• Horticultural Science & Technology
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.442-448
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• 2012

Many outbreaks of food-borne illnesses have been associated with the consumption of fresh vegetables and fruits contaminated with food-borne pathogens. Contaminated medium, manure and irrigation water are probable vehicles for the pathogen in many outbreaks. The aim of this study was to determine the potential transfer of Escherichia coli and Bacillus cereus from medium and soil fertilized with contaminated compost or irrigation with contaminated water to the edible parts of lettuce. Moreover, survivals of the two pathogens on lettuce contaminated medium, soil and irrigation water were estimated. Lettuce seeds were planted in medium contaminated with 7.5 log colony forming unit (CFU)/g of E. coli and B. cereus. Seedlings grown in the contaminated medium were transplanted in soil fertilized with contaminated pig manure compost or uncontaminated soil. Contaminated irrigation water with E. coli and B. cereus at 8.0 log CFU/mL was applied only once on the plant by sprinkle irrigation and surface irrigation. Although E. coli and B. cereus in medium and sprouted lettuce after planting seeds were reduced as time passed, these pathogens survived in seedling raising stage for extended periods. The numbers of E. coli and B. cereus in lettuce grown on contaminated soil were detected over 4.0 log CFU/g for 21 days. The numbers of E. coli and B. cereus in lettuce applied by sprinkle irrigation were higher than those of surface irrigation by 5.0 log CFU/g. Our results indicated that contaminated medium, soil and irrigation water can play an important role in the presence of food-borne pathogens on vegetables.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.262-270
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• 2017

Yersinia enterocolitica is a well-known foodborne pathogen causing gastrointestinal infections worldwide. The strain Y. enterocolitica FORC_002 was isolated from the gill of flatfish (plaice) and its genome was sequenced. The genomic DNA consists of 4,837,317 bp with a GC content of 47.1%, and is predicted to contain 4,221 open reading frames, 81 tRNA genes, and 26 rRNA genes. Interestingly, genomic analysis revealed pathogenesis and host immune evasion-associated genes encoding guanylate cyclase (Yst), invasin (Ail and Inv), outer membrane protein (Yops), autotransporter adhesin A (YadA), RTX-like toxins, and a type III secretion system. In particular, guanylate cyclase is a heat-stable enterotoxin causing Yersinia-associated diarrhea, and RTX-like toxins are responsible for attachment to integrin on the target cell for cytotoxic action. This genome can be used to identify virulence factors that can be applied for the development of novel biomarkers for the rapid detection of this pathogen in foods.

• Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.24 no.8
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• pp.277-283
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• 2021

Kudoa septempunctata has been reported as a new parasite in aquacultured olive flounder Paralichthys olivaceus, and also as a causative agent of food poisoning in humans. This paper investigated the infection of K. septempunctata in 216 sashimi and 20 sushi made of olive flounders in Busan, Korea. Among 236 samples, K. septempunctata was detected in eleven sashimi with 6-7 polar capsules by the microscopy. Among eleven sashimi, five sashimi were positive in Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) assay with the targets of 18S rDNA and 28S rDNA. The genotype of all the five PCR results is identified as the genotype ST3 which is common in Korea. K. septempunctata was found in olive flounders sashimi from Samcheonpo and Wando outside of Jeju Island. These findings would contribute to establish the standard of K. septempunctata for preventing food-borne outbreaks in advance and providing further preventive management for the seafood safety.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.29 no.12
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• pp.1975-1981
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• 2019

Recently, outbreaks of food-borne diseases linked to fresh produce have been an emerging public health concern worldwide. Previous research has shown that when human pathogens co-exist with plant pathogens, they have improved growth and survival rates. In this study, we have assessed whether Escherichia coli O157:H7 benefits from the existence of a phytopathogenic bacterium and the underlying mechanisms were further investigated. When Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato DC3000 (Pst DC3000) and E. coli O157:H7 were co-inoculated by either dipping or infiltration methods, the populations of E. coli O157:H7 increased; however, no effect was observed when type three secretion system (T3SS) mutants were used instead, suggesting that E. coli O157:H7 benefits from the presence of Pst DC3000. In addition, this study confirmed that the E. coli O157:H7 populations increased when they occupied the tomato leaf intercellular space; this colonization of the interior of the leaves was possible due to the suppression of the PAMP-triggered immunity (PTI) by Pst DC3000, in particular with the AvrPto effector. In conclusion, our data support a plausible model that E. coli O157:H7 benefits from the presence of Pst DC3000 via AvrPto suppression of the PTI resistance.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.310-321
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• 2007

Effective and systematic sanitation management programs are necessary to prevent foodborne disease outbreaks in school foodservice operations. The purpose of this study was to identify the elements to improve in order to ensure the safety of school food service by evaluating sanitation management practices implemented under HACCP-based programs. The survey was designed to assess the level of hygiene practices of school food service by using an inspection checklist of food hygiene and safety. Fifty-four school foodservice establishments considered as poor sanitation practice groups from two year inspections by Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education were surveyed from September to December in 2005. Inspection checklists consisted of seven categories with 50 checkpoints; facilities and equipment management, personal hygiene, ingredient control, process control, environmental sanitation management, HACCP system and safety management. Surveyed schools scored $68.0{\pm}12.42$ points out of 100 on average. The average score (% of compliance) of each field was 10.7/20 (53.3%) for facilities and equipment management, 7.4/11 (67.2%) for personal hygiene, 7.4/11 (74.1%) for ingredient control, 22.4/32 (69.8%) for process control, 8.9/12 (73.8%) for environmental sanitation management, 4.2/7 (59.7%) for HACCP systems management, and 7.2/8 (89.7%) for safety management, respectively. The field to be improved first was the sanitation control of facilities and equipment. The elements to improve this category were unprofessional consultation for kitchen layout, improper compartment of the kitchen area, lacks of pest control, inadequate water supply, poor ventilation system, and insufficient hand-washing facilities. To elevate the overall performance level of sanitation management, prerequisite programs prior to HACCP plan implementation should be stressed on the school officials, specifically principals, for the integration of the system.

• 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.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.40 no.4
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• pp.248-259
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• 2021

BACKGROUND: Contaminated water was a major source of food-borne pathogens in various recent fresh produce-related outbreaks. This study was conducted to investigate the microbial contamination level and correlations between the level of sanitary indicator bacteria and the detection ratio of pathogens in agricultural water by logistic regression analysis. METHODS AND RESULTS: Agricultural water was collected from 457 sites including surface water (n=300 sites) and groundwater (n=157 sites) in South Korea from 2018 to 2020. Sanitary indicator bacteria (total coliform, fecal coliform, and Escherichia coli) and food-borne pathogens (pathogenic E. coli, E. coli O157:H7, Salmonella spp., and Listeria monocytogenes) were analyzed. In surface water, the coliform, fecal coliform, and E. coli were 3.27±0.89 log CFU/100 mL, 1.90±1.19 log CFU/100 mL, and 1.39±1.26 log CFU/100 mL, respectively. For groundwater, three kinds of sanitary indicators ranged in the level from 0.09 - 0.57 log CFU/100 mL. Pathogenic E. coli, Salmonella and Listeria monocytogenes were detected from 3%-site, 1.5%- site, and 0.6%-site water samples, respectively. According to the results of correlations between the level of sanitary indicator bacteria and the detection ratio of pathogens by logistic regression analysis, the probability of pathogen detection increased individually by 1.45 and 1.34 times as each total coliform and E. coli concentration increased by 1 log CFU/100mL. The accuracy of the model was 70.4%, and sensitivity and specificity were 81.5% and 51.7%, respectively. CONCLUSION(S): The results indicate the need to manage the microbial risk of agricultural water to enhance the safety of fresh produce. In addition, logistic regression analysis is useful to analyze the correlation between the level of sanitary indicator bacteria and the detection ratio of pathogens in agricultural water.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.39 no.2
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• pp.134-151
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• 2024

Salmonella spp. is among the most important water-borne and food-borne pathogens and is one of the most common causes of human gastroenteritis and diarrheal diseases globally. In this study, Salmonella spp. isolated from food, environmental samples, and patients with food poisoning or diarrhea were investigated Salmonella serovars, antibiotic resistance using Vitek2, and genetic characteristics through pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). Salmonella spp. of 339 strains, including 26 strains from food or environmental samples and 313 strains from patients, were isolated from Jeju Island of South Korea between 2020 and 2023. The monthly number of isolated Salmonella spp. gradually increased from March, with the highest number being in August. No significant differences in Salmonella spp. isolated from patients according to gender was observed. However, Salmonella spp. was most frequently isolated from people aged 70 years or older and least frequently isolated from those between ages 10 and 19 years. Salmonella spp. isolated from food or environmental samples were distributed among eight different serovars and the main serovars were identified in the order of S. Bareilly (26.9%), S. Rissen (23.1%), and S. Thompson (19.3%). Salmonella spp. isolated from patients were distributed among 27 different serovars and the main serovars were identified in the order of S. Bareilly (31.0%), S. Typhimurium (24.6%), and S. Enteritidis (11.5%). The main cause serovars of Salmonella spp. outbreaks are S. Bareilly, S. Enteritidis, S. Thompson. Antibiotic resistance tests indicated resistance to various antibiotics and some Salmonella spp. exhibited multidrug resistance. Salmonella spp. showed various genetic correlations among the 17 serovars. These results indicate that they can be used as basic data for epidemiological investigations by predicting the appearance of Salmonella spp. and providing a scientific basis.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.54 no.1
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• pp.31-37
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• 2018

Campylobacter jejuni is an important food-borne pathogen causing gastroenteritis in human. We isolated 208 strains of Campylobacter jejuni from 430 diarrhea patients and food employees with 17 food-poisoning outbreaks between 2014 and 2016 in Gyeonggi area. The strains were tested for genetic relationship and the genotype distribution using PFGE and multiplex-PCR typing. Among the 47 Penner-serotypes known for C. jejuni, it was identified as a genotype consisting of 35 genotypes by multiplex-PCR typing and represented 7 genotypes (HS2, HS4A, HS8, HS15, HS29, HS41, and HS53) in the selected strain. From the PFGE analysis of 11 food-poisoning outbreaks, 5 group of PFGE profile were obtained, and genetic similarity in these clusters ranged from 61.8 to 66.6%. This study examines the genetic diversity of C. jejuni that have been separated in the Gyeonggi area through various genetic analysis methods and identifies the correlation between strains in patients who have been infected with the disease in the future.

• Food Science and Preservation
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• v.23 no.5
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• pp.704-710
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• 2016

This study was conducted to investigate the antibacterial activities and sensory properties of a sauce containing tea extract and garlic vineger against raw fish. The sauce was evaluated antibacterial activity against Vibrio parahaemolyticus and Vibrio vulnificus which is considered as one of the major food borne pathogens. As a result, the sauce inhibited the growth of V. parahaemolyticus and V. vulnificus distinctly. In addition, the sauce with soy sauce and Kochujang showed the restricted growth of Vibrio parahaemolyticus and Vibrio vulnificus in sliced raw flatfish. Sensory evaluations were measured by 7-point hedonic scale using sliced raw flatfish with the sauce mixed with Kochujang and soy sauce. The score of texture in the sauce with Kochujang was significantly higher than that of regular Chokochujang (p<0.05). Moreover, total preference including appearance, texture, aroma and taste were significantly higher in the sauce with soy sauce than those of regular soy sauce (p<0.05). Consequently, the soy sauce with tea extract and garlic vinegar may enhance the satisfaction of consumer and antimicrobial activity that against V. parahaemolyticus and V. vulnificus, resulting in potential reduction the outbreaks of food borne pathogens.