• Proceedings of the Microbiological Society of Korea Conference
• /
• 2008.05a
• /
• pp.171-171
• /
• 2008

We monitored the occurrence of human enteric viruses in urban rivers by cell culture-PCR and RT-nested PCR. Water samples were collected monthly or semimonthly between May 2002 and March 2003 in four urban tributaries. Enteric viruses were detected by RT-nested PCR and cell culture-PCR based on a combination of Buffalo Green monkey kidney (BGMK) and A549 cell lines, followed by phylogenetic analysis of amplicons. By RT-nested PCR analysis, 45 (77.6%), 32 (55.2%), 32 (55.2%), 26 (44.8%), 12 (20.7%), 2 (3.4%), 4 (6.9%), and 4 (6.9%) of 58 samples showed positive results with adenoviruses, enteroviruses, noroviruses (NV) genogroup I (GI) and II (GII), reoviruses, hepatitis A viruses, rotaviruses and sapoviruses, respectively. Adenoviruses were most often detected and only eight (13.8%) samples were negative for adenoviruses and positive for other enteric viruses in the studied sites. Thirty-one (77.5%) of the 40 samples were positive for infectious adenoviruses and/or enteroviruses based on cell culture-PCR, and the frequency of positive samples grown on A549 and BGMK (65.0%) was higher than that grown on BGMK alone (47.5%). The occurrence of each enteric virus, except reoviruses and hepatitis A viruses was not statistically correlated with the water temperature and levels of fecal coliforms according to Binary logistic regression model. By sequence analysis, most strains of adenoviruses and enteroviruses detected in this study are similar to the causative agent of viral diseases in Korea and most NV GI- and GII-grouped strains were closely related to the reference strains from China and Japan, and GII/4-related strains had similar sequences to strains recognized as a worldwide epidemic outbreak. Our results suggested that monitoring human enteric viruses is necessary to improve microbial quality and cell culture-PCR using the combination of A549 and BGMK cells and the adenovirus detection by PCR could be useful for monitoring viral contamination in the aquatic environment.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Agricultural Engineers
• /
• v.56 no.6
• /
• pp.19-29
• /
• 2014

The objectives of this study were to monitor and analyse water quality and soil property in paddy fields where untreated wastewater is irrigated. Three paddy fields where streamflow mixed with untreated wastewater has been irrigated (untreated wastewater district, UWD) were selected for monitoring, and five paddy fields in Yongin area (Yongin district, YID) where water from Idong agricultural reservoir (well-managed) has been irrigated were selected for comparative evaluation. Electronic conductivity (EC), suspended solids (SS), total nitrogen (T-N), total phosphorous (T-P), $NO_3-N$, $Ca^{2+}$, $Mg^{2+}$, $Na^+$, total coliform (TC), fecal coliform (FC), and E. coli of the irrigation water in the UWD were significantly higher than those in the YID. Relatively high concentrations of EC, T-N, T-P, TC, FC, E. coli, copper (Cu), lead (Pb), zinc (Zn), and aluminium (Al) were shown in the irrigation water of the UWD especially during May to June. In general, the paddy soil in the UWD contained more Pb, Zn, and Cu than in the YID although the soil heavy metal contents in the UWD still meet the Korean soil contamination warning standards. No temporal trends in the heavy metal concentrations were found in paddy soils of the UWD. This study showed that the use of untreated wastewater to paddy fields has the possibility of negative impacts on water quality and soil, although long-term monitoring is needed to fully evaluate its effects.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.30 no.9
• /
• pp.1321-1334
• /
• 2020

Beef, pork, chicken and milk are considered representative protein sources in the human diet. Since the digestion of protein is important, the role of intestinal microflora is also important. Despite this, the pure effects of meat and milk intake on the microbiome are yet to be fully elucidated. To evaluate the effect of beef, pork, chicken and milk on intestinal microflora, we observed changes in the microbiome in response to different types of dietary animal proteins in vitro. Feces were collected from five 6-week-old pigs. The suspensions were pooled and inoculated into four different media containing beef, pork, chicken, or skim milk powder in distilled water. Changes in microbial communities were analyzed using 16S rRNA sequencing. The feces alone had the highest microbial alpha diversity. Among the treatment groups, beef showed the highest microbial diversity, followed by pork, chicken, and milk. The three dominant phyla were Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, and Bacteroidetes in all the groups. The most abundant genera in beef, pork, and chicken were Rummeliibacillus, Clostridium, and Phascolarctobacterium, whereas milk was enriched with Streptococcus, Lactobacillus, and Enterococcus. Aerobic bacteria decreased while anaerobic and facultative anaerobic bacteria increased in protein-rich nutrients. Functional gene groups were found to be over-represented in protein-rich nutrients. Our results provide baseline information for understanding the roles of dietary animal proteins in reshaping the gut microbiome. Furthermore, growth-promotion by specific species/genus may be used as a cultivation tool for uncultured gut microorganisms.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
• /
• v.38 no.4
• /
• pp.254-261
• /
• 2019

BACKGROUND: Agricultural water is known to be one of the major routes in bacterial contamination of fresh vegetable. However, there is a lack of fundamental data on the microbial safety of agricultural water in Korea. METHODS AND RESULTS: We investigated the density of indicator bacteria in the surface water samples from 31 sites collected in April, July, and October 2018, while the groundwater samples were collected from 20 sites within Jeollabuk-do in April and July 2018. In surface water, the mean density of coliform, fecal coliform, and Escherichia coli was 2.7±0.55, 1.9±0.71, and 1.4±0.58 log CFU/100 mL, respectively, showing the highest bacterial density in July. For groundwater, the mean density of coliform, fecal coliform, and E. coli was 1.9±0.58, 1.4±0.37, and 1.0±0.33 log CFU/ 100mL, respectively, showing no significant difference between sampling time. The survival of E. coli O157:H7 were prolonged in water with higher organic matter contents such as total nitrogen (TN), and nitrate-nitrogen (NO₃-N). The reduction rates of E. coli O157:H7 in the water showed greater in order of 25, 35, 5, and 15℃. CONCLUSION: These results can be utilized as fundamental data for prediction the microbiological contamination of agricultural water and the development of microbial prevention technology.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
• /
• v.8 no.3
• /
• pp.155-166
• /
• 1980

Studies have teen undertaken to investigate the degree of microbial contamination in the subsidiary materials which have been known as an important source of microorganisms associated with spoilage of fish sausage and fish paste products. Twenty hinds of food ingredients including starch, spices and condiments, 59 samples in total collected from commercial fish sausage processing plants and supermarket in the period of July to October 1979, were examined for standard plate count, coliform and fecal coliform, mold and yeast, thermoduric microorganisms, aerobic sporeformers (mesophilic and thermophilic), anaerobic sporeformers (mesophilic and thermophilic) and sulfide spoilage anaerobes. The results obtained are summarized as follows. 1. Among the food ingredients examined, corn starch, black pepper, hot pepper, onion, garlic, ginger, beef extract and frank marked high bacterial contamination with general and sporeforming microorganisms. And bacterial content of marked samples were generally higher than that of the samples from plants. 2. The high standard plate count caused by high content of these bacteria like thermoduric, mesophilic or thermophilic sporeforming aerobes. 3. Bacterial content of food ingredients such as black pepper and beef extract being used in plants, and black pepper, hot pepper, onion and garlic from the market were exceeded the bacterial standards being enforced in Japan and U. S. A. 4. Average standard plate count was in the range of 10$^4$to 10$^{5}$ /g for black pepper, wheat flour, onion and garlic collected from plants, and 10$^{5}$ to 10$^{7}$ /g for black pepper, hot pepper, onion and garlic from market. No plate count was observed in pepper essence and coloring material. 5. Coliform organism was detected in starch, black pepper, hot pepper, onion, garlic, ginger and gluten that showed high standard plate but no fecal coliform in the samples except black pepper and hot pepper. 6. Average mold and yeast count was 140 to 460/g for corn starch, wheat flour and black pepper from plants, and 10$^3$/g for black pepper and hot pepper from market. No count was observed in the other ingredients. 7. Sulfide spoilage sporeforming anaerobes boiled for 5 min. at 10$0^{\circ}C$ and incubated at 55$^{\circ}C$ was not detected in all the samples examined.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
• /
• v.43 no.2
• /
• pp.143-156
• /
• 2017

The purpose of this study was to investigate water quality through a field survey at six floor fountain sites. The floor fountain facilities were designed and operated in such a way that tap water was stored in a water tank and recycled repeatedly. The water tank was cleaned once or twice per week in the summer. The number of facility users was low during the day due to sweltering heat, but up to 40 people, mainly children, were using them around 8 pm. Since the operation time was as short as 30 minutes, it is considered necessary to extend it for at least one hour for the number of users. As a result of the water quality test of the reservoir tank prior to operation after cleaning, it was measured to be within drinking water quality standards at the six facilities. As a result of the water quality test after use, ammonia nitrogen was measured to be 1.45 mg/L at Site IV. This exceeded the drinking water quality standard of 0.5 mg/L. In the case of turbidity, two cases exceed at 7.38 and 4.52 NTU when applying 4 NTU as the water quality standard for waterscape facilities. Twenty-eight cases exceed the standard of drinking water quality. The result of microbiological tests, at five sites excepting Site I, where disinfectant was injected, was that the maximum total colony count was 180,000 CFU/mL, total coliforms was 2,100,000 CFU/100 mL, fecal coliforms was 4,600 CFU/100 mL, Escherichia coli was 170 MPN/100 mL and Enterococcus was 100 CFU/100 mL. This exceeded the water quality standards of drinking water. Children are very likely to inhale because the water spews from below and falls from above, so it is necessary to apply water quality standards for ammonia nitrogen, turbidity and microbes. Current floor fountain facilities are highly susceptible to disease caused by microbial contamination because of water cycling and reuse, so it is necessary to change the water every day, clean the water tank, and perform chlorination. Therefore, it is necessary to inject calcium hypochlorite according to the free chlorine water quality standard of swimming pools with a different water tank capacity. In addition, facilities should be improved to prevent the reuse of water by installing the water tank at a separate location.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
• /
• v.32 no.11
• /
• pp.1063-1068
• /
• 2010

This study compared UV and UV/$H_2O_2$ inactivation of E.coli, a possible indicator microorganism for fecal contamination of water, and $Q{\ss}$ phage, an indicator for pathogenic viruses. UV inactivation of $Q{\ss}$, T4 and lambda phages in actual secondary effluent was investigated, too. As a result, similar inactivation efficiency between $Q{\ss}$ phage and E.coli was observed during UV treatment, while $Q{\ss}$ phage showed higher resistance to UV/$H_2O_2$ than E.coli. $Q{\ss}$ phage resistance to UV or UV/$H_2O_2$ does not reflect those of all pathogenic viruses. However, the result tells that the use of E.coli inactivation efficiency in evaluating microbiological safety of water could not always ensure the sufficient safety from pathogenic viruses. Meanwhile, $Q{\ss}$ phage showed less resistance to UV than T4 and lambda phages, indicating that the use of $Q{\ss}$ phage as an indicator virus may bring insufficient disinfection effectiveness by causing the introduction of lower UV dose than required. Consequently, it can be thought that T4 or lambda phages would be more desirable indicators in ensuring the sufficient disinfection effectiveness for various pathogenic viruses.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
• /
• v.52 no.1
• /
• pp.25-31
• /
• 2016

An enterococci selective medium was developed to detect the presence of enterococci for use as a fecal contamination indicator. Among several media which have been known to detect enterococci, the following 9 different kinds of media were selected: Enterococci Confirmatory agar, Azide dextrose agar, Bromocresol-purple azide agar, Esculin bile agar, Citrate azide tween carbonate agar, KF Streptococcus agar, BROLACIN agar, Kanamycin esculin azide agar, and Membrane filter Enterococcus selective agar. Various components from the nine media were mixed to develop a more effective enterococcus selective medium. The newly developed medium named as 'Enterococcus Mixed medium' was more effective than the previous 9 media. Enterococci strains (Enterococcus avium KACC 10788, Enterococcus faecium KACC 11954, Enterococcus saccharolyticus KACC 10783, Enterococcus durans KACC 10787, Enterococcus faecalis KACC 11304, and Enterococcus hirae KACC 10779) and non-enterococci strains (Escherichia coli KACC 10005, Staphylococcus aureus subsp. aureus KACC 10768, and Bacillus subtilis KACC 10111) were used to test the new medium. As a result, the enterococci strains grew well on the Enterococcus Mixed medium whereas the non-enterococci strains did not grow well on it. Additionally, growth of enterococci with freshwater and seawater samples was observed to be good on the Enterococcus Mixed medium. The result of this study confirmed that the Enterococcus Mixed medium was effective in detecting the target enterococci.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
• /
• v.32 no.10
• /
• pp.979-985
• /
• 2010

This study was performed to detect enterococci strain as an indicator of faecal contamination, to identify of 16S rDNA sequence and vancomycin resistance by MIC (Minimum Inhibitory Concentration) test from drinking spring-water samples in Seoul. The detection frequency of enterococci was 42 (19.8%) among 212 samples, and its concentration was ranged from 0 to 110 CFU/100 mL. These results were confirmed the possibility as an indicator microorganisms that similar to the frequency of E. coli detection (t test p-value 0.268, significant level 0.05). Isolated 56 enterococci samples were identified by 16S rDNA sequence data and their NCBI BLAST searching. They were identified to Enterococcus faecalis of 24 samples, E. faecium (10), E. casseliflavus (10), E. gallinarum (3), E. hirae (2), E. durans (2), E. sanguinicola (1). E. faecalis was dominant species that clinical case report of a domestic was similar. Vancomycin resistant enterococci (VRE) of 53 samples showed that vanB and vanC1/C2 type with 2 and 12 case, respectively. These results indicated that the drinking spring-water quarantined to fecal pollution for block out outbreak of gastrointestinal symptom with using such as disinfection process.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
• /
• v.39 no.4
• /
• pp.343-351
• /
• 2020

BACKGROUND: Irrigation water is known to be one of the major sources of bacterial contamination in agricultural products. In addition, anti-microbial resistance (AMR) bacteria in food products possess serious threat to humans. This study was aimed at investigating the prevalence of foodborne bacteria in irrigation water and evaluating their anti-microbial susceptibility. METHODS AND RESULTS: Surface water (n = 66 sites) and groundwater (n = 40 sites) samples were collected from the Gyeongi and Gangwon provinces of South Korea during April, July, and October 2019. To evaluate the safety of water, fecal indicators (Escherichia coli) and foodborne pathogens (E. coli O157:H7, Salmonella spp., and Listeria monocytogenes) were examined. E. coli isolates from water were further tested for antimicrobial susceptibility using VITEK2 system. Overall, detection rate of foodborne pathogens in July was highest among three months. The prevalence of pathogenic E. coli (24%), Salmonella (3%), and L. monocytogenes (3%) was higher in surface water, while only one ground water site was contained with pathogenic E. coli (2.5%). Of the 343 E. coli isolates, 22.7% isolates were resistant to one or more antimicrobials (ampicillin (18.7%), trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (7.0%), and ciprofloxacin (6.7%)). CONCLUSION: To enhance the safety of agricultural products, it is necessary to frequently monitor the microbial quality of water.