• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.41 no.1
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• pp.60-66
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• 2005

To select the rapid and efficient molecular subtyping method for epidemiologic monitoring of Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) strains at clinical laboratory levels, a total 116 of S. aureus and MRSA (methicillin-resistant S. aureus) strains from diverse animal species [Korean cattle, goat, pig, dog, chicken, mouse] and also humans were analyzed. To evaluate the discriminatory ability (DA) of individual PCR methods, random amplified polymorphic of DNA [RAPD; 4M & RA primer], repetitive extragenic palindromic sequences PCR (REP-PCR), and enterobacterial repetitive intergenic consensus sequences PCR (ERIC-PCR) methods were conducted and then compared on their Simpson's index of diversity (SID) values based on the dendrogram patterns, which was produced by software program (BiolD2+ & GelCompar II). In first, RAPD using the 4M primer (SID 0.915) was expressed more higher SID value than that of RA primer (SID 0.874). 4M primer was expressed more powerful DA than RA. Both REP-PCR (SID 0.930) and ERIC-PCR (SID 0.929) methods showed much more higher DA than that of RAPD. According to the present results, both REP-PCR and ERIC-PCR among the tested analysis methods were found as the most reliable and discriminative molecular subtyping method, because they expressed the highest DA for the present S. aureus and MRSA strains.

• The Journal of the Korean Society for Microbiology
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• v.35 no.3
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• pp.239-250
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• 2000

Sixty-eight clinical isolates of Stenotrophomonas maltophilia from inpatients of 2 university hospitals in Taegu were epidemiologically analyzed by using the minimum inhibitory concentrations of 25 antimicrobial drugs, biochemical reaction, pulsed-field gel elctropgoresis (PFGE), and PCR with enterobacterial repetitive intergenic consensus sequences as primer (ERIC-PCR). 1. All the strains were susceptible to minocycline. More than 57% were susceptible to sulfisomidine (Su), ciprofloxacin (Ci), Ofloploxacin (Of), nalidixic acid (Na), and chloramphenicol (Cm), and $19{\sim}35%$ to ceftazidime (Cd), trimethoprim (Tp), Ticacillin-clavulanic acid, and cefoperazone-sulbactam. Most isolates were resistant to ${\beta}$-lactam antibiotics such as ampicillin (Ap), carbenicillin (Cb), cefotaxim (Ct), cefoxitin (Cx), and aminoglycosides including gentamicin (Gm), tobramycin (Tb), amikacin (Ak). 2. All the isolates were multiply resistant of 5 to 17 drugs and showed 40 different resistance pattern types. 3. All the strains showed very similar biochemical reactions except ${\beta}$-galactosidase and nitrate reduction test. Fourteen strains selected randomly were classified 10 different pattern type by PFGE and ERIC-PCR. These two methods showed identical result. Four strains isolated from wound in 1994 showed similar MIC pattern and identical API 20NE profile, PFGE, and ERIC-PCR pattern indicating episodes of cross-infection among patients. These results indicate that PFGE or ERIC-PCR profile has comparable discriminatory power for epidemiological typing of S. maltophilia.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.45 no.2
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• pp.199-205
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• 2005

DNA fingerprint patterns of 8 Brucella reference strains and 15 B. abortus field isolates were characterized by repetitive element sequence-based PCR (rep-PCR) using BOX- and ERIC-primers in this study. AMOS PCR differentiated all Brucella field isolates from B. abortus RB51, a vaccine strain by producing a B. abortus-specific 498 bp band. Rep-PCR using BOX-primer produced 13 to 18 bands with sizes of between 230 and 3,300 bp, and discriminated Brucella strains to the species level except B. canis and B. suis. PCR products amplified with ERIC primers were, however, not appropriate for differentiating the Brucella isolates. DNA fingerprint patterns for all B. abortus field isolates were identical among them and were put on one cluster with B. abortus biovar 1 reference strain in the dendrogram, indicating they were highly clonal. These results suggested that rep-PCR using BOX primer might to be a useful tool for calculating genetic relatedness among the Brucella species and for the study of brucellosis epidemiology.

• Research in Plant Disease
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.140-145
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• 2005

A collection of 12 Erwinia carotovora strains from blackleg diseased potato in Jeju island was characterized genetic diversity by 5. cayotovora subsp. atposeptica (Eca)-specific PCR, PCR-RFLP of the two genes (16S rRNA and pel) and repetitive sequence PCR (ERIC-PCR). The results were compared with those of the other E. carotovora representative strains. None of the blackleg strains produced PCR amplicons with Eca-specific primers in contrast to the single 690 bp amplicon obtained with Eca strains. In addition, on the basis of pel gene RFLP with Sau3AI, the blackleg strains belonged to the pattern 2 whereas Eca strains belonged to the other one (pattern 3). By analysis of 16S rDNA RELP generated with HinfI, the most strains including the E. carotovera subsp. carotovora (Ecc) representative strains used in this study belonged to the pattern 1 whereas the blackleg strains belonged to the pattern 2 except for one strain. Moreover, ERIC-PCR analysis showed that the blackleg strains were closely related to each other and had an unique DNA band. Based on these molecular approaches, we have confirmed that the blackleg disease of potato is caused by a different E. carotovora from Eca and Ecc in Jeju island.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.267-270
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• 2010

We designed a sensitive and specific PCR-based method with enterobacterial repetitive intergenic consensus (ERIC) primer to detect Erwinia pyrifoliae, which cause shoot blight in Asian pear, from a mixed culture and infected plant materials. The primers specifically detected only E. pyrifoliae and showed no cross-reactivity with other bacterial phytopathogens.

• Journal of Microbiology
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• v.44 no.1
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• pp.106-112
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• 2006

In this study, the genetic diversities of multi-resistant Salmonella typhimurium (ST) isolates were analyzed via the application of both pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis methods, using 6 kinds of primers (REP, ERIC, SERE, BOX, P-1254 and OPB-17). And their discriminative abilities (DA) were also compared in order to determine the most effective and reliable analysis method. 118 S. typhimurium isolates, cultured from diverse animals and human patients in Korea beginning in 1993, were analyzed and subjected to a comparison of Simpson's index of diversity (SID), using both PFGE and PCR methods. PFGE by XbaI enzyme digestion allowed for discrimination into 9 pulsotypes, with high SID values (0.991) on the genomic DNA level. This shows that PFGE is a very discriminative genotypic tool, and also that multiple clones of S. typhimurium isolates had existed in domestic animals and humans in Korea since 1993. However, we could ultimately not to trace the definitive sources or animal reservoirs of specific S. typhimurium isolates examined in this study. Depending on the SID values, the combined method (7 kinds of method) was found to be the most discriminative method, followed by (in order) SERE-PCR, REP-PCR, ERIC-PCR, PFGE & OPB-17 (RAPD), P-1254 (RAPD), and BOX-PCR at the $80\%$ clone cut-off value. This finding suggests that the REP-PCR method (which utilizes 4 primer types) may be an alternative tool to PFGE for the genotyping of S. typhimurium isolates, with comparable cost, time, and labor requirement. The establishment of a highly reliable and discriminatory method for epidemiologic analysis is considered necessary in order for researchers to trace the sources of specific pathogens and, consequently, to control and prevent the spread of epidemic S. typhimurium isolates to humans.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.293-304
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• 2007

The emergence of extended spectrum $\beta$-lactamase (ESBL) producing bacteria is worldwide concern. Until recently, the most frequently identified strains in the Republic of Korea were E. coli and Klebsiella spp. The incidence of resistance to extended spectrum $\beta$-lactam antibiotics is increasing in Wonju city, Korea. Total 57 strains of ESBL producing E. coli and Klebsiella species were isolated from Wonju Christian Hospital during a 9 month-period from April to December, 2003. To determine the prevalence and genotypes of the ESBL producing clinical isolates, antibiotic susceptibility and ESBL activity test by VITEK system and double disk synergy (DDS) test, and PCR based genotyping were performed. Fourteen (82%) isolates of 17 ESBL producing E. coli were found to have $bla_{TEM}$ gene and 5 (29%) isolates were found to have $bla_{CTX-M}$ gene by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Thirty (75%) isolates of 40 ESBL producing Klebsiella species with $bla_{TEM}$ gene, 38 (95%) isolates with $bla_{SHV}$ gene, and 7 (20%) isolates with $bla_{CTX-M}$ type gene were also identified. Enterobacterial repetitive intergenic consensus (ERIC) PCR and similarity index by dendrogram for genetical similarity to band pattern of each clinical isolates were examined. ESBL producing E. coli were grouped into 6 clusters up to 84% of similarity index and Klebsiella species were grouped into 12 clusters up to 76% of similarity index. In conclusion, ESBL producing clinical isolates were characterized with the results from antimicrobial resistance pattern and genetical similarity using ERiC PCR.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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• v.49 no.4
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• pp.413-419
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• 2017

Four imipenem-resistant bacteria were isolated from the clinical specimens of a patient with pneumonia. To identify the isolates, we used the GN card of Vitek II system and performed a phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequence. The isolates were identified as P. aeruginosa (2 strains), P. monteilii (1 strain), and P. putida (1 strain), and were tested for antibiotic resistance after determining the MIC of imipenem to be $${\geq_-}8{\mu}g/mL$$ using the AST-N225 card of Vitek II system. The imipenem-resistant genotypes were determined using PCR products amplified using specific ${\beta}-Lactamase$ gene primers. The MBL gene was identified in all four isolates. One strain of P. aeruginosa exhibited the VIM and SHV-1 type genes, while the other strain exhibited both VIM and OXA group II genes. According to the antimicrobial susceptibility test, the bacteria were more susceptible to amikacin than other antibiotics. DNA fingerprint analysis using ERIC-PCR to analyze the epidemiological relationship between strains estimated that both the P. aeruginosa isolates were similar, but exhibited different DNA band types. It is uncommon to find four strains of imipenem-resistant bacteria with different DNA band types in a single patient.

• Journal of Microbiology
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• v.44 no.4
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• pp.423-431
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• 2006

Among 53 Acinetobacter baumannii isolates collected in 2004, nine imipenem-resistant isolates were obtained from clinical specimens taken from patients hospitalized in Busan, Korea. Nine carbapenemase-producing isolates were further investigated in order to determine the mechanisms underlying resistance. These isolates were then analyzed via antibiotic susceptibility testing, microbiological tests of carbapenemase activity, pI determination, transconjugation test, enterobacterial repetitive consensus (ERIC)-PCR, and DNA sequencing. One outbreak involved seven cases of infection by A. baumannii producing OXA-23 ${\beta}-lactamase$, and was found to have been caused by a single ERIC-PCR clone. During the study period, the other outbreak involved two cases of infection by A. baumannii producing IMP-1 ${\beta}-lactamase$. The two clones, one from each of the outbreaks, were characterized via a modified cloverleaf synergy test and an EDTA-disk synergy test. The isoelectric focusing of the crude bacterial extracts detected nitrocefin-positive bands with pI values of 6.65 (OXA-23) and 9.0 (IMP-1). The PCR amplification and characterization of the amplicons via direct sequencing showed that the clonal isolates harbored $bla_{IMP-1}$ or $bla_{oxA-23}$ determinants. The two clones were characterized by a multidrug resistance phenotype that remained unaltered throughout the outbreak. This resistance encompassed penicillins, extended-spectrum cephalosporins, carbapenems, monobactams, and aminoglycosides. These results appear to show that the imipenem resistance observed among nine Korean A. baumannii isolates could be attributed to the spread of an IMP-lor OXA-23-producing clone. Our microbiological test of carbapenemase activity is a simple method for the screening of clinical isolates producing class D carbapenemase and/or class B $metallo-{\beta}-lactamase$, in order both to determine their clinical impact and to prevent further spread.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.21 no.11
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• pp.1101-1108
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• 2011

The rise in global energy demand has prompted researches on developing strategies for transforming coal into a cleaner fuel. This requires isolation of microbes with the capability to degrade complex coal into simpler substrates to support methanogenesis in the coal beds. In this study, aerobic bacteria were isolated from an Indian coal bed that can solubilize and utilize coal as the sole source of carbon. The six bacterial isolates capable of growing on coal agar medium were identified on the basis of their 16S rRNA gene sequences, which clustered into two groups; Group I isolates belonged to the genus Rhizobium, whereas Group II isolates were identified as Chelatococcus species. Out of the 4 methods of whole genome fingerprinting (ERIC-PCR, REP-PCR, BOX-PCR, and RAPD), REP-PCR showed maximum differentiation among strains within each group. Only Chelatococcus strains showed the ability to solubilize and utilize coal as the sole source of carbon. On the basis of 16S rRNA gene sequence and the ability to utilize different carbon sources, the Chelatococcus strains showed maximum similarity to C. daeguensis. This is the first report showing occurrence of Rhizobium and Chelatococcus strains in an Indian coal bed, and the ability of Chelatococcus isolates to solubilize and utilize coal as a sole source of carbon for their growth.