developed spraying agents might be helpful to prevent AR in swine.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.48 no.1
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• pp.12-23
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• 2020

Edible films containing antimicrobial agents can be used as safe alternatives to preserve food products. Essential oils are well-recognized antimicrobials. However, their low water solubility, volatility and high sensitivity to oxygen and light limit their application in food preservation. These limitations could be overcome by embedding these essential oils in complexed product matrices exploiting the encapsulation efficiency of β-cyclodextrin. This study focused on the maximization of β-cyclodextrin production using cyclodextrin glucanotransferase (CGTase) and the evaluation of its encapsulation efficacy to fabricate edible antimicrobial films. Response surface methodology (RSM) was used to optimize CGTase production by Brevibacillus brevis AMI-2 isolated from mangrove sediments. This enzyme was partially purified using a starch adsorption method and entrapped in calcium alginate. Cyclodextrin produced by the immobilized enzyme was then confirmed using high performance thin layer chromatography, and its encapsulation efficiency was investigated. The clove oil/β-cyclodextrin inclusion complexes were prepared using the coprecipitation method, and incorporated into chitosan films, and subjected to antimicrobial testing. Results revealed that β-cyclodextrin was produced as a major product of the enzymatic reaction. In addition, the incorporation of clove oil/β-cyclodextrin inclusion complexes significantly increased the antimicrobial activity of chitosan films against Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Salmonella Typhimurium, Escherichia coli, and Candida albicans. In conclusion, B. brevis AMI-2 is a promising source for CGTase to synthesize β-cyclodextrin with considerable encapsulation efficiency. Further, the obtained results suggest that chitosan films containing clove oils encapsulated in β-cyclodextrin could serve as edible antimicrobial food-packaging materials to combat microbial contamination.

• The Korean Journal of Food And Nutrition
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• v.28 no.5
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• pp.774-781
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• 2015

The objective of the present study was to determine the total phenol and flavonoid contents and to evaluate the antioxidant potential, of different solvent extracts (ethyl acetate, n-butanol, chloroform, and water) from Robus idaeus in various radical scavenging models (DPPH activity, superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity, reducing power, and nitrite scavenging activity), along with their antimicrobial potential. Measurement of total phenol and flavonoid content of the ethyl acetate extract of R. idaeus was found to be significantly higher than those of the other extracts. The ethyl acetate extract (at a concentration of $1,000{\mu}g/mL$) showed significantly higher reducing power and DPPH radical scavenging activity as compared to the other extracts. Results were dose-dependent. Moreover, the ethyl acetate extract of R. idaeus ($1,000{\mu}g/mL$) showed potent antioxidant efficacy ($85.5{\pm}1.18%$) as evidenced by nitrite scavenging ability at pH 1.2. All solvent extracts of R. idaeus showed lower SOD-like activity (13.72~20.54%). In addition, the antimicrobial activity of all solvent extracts except water extract showed strong inhibition (inhibitory zones in mm) of Staphylococcus aureus ($19.40{\pm}1.00mm$) and Bacillus cereus ($20.50{\pm}0.21mm$) growth. In particular, ethyl acetate extracts (100 mg/mL) showed antimicrobial activity comparable to that of tetracycline (0.01 mg/mL), which was used as a positive control. The results of this study indicate that the ethyl acetate extract of R. idaeus is a natural antioxidant and antimicrobial, with enriched phenols and flavonoids concentration, that has potential in the development of health-enhancing food products.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.25 no.7
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• pp.1007-1014
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• 2015

Plectasin, the first defensin extracted from a fungus (the saprophytic ascomycete Pseudoplectania nigrella), is attractive as a prospective antimicrobial agent. The purpose of this study was to establish a bacterium-based production system and evaluate the antimicrobial activity of the resulting plectasin. A gene encoding plectasin, with the codon preference of Escherichia coli, was optimized based on its amino acid sequence, synthesized using genesplicing with overlap extension PCR, and inserted into the expression vector pGEX-4T-1. The fusion protein was expressed in the soluble fraction of E. coli and purified using glutathione Stransferase affinity chromatography. Plectasin was cleaved from the fusion protein with thrombin and purified by ultrafiltration. The purified plectasin showed strong, concentrationdependent antimicrobial activity against gram-positive bacteria, including antibiotic-resistant bacteria, especially penicillin-resistant Enterococcus faecium. This antimicrobial activity was equal to chemically synthesized plectasin and was maintained over a wide range of pH and temperatures. This soluble recombinant expression system in E. coli is effective for producing plectasin at a relatively lower cost, and higher purity and efficiency than prior systems, and might provide a foundation for developing a large-scale production system. Overall, plectasin shows potential as a novel, high-performance, and safe antibiotic for the treatment of refractory diseases caused by drug-resistant bacterial strains.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.311-318
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• 2010

Antimicrobial finishing of textiles has been found to be an economical way to prevent (or treat) skin disorders. Hence, this research effort was aimed at elucidating the relationship between the molecular weight (MW) of chitosan and its antimicrobial activity upon six dermal reference microorganisms, as well as the influence of the interactions with cotton fabrics on said activity. Using 3 chitosans with different MWs, as well as two chitooligosaccharide (COS) mixtures, a relevant antimicrobial effect was observed by 24 h for the six microorganisms tested; it was apparent that the antimicrobial effect is strongly dependent on the type of target microorganism and on the MW of chitosan - being higher for lower MW in the case of E. coli, K. pneumoniae, and P. aeruginosa, and the reverse in the case of both Gram-positive bacteria. Furthermore, a strong antifungal effect was detectable upon C. albicans, resembling the action over Gram-positive bacteria. Interactions with cotton fabric resulted in a loss of COS activity when compared with cultured media, relative to the effect over Gram-negative bacteria. However, no significant differences for the efficacy of all the 5 compounds were observed by 4 h. The three chitosans possessed a higher antimicrobial activity when impregnated onto the fabric, and presented a similar effect on both Gram-positive bacteria and yeast, in either matrix. Pseudomonas aeruginosa showed to be the most resistant microorganism to all five compounds.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.58 no.1
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• pp.17-25
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• 2018

This study aimed at determining the current knowledge, attitude, and practices (KAP) of layer and pig farmers to antimicrobial usage and its consequences. Description of such KAP could provide insights useful for promoting the rational use of antimicrobials in livestock. From May 2014 to February 2016, a survey involving 251 respondents in Chiang Mai, Lamphun, and Chonburi provinces, Thailand, was conducted by using a validated questionnaire. More than half (51.0%) of the respondents incorrectly believed that antimicrobial drug efficacy could not be reduced by using sub-recommended dosages, 61.2% had misconceptions about non-therapeutic antimicrobial use, and 66.9% inaccurately felt that antimicrobials were also effective for virus and fungi. Over half (50.6-55.2%) did not see the need to follow instructions or advice of veterinarians. Moreover, only 10.4% regularly relied on responses to drugs sensitivity tests when evaluating the effectiveness of antimicrobials. Overall, assessment of KAP regarding antimicrobial usage indicated that the majority of respondents had low levels of knowledge of antimicrobials, neutral rather than positive attitudes, and employed poor practices in the use of antimicrobials. The results indicate improvements in KAP could be helpful in developing more effective interventions by farmers, reduce antibiotic usage, and slow the growth of antimicrobial resistance.

• Advances in nano research
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.127-140
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• 2017

Metal nanoparticles have been intensively studied within the past decade. Nano-sized materials have been an important subject in basic and applied sciences. Zinc oxide nanoparticles have received considerable attention due to their unique antibacterial, antifungal, and UV filtering properties, high catalytic and photochemical activity. In this study, microbiological aspects of scale formation in PVC pipelines bacteria and fungi were isolated. In the emerging issue of increased multi-resistant properties in water borne pathogens, zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticle are being used increasingly as antimicrobial agents. Thus, the minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) and minimum fungal concentration of ZnO nanoparticles towards pathogens microbe were examined in this study. The results obtained suggested that ZnO nanoparticles exhibit a good anti fungal activity than bactericidal effect towards all pathogens tested in in-vitro disc diffusion method (170 ppm, 100 ppm and 30 ppm). ZnO nanoparticles can be a potential antimicrobial agent due to its low cost of production and high effectiveness in antimicrobial properties, which may find wide applications in various industries to address safety issues. Stable ZnO nanoparticles were prepared and their shape and size distribution characterized by Dynamic light scattering (35.7 nm) and transmission electron microscopic TEM study for morphology identification (20 nm), UV-visible spectroscopy (230 nm), X-ray diffraction (FWHM of more intense peak corresponding to 101 planes located at $36.33^{\circ}$ using Scherrer's formula), FT-IR (Amines, Alcohols, Carbonyl and Nitrate ions), Zeta potential (-28.8). The antimicrobial activity of ZnO nanoparticles was investigated against Bacteria and Fungi present in drinking water PVC pipelines biofilm. In these tests, Muller Hinton agar plates were used and ZnO nanoparticles of various concentrations were supplemented in solid medium.