• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.137-142
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• 2007

The antibacterial activity of Korean honey bee venom (KBV) was examined against seven major bacterial mastitis pathogens, Enterococcus faecium, Escherichia coli, Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus intermedius, Streptococcus oralis and Streptococcus uberis isolated from infected mammary quarters of cows. Seven bacterial mastitis pathogens were studied for antibacterial activity of the KBV by disc diffusion assay, minimal inhibitory concentrations (MIC) and bacterial count in milk samples. The KBV showed activity against Ent. faecium, E. coli, MRSA, Staph. aureus, Strep. intermedius. The order of susceptibility of the bacteria against the KBV was Staph. aureus>MRSA>E. coli>Strep. intermedius>Ent. faecium>Strep. oralis>Strep. uberis. The MIC against Staph. aureus, MRSA and E. coli were stronger effect as compared with standard drug. The effect of the KBV ($100{\mu}g\;ml^{-1}$) on the viability of Ent. faecium, E. coli, MRSA, Staph. aureus, Strep. intermedius, Strep. oralis and Strep. uberis in milk differed significantly with each other within 12 h incubation period. The results indicate that KBV has significant antibacterial effects against major bacterial mastitis bacteria, Ent. faecium, E.coli, MRSA, Staph. aureus, Strep. intermedius. Results of the study indicate the potential use of KBV as alternative to antibiotic therapy. Further investigations are needed though to confirm its efficacy and its effects on the animals.

• Journal of fish pathology
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• v.35 no.2
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• pp.205-214
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• 2022

In recent years, there have been many studies investigating changes in animal behavior using video tracking technology to track motion. However, there have been very few studies and results on changes in the behavior of fish infected with a pathogen. Therefore, the present study attempted to analyze the behavior of angelfish (Pterophyllum scalare) infected with bacterial pathogens using video tracking. Two cameras were placed in front of the water tank to obtain behavior data, and tracking was performed for three days until the day of death. Data such as average speed, changes in speed, the locations of the fish in the tank, and fractal dimension were statistically analyzed based on the fish speed and location in the tank of the fish. For bacterial infection, an individual angelfish was intraperitoneally injected with approximately 10⁶ CFU ml^-1 of Aeromonas hydrophila or Edwardsiella piscicida. The experiment was carried out five times for each group. Fish infected with the bacterial pathogens showed a tendency to increase in speed and to spend more time in the upper part of the tank one or two days before death. On the day the fish died, the average speed, changes in speed, and the fractal dimension value were significantly lower than the corresponding values in the control group, and the fish also remained in the lower part of the tank. Our results indicated that behavioral changes in fish could be successfully detected earlier than death using video tracking technology, and that this method presents potential for disease monitoring in aquaculture.

• Research in Plant Disease
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.182-188
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• 2014

Because bacterial isolates from only a few genera have been developed commercially as biopesticides, discovery and characterization of novel bacterial strains will be a key to market expansion. Our previous screen using plant bioassays identified 24 novel biocontrol isolates representing 12 different genera. In this study, we characterized the 3 isolates showing the best biocontrol activities. The isolates were Pantoea dispersa WCU35, Proteus myxofaciens WCU244, and Exiguobacterium acetylicum WCU292 based on 16S rRNA sequence analysis. The isolates showed differential production of extracellular enzymes, antimicrobial activity against various fungal or bacterial plant pathogens, and induced systemic resistance activity against tomato gray mold disease caused by Botrytis cinerea. E. acetylicum WCU292 lacked strong in vitro antimicrobial activity against plant pathogens, but induced systemic resistance against tomato gray mold disease. These results confirm that the trait of biological control is found in a wide variety of bacterial genera.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.37 no.4
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• pp.611-617
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• 2005

Dispersed repetitive DNA elements in genomes of microorganisms differ among and within species. Because distances between repetitive sequences vary depending on bacterial strains, genomic fingerprinting with interspersed repetitive sequence-based probes can be used to distinguish unrelated organisms. Among well-known bacterial repetitive sequences, Repetitive Extragenic Palindromic (REP) sequence has been used to identify environmental bacterial species and strains. We applied REP-PCR to detect and differentiate four major Gram-negative food-borne bacterial pathogens, E. coli, Salmonella, Shigella, and Vibrio. Target DNA fragments of these pathogens were amplified by REP-PCR method. PCR-generated DNA fragments were separated on 1.5% agarose gel. Dendrograms for PCR products of each strain were constructed using photo-documentation system. REP-PCR reactions with primer pairs REP1R-I and REP2-I revealed distinct REP-PCR-derived genomic fingerprinting patterns from E. coli, Salmonella, Shigella, and Vibrio. REP-PCR method provided clear distinctions among different bacterial species containing REP-repetitive elements and can be widely used for typing food-borne Gram-negative strains. Results showed established REP-PCR reaction conditions and generated dendrograms could be used with other supplementary genotyping or phenotyping methods to identify isolates from outbreak and to estimate relative degrees of genetic similarities among isolates from different outbreaks to determine whether they are clonally related.

• Journal of Integrative Natural Science
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• v.12 no.4
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• pp.142-146
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• 2019

Peroxidasin is a unique member of peroxidase family in that it has extracellular matrix (ECM) motif as well as peroxidase activity. Peroxidasins are involved in consolidation the extracellular matrix during development and in innate immune defense. C. elegans has two functional peroxidasins, PXN-1 and PXN-2, and PXN-2 is known to contribute to innate immune system. However, it is not clear of PXN-1 function in innate immune system. Therefore, this study is focused on the function of PXN-1 and the relationship between PXN-1 and PXN-2 in innate defense system in C. elegans. When pxn-1 was knocked down by RNAi, the worm turned to be more resistant to pathogens, Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa and the enhanced resistance was abolished in pxn-1pxn-2 double knock down. By contrast, pxn-2 knock down showed stronger susceptibility to the pathogens. These results suggest that pxn-2 can contribute the pathogen resistance and pxn-1 can suppress the pathogen resistance. To confirm the idea, overexpression experiments were performed. Overexpression of pxn-1 showed more susceptible to pathogens compared to the control and double overexpression of pxn-1pxn-2 overcame the susceptibility of pxn-1 overexpression to the pathogens. On the other hand, pxn-2 overexpression made the worm more resistant to the pathogens and the resistance was maintained in pxn-1pxn-2 double overexpression. The comparison of the susceptibilities to the bacterial pathogens in above mentioned constructs suggests that PXN-1 suppress the function of PXN-2 in defense against bacterial pathogens in Caenorhabditis elegans.

• Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.5.1-5.9
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• 2019

Background: Live fish import may lead to the unintended introduction of pathogens. We examined the monthly distribution of microbial pathogens in ornamental finfish imported into South Korea over a 6-month period. Results: Vibrio alginolyticus was detected in one lemon damsel in June and July; V. vulnificus was detected in one lemon damsel, one caerulean damsel, and one pearl-spot chromis and one ocellaris clownfish in July, April, and May, respectively; Photobacterium damselae was detected in one ocellaris clownfish and one caerulean damsel in June and July, respectively; V. anguillarum was detected in one pearl-spot chromis in February; V. harveyi was detected in one ocellaris clownfish and two mandarin fish in February and April, respectively; Yersinia ruckeri was detected in a pearlscale goldfish group in June and July and in two colored carp groups in July; and Lactococcus garvieae was detected in a lemon damsel group and a sutchi catfish group in July and May, respectively. European catfish virus, the only viral pathogen detected, was found in two sutchi catfish groups in May. Conclusion: This study is the first to identify pathogenic species and the presence or absence of pathogens (non-quarantine diseases) in imported ornamental finfish. These results demonstrate that various pathogens with the potential to harm indigenous fish populations can accompany ornamental finfish imported into South Korea.

• Pediatric Infection and Vaccine
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.90-101
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• 2020

Purpose: The multiplex reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test developed recently can help detect enteric pathogens of acute gastroenteritis (AGE). This study aimed to investigate the epidemiology of pathogens in children with AGE using the multiplex RT-PCR. Methods: From May 2015 to June 2018, multiplex RT-PCR tests were performed to identify pathogens in the feces of pediatric patients diagnosed with AGE at a secondary hospital in Seoul, Korea. Results: Of the 1,366 stool samples examined for viral pathogens, 483 (35.3%) tested positive for ≥1 pathogen. Group A rotavirus (RV) was detected in 106 cases (7.8%). The positivity rate increased annually from 3.0% (8/263) to 16.7% (48/288) and surged in 2018 (P<0.001). Norovirus (NoV) GII was the most common viral pathogen (263/1,366, 19.3%), and the positivity rate did not increase during the 3 years. Of the 304 stool samples tested for bacterial pathogens, Campylobacter spp. was the most common bacterial pathogen (32/304, 10.5%), followed by Clostridium difficile (22/304, 7.2%) and Salmonella spp. (17/304, 5.6%). The positivity rate of these bacterial pathogens did not change significantly during the study period. Conclusions: NoV GII is the main pathogen in childhood AGE since the introduction of RV vaccine, yet the number of rotavirus-infected patients increased during our study, especially in 2018. Therefore, further research is needed including the possibility of emergence of novel RV strains. Campylobacter spp. is the predominant cause of bacterial AGE in children. For proper treatment, the clinical characteristics of the bacteria should be taken into consideration, and continuous monitoring is necessary.

• Korean journal of applied entomology
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• v.16 no.1 s.30
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• pp.47-53
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• 1977

Bacterial diseases of soybean has been recognized as a limiting factor of soybean production in Korea as it was estimated to cause around 10 percent of yield losses annually. The purpose of the study is to obtain information on the diseases through proving the kinds of pathogens and epidemiology, The wire brush method and multineedle appeared to be the best way of inoculation under all circumstances. Wire brush method, especially, was effective in shortening the incubation period and manifesting the lesion development by introducing more inoculum per unit of area. In case of spray inoculation it was necessary to apply a small amount(1 : 1,000) of wetting agent, twin-20, otherwise it was unabled to produce the diseases under field conditions. Two kinds of bacterial diseases caused by Pseudomonas glycinea and Xanthomonas phaseoli var. sljense were found from surveyed areas in Kore. Wild fire disease on soybean caused by Pseudomonas tabaci had not detectable during the experiment although there were several reports on the disease from other countries. when the pathogens were introduced into sterile soil, bacterial leaf blight pathogen could exsisted until 30 days while bacterial pustule pathogen survived only 4 days under the natural conditions of later June. Both bacteria, however, could produce the disease after more than 10 months period of storage in refrigerator when they were exsisted in infected plant tissues. In warehouse, non-temperature controlled, the bacteria lose their infectability within 6 months period from October to April even though they exsisted in infected tissues. Surface infested seeds with the pathogens could not produced the diseases on seedling stages of soybean plants when the seeds were planted in sterile soil after inoculation by dipping the seeds into bacterial suspensions, although germination was depressed by the pathogens when the seeds were planted on agar media.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.38 no.4
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• pp.313-322
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• 2022

Seed-borne pathogens in crops reduce the seed germination rate and hamper seedling growth, leading to significant yield loss. Due to the growing concerns about environmental damage and the development of resistance to agrochemicals among pathogen populations, there is a strong demand for eco-friendly alternatives to synthetic chemicals in agriculture. It has been well established during the last few decades that plant seeds harbor diverse microbes, some of which are vertically transmitted and important for plant health and productivity. In this study, we isolated culturable endophytic bacteria and fungi from soybean seeds and evaluated their antagonistic activities against common bacterial and fungal seed-borne pathogens of soybean. A total of 87 bacterial isolates and 66 fungal isolates were obtained. Sequencing of 16S rDNA and internal transcribed spacer amplicon showed that these isolates correspond to 30 and 15 different species of bacteria and fungi, respectively. Our antibacterial and antifungal activity assay showed that four fungal species and nine bacterial species have the potential to suppress the growth of at least one seed-borne pathogen tested in the study. Among them, Pseudomonas koreensis appears to have strong antagonistic activities across all the pathogens. Our collection of soybean seed endophytes would be a valuable resource not only for studying biology and ecology of seed endophytes but also for practical deployment of seed endophytes toward crop protection.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.46 no.1
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• pp.1-10
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• 2022

Ginseng has been well-known as a medicinal plant for thousands of years. Bacterial endophytes ubiquitously colonize the inside tissues of ginseng without any disease symptoms. The identification of bacterial endophytes is conducted through either the internal transcribed spacer region combined with ribosomal sequences or metagenomics. Bacterial endophyte communities differ in their diversity and composition profile, depending on the geographical location, cultivation condition, and tissue, age, and species of ginseng. Bacterial endophytes have a significant effect on the growth of ginseng through indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) and siderophore production, phosphate solubilization, and nitrogen fixation. Moreover, bacterial endophytes can protect ginseng by acting as biocontrol agents. Interestingly, bacterial endophytes isolated from Panax species have the potential to produce ginsenosides and bioactive metabolites, which can be used in the production of food and medicine. The ability of bacterial endophytes to transform major ginsenosides into minor ginsenosides using β-glucosidase is gaining increasing attention as a promising biotechnology. Recently, metabolic engineering has accelerated the possibilities for potential applications of bacterial endophytes in producing beneficial secondary metabolites.