• Journal of the Korean Dietetic Association
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.372-384
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• 2012

The purpose of this study was to provide a basic resource for establishment of hygienic management standards for meal delivery from the central kitchen to schools. Flow diagrams for delivery of food were analyzed, and time-temperature conditions of the food and environment were measured. Four different foods samples including Mexican salad, radish salad, stir-fried pork and vegetables, and stir-fried chicken and vegetables were collected after production and before service. Microbiological analysis was performed for aerobic plate counts (APC), Enterobacteriaceae, coliforms, E. coli, Salmonella spp., S. aureus, B. cereus, C. perfringens, and L. monocytogenes. After completion of production of cooked foods 2~3 hours were taken for the cooked foods to reach the temperature danger zone. Food temperatures at the meal service did not meet the recommended temperatures ($10/57^{\circ}C$) for conventional school food service systems. The highest APC counts were observed in radish salad (5.70 log CFU/g), followed by Mexican salad (5.18 log CFU/g). Enterobacteriaceae and coliform counts were within acceptable levels of those recommended by the UK Public Health Laboratory Service. No E. coli or pathogens were found. These results provide useful information for determination of microbiological hazards in school food service systems, and suggest that time-temperature control during delivery is necessary for the safety of cooked foods.

• Preventive Nutrition and Food Science
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.233-238
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• 2010

The aim of this study was to determine microbiological contamination of fresh-red pepper and packaged-red pepper powder commercially available in South Korea. Thirty-seven fresh-red peppers were collected from 5 farms and 31 packaged-red pepper powders were purchased from retail markets in South Korea. Foodborne pathogens (Escherichia coli, Salmonella spp., Listeria monocytogenes, Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus cereus), total viable counts, Enterobacteriaceae, coliforms, yeast and mold, and Aspergillus flavus were determined. Detection percentage of contamination of Bacillus cereus in fresh-red pepper was 8.1%, which was lower than the 39% of detection rate in packaged-red pepper powder. The contamination level of Bacillus cereus was 1～3 log CFU/g in packaged-red pepper powder. Escherichia coli was detected in 5.4% of fresh-red pepper samples and was not detected in packaged-red pepper powder. Enterobacteriaceae and coliforms were detected in both of fresh-red pepper and packaged-red pepper powders. Foodborne pathogens, except Bacillus cereus and Escherichia coli, were not detected.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.17 no.5
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• pp.398-404
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• 1984

This study was attempted to investigate variation of the bacterial flora in waste water treatment of fish meat paste plant by batch and continuous culture. The results of the experiment are as follows : 1. The removal rate of BOD in waste water treatment by activated sludge of continuous culture was above $90\%$. 2. In the process of nitric acidification of protein waste water, $NH_4-N\;and\;NO_2-N$ increased untill the lapse of 48 hours from culture, but $NO_3-N$ showed little change. 3. In activated sludge obtained from acclimation by batch culture for 10 days, bacteria good in capacity of nitric acidification were not appeared. 4. Among 120 strains of isolated bacteria, the most predominantly appeared bacterial flora were Enterobacteriaceae ($28\%$) and Pseudomonas spp. ($25\%$), In the latter term of aeration during which ammonia originates in abundance, Pseudomonas spp. was decreased but Enterobarteriaceae was increased. 5. Fifty percent of the isolated strains were able to grow in $0\%,\;3\%$ NaCl and $75\%$ artificial sea water, Therefore, it is suggested that sea water can be used as dilution water instead of tap water during the treatment of waste water.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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• v.51 no.4
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• pp.428-435
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• 2019

The rapid increase and dissemination of carbapene mases, such as Klebsiella pneumoniae carbapenemase (KPC), has become a major problem within the field of healthcare-related infection. There are few antibiotics to treat carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) infections, so the identification of resistant bacterial mechanisms is critical to initiate infection control and conduct epidemiological research. A rapid and effective method for detecting KPC-producing bacteria is needed to avoid therapeutic failures and introduce measures to prevent and control the dissemination of these multi-resistant bacteria. During the study period, 31 isolates (seven isolates of Acinetobacter spp., six isolates of Morganella morganii, five isolates of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, five isolates of Proteus mirabilis, one isolate of Proteus vulgaris, two isolates of Enterobacter cloacae, one isolate of Enterobacter aerogenes, one isolate of Klebsiella pneumoniae, one isolate of Klebsiella oxytoca, one isolate of Serratia marcescens and one isolate of Escherichia coli) were identified by the VITEK. Gram negative rod bacteria were the most frequently isolated from urine (35.5%), blood (19.4%), sputum (16.1%), pus (9.7%), ascitic fluid (9.7%), tracheal aspirates (6.5%) and bile juice (3.2%). Analysis using the PCR method identified the bla_KPC gene in the K. oxytoca1 strain, but the bla_IMP, bla_VIM and bla_OXA-48 genes are not amplified. In conclusion, diagnosis using the PCR method can accurately and quickly diagnose KPC, thus establishing quick preventive measures to prevent the spread of KPC in hospitals.

• Journal of Korea Soil Environment Society
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• v.1 no.2
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• pp.35-42
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• 1996

Seawater samples were collected from P'ohang coastal area during April 1995 - January 1996. The distribution of total heterotrophic bacteria and crude oil-degrading bacteria (CDB) were studied. In addition, biodegradation of crude oil was investigated through mono and mixed culture. The heterotrophic bacterial distribution was in the range of 4.1 $\times$ $10^4$- 1.2 $\times$ $10^5$ CFU/$m\ell$, respectively. The percent of crude oil-degrading bacteria against total heterotrophic bacteria was 0.05-0.54% which was lower than other marine samples reported. Therefore it could be suggested that the distribution of crude oil-degrading bacteria in the seawater of P'ohang coastal area was highly affected by presence of petroleum hydrocarbon. Taxonomical characteristics of 26 isolates were investigated. The results of identification were showed 7 genera which were Acinetobacter spp., Bacillus spp., Citrobacter spp., Micrococcus spp., Moraxella spp., Rhodococcus spp., and Serratia spp. Appearance of Enterobacteriaceae indicated that the seawater was polluted with wastewater. Also genus of Bacillus had predominant in CDB on P'ohang coastal area. In flask culture, biodegradation of crude oil was enhanced by addition of mixed culture of CDB.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.54 no.4
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• pp.377-387
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• 2021

Fecal contamination levels of discharge water from inland pollution sources were investigated in Iwon-myeon (Taean-gun), South Korea. Gram-negative bacteria were isolated during the investigation and the antimicrobial resistance patterns of the isolates were examined to estimate their impact on the coastal environment. The ranges of total coliform and fecal coliform of 12 samples from four major inland pollution sources were 79-490,000 MPN/100 mL and 2.0-490,000 MPN/100 mL, respectively, with the highest level of fecal contamination at Station No. 3. A total of 137 strains (14 genus) were isolated, of which 86 strains (62.8%) were Enterobacteriaceae. The identified isolates were as follows: Pseudomonas spp. (35 strains), Klebsiella spp. (20 strains), Serratia spp. (20 strains), and Escherichia spp. (19 strains). The isolated Gram-negative bacteria showed the highest antimicrobial resistance to ampicillin (81.8%), followed by amoxicillin/clavulanic acid (64.2%), ceftiofur (61.3%), and cefoxitin (59.1%). Antimicrobials in which less than 10% of isolates showed antimicrobial resistance were ciprofloxacin (3.6%) and gentamicin (2.2%). Resistance to one or more antimicrobials was observed in 121 strains (88.3%) and 84 strains (61.3%) showed a tendency for multiple antimicrobial resistance.

• Food Science and Biotechnology
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.615-620
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• 2007

Commercially packed kimchi products from 6 different manufacturers, which are exported overseas as well as sold domestically, were analyzed to determine their microorganism distributions and presence of pathogenic bacteria. All samples showed decreasing pH levels (from 5.7-6.2 to 3.9-4.3) and increasing titratable acidities (from 0.3-0.4 to 0.8-1.2%) during 15 days of storage at $4^{\circ}C$. Total bacterial counts ranged from $2.1{\times}10^5-1.9{\times}10^6\;CFU/mL$ in the initial kimchi samples, and then increased to $1.1{\times}10^8-1.8{\times}10^9\;CFU/mL$. The coliform numbers decreased from approximately $2.5{\times}10^2-1.7{\times}10^4\;CFU/mL$ to zero. Major foodborne pathogens such as Salmonella spp., Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli O157:H7, Listeria monocytogenes, Bacillus cereus, Yersinia enterocolitica, and Shigella spp. were not detected in any of the samples. However, 2 out of the 6 samples carried E. coli, emphasizing the need for improved hygiene practice. Interestingly, Hafnia alvei, belonging to the Enterobacteriaceae family, was isolated in all of the samples. Further study is needed on this newly reported bacterium in kimchi.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.49 no.3
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• pp.367-373
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• 2021

The antimicrobial resistance of Staphylococcus spp. and Gram negative strains present in air samples from waste sorting facilities was assessed. Phenotypic studies have revealed a high percentage of strains of Staphylococcus spp. resistant to methicillin. Genotypically and by RT-PCR, it was found that the mecA gene usually associated with methicillin resistance was present in 8% of the Staphylococcus strains isolated. About 30% of the Gram negative strains from the same samples also displayed resistance to meropenem and 79% of these were resistant to multiple antibiotics from different classes, namely cephalosporins and β-lactams. The results suggest that in professional activities with high levels of exposure to biological agents, the quantification and identification of the microbial flora in the work environment, with the determination of the presence of potential agents displaying multi-resistances is of relevance to the risk assessment. The personal protection of workers is particularly important relevance in these cases, since many of the strains that exhibit multi-resistance are potential opportunistic agents.

• Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.162-168
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• 2006

Purpose: Microbial colonization of the intestine begins just after birth and development of the normal flora is a gradual process. The first bacteria colonizing the intestine in newborns are Staphylococcus, Enterobacteriaceae and Streptococcus. For several days after birth, the number of Bifidobacterium spp. increase. The aim of this study was to investigate the changes of microflora for seven days postnatally in neonatal stool. Methods: Fifteen neonates (breast : formula : mixed feeding 1 : 8 : 6, vaginal delivery : cesarean section 3 : 12) who were born at the Kangdong Sacred Heart Hospital, Hallym University were enrolled. First meconium and stools of postnatal 1-, 3-, and 7-day were innoculated. Blood agar plates for total aerobes, trypton bile X-glucuronide agar for E. coli, phenylethyl alcohol agar for gram positive anaerobes, MRS agar for Lactobacillus spp., bifidobacterium selective agar for Bifidobacterium spp. and cefoxitin-cycloserine-fructose agar for Clostridium difficile were used in the general incubator ($CO_2$ free incubator), $CO_2$ incubator or the anaerobic chamber for 48 or 72 hours at $37^{\circ}C$ and then colony forming units were counted. Results: No microflora was identified in the first meconium. Total aerobes, E. coli, and gram positive anaerobes were significantly increased with advancing postnatal days. In only one baby, Lactobacillus acidophilus was detected $2{\times}10^5CFU/g$ in the seven-day stool. Bifidobacterium spp. was detected in two babies. Clostridium difficile was not detected during the seven days. There were no significant differences in the bowel flora depending on the delivery pattern and feeding method. Conclusion: This study shows many changes in the intestinal normal flora in neonatal stool during seven days postnatally. If these findings are confirmed with larger studies, the data may be preliminary findings to support use of probiotics in neonates.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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• v.49 no.4
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• pp.407-412
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• 2017

The aim of this study was to shorten the time required for subculture and bacterial identification and obtain a simple and rapid identification method for new test methods for bloodstream infections. The following results were obtained using a mass spectrometer. In Vitek 2, 208 (81.8%) cases were well-identified and 45 isolates were not identified in blood cultures. Among 208 cases, 146 (57.5%) were Gram positive bacteria and 108 (42.5%) were Gram negative bacteria. In total, 233 were identified to the species level and 21 were identified to the genus level. The identification error was found to be Propionibacterium acnes as Clostridium bifermentans. The accuracy of Enterobacteriaceae, glucose non-fermentative bacilli (GNFB), and staphylococci were 81/83 (97.6%), 12/15 (80.0%), and 72/85 (84.7%), respectively. The concordance rate of Vitek 2 and Vitek MS by the direct method was 81.8% and 45 isolates were not identified. Most of the unidentified bacteria were Gram positive bacteria (N=37). The Gram positive bacteria were streptococci (14), coagulase-negative staphylococci (CNS) (11), enterococci (3), Staphylococcus aureus (2), Micrococcus spp. (2), Bacillus spp. (2) and Actinomyces odontolyticus, Finegoldia magna, and Peptostreptococcus spp. The results reporting time was reduced to 24~72 hours compared to the conventional method. The rate of identification of the aerobic and anaerobic cultures was similar, but the use of an anaerobic culture did not require a dissolution process, which could shorten the sample preparation time. These results suggest that the method of direct identification in blood cultures is very useful for the treatment of patients. In further studies, it might be necessary to further improve the method for identifying streptococci and CNS, which were lacking in accuracy in this study.