• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.55 no.4
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• pp.391-398
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• 2017

Hookworm infections are widely prevalent in tropical and subtropical areas, especially in low income regions. In the body, hookworms parasitize the proximal small intestine, leading to chronic intestinal hemorrhage and iron deficiency anemia. Occasionally, hookworms can cause overt gastrointestinal bleeding, but this is often ignored in heavily burdened individuals from endemic infectious areas. A total of 424 patients with overt obscure gastrointestinal bleeding were diagnosed by numerous blood tests or stool examinations as well as esophagogastroduodenoscopy, colonoscopy, capsule endoscopy or double-balloon enteroscopy. All of the patients lived in hookworm endemic areas and were not screened for hookworm infection using sensitive tests before the final diagnosis. The patients recovered after albendazole treatment, blood transfusion, and iron replacement, and none of the patients experienced recurrent bleeding in the follow-up. All the 31 patients were diagnosed with hookworm infections without other concomitant bleeding lesions, a rate of 7.3% (31/424). Seventeen out of 227 patients were diagnosed with hookworm infections in the capsule endoscopy (CE), and 14 out of 197 patients were diagnosed with hookworm infections in the double balloon enteroscopy (DBE). Hookworm infections can cause overt gastrointestinal bleeding and should be screened in patients with overt obscure gastrointestinal bleeding (OGIB) in endemic infectious areas with sensitive methods. Specifically, the examination of stool specimens is clinically warranted for most patients, and the proper examination for stool eggs relies on staff's communication.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.51 no.5
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• pp.350-355
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• 2018

Background: The complication rate of fungal disease is higher among patients with hematological malignancies. We investigated the clinicobacteriological outcomes of resected pulmonary fungal infections complicating hematological malignancies. Methods: Between 2001 and 2017, 21 patients with pulmonary fungal infections complicating hematological malignancies underwent resection, and their clinical records and survival were retrospectively reviewed. Results: The median age of the patients was 47 years, and 13 were male. The histological diagnoses were pulmonary aspergillosis (19 cases), mucormycosis (1 case), and cryptococcosis (1 case). The indications for surgery were resistance to antifungal therapy and the necessity of surgery before hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in 13 and 8 cases, respectively. The diagnoses of the hematological malignancies were acute myelogenous leukemia (10 cases), acute lymphocytic leukemia (5 cases), myelodysplastic syndrome (3 cases), and chronic myelogenous leukemia, malignant lymphoma, and extramedullary plasmacytoma (1 case each). The surgical procedures were partial resection (11 cases), segmentectomy (5 cases), lobectomy (4 cases), and cavernostomy (1 case). The size of the lesions was 0.9-8.5 cm. Fourteen cases had cavitation. There were no surgical-related deaths or fungal progression. Conclusion: Pulmonary fungal infections are resistant to treatments for hematological malignancies. Since the treatment of the underlying disease is extended and these infections often recur and are exacerbated, surgery should be considered when possible.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.415-424
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• 2010

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between the global regulatory mechanism known as quorum sensing and expression of virulence factors in Escherichia coli O157:87. A nonpolar luxS deletion was introduced into the chromosome of strain CI03J, a human clinical isolate from South Korea, to create the ${\Delta}luxS$ mutant strain ML03J. Phenotypic characterization of wild-type and mutant strains demonstrated that ML03J had no obvious growth or metabolic defects on 0.2% glucose LB medium, produced a functionally defective flagellum, and could not utilize sorbose; the biological significance of sorbose utilization is unknown. Omics-based analysis revealed the involvement of LuxS in the transcriptional activation of several flagella/chemotaxisrelated genes (flhD; fliA, C, D, S, Z; and cheA, Y, Z), repression of glutamate-dependent acid resistance genes (gadAB), and expression of virulence factors including Shiga toxin, hemolysin, and SepD within the LEE pathogenicity island.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.55 no.5
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• pp.513-521
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• 2017

Infectious diarrhea is endemic in most developing countries. We aimed to investigate the protozoan, viral, and bacterial causes of acute diarrhea in Taif, Saudi Arabia. A cross-sectional prospective 1-year study was conducted on 163 diarrheal patients of various ages. Stool samples were collected, 1 per patient, and tested for 3 protozoa, 3 viruses, and 9 bacteria with the Luminex Gastrointestinal Pathogen Panel. Overall, 53.4% (87/163) of samples were positives (20.8% protozoa, 19.6% viruses, 2.8% bacteria, and 9.8% mixed). Rotavirus (19.6%), Giardia duodenalis (16.5%), and Cryptosporidium spp. (8.5%) were the mostly detected pathogens. Adenovirus 40/41 (4.2%), Salmonella (3%), Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (3%), and Entamoeba histolytica (2.4%) were also detected. Norovirus GI/II, Vibrio cholerae, Yersinia enterocolitica, and Clostridium difficile toxin A/B were not detected in any patients. All pathogens were involved in coinfections except E. histolytica. Giardia (5.5%) and rotavirus (3%) were the most commonly detected in co-infections. Enterotoxigenic E. coli (2.4%), Campylobacter spp. (2.4%), E. coli 0157 (1.8%), and Shigella spp. (1.2%) were detected in patients only as co-infections. Infections were more in children 0-4 years, less in adults <40 years, and least >40 years, with statistically significant differences in risk across age groups observed with rotavirus (P<0.001), Giardia (P=0.006), and Cryptosporidium (P=0.036) infections. Lastly, infections were not significantly more in the spring. This report demonstrates the high burden of various enteropathogens in the setting. Further studies are needed to define the impact of these findings on the clinical course of the disease.

• Archives of Plastic Surgery
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• v.39 no.1
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• pp.18-24
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• 2012

Background : Infection caused by rapidly growing mycobacteria (RGM) is not uncommon, and the prevalence of RGM infection has been increasing. Clinical diagnosis is difficult because there are no characteristic clinical features. There is also no standard antibiotic regimen for treating RGM infection. A small series of patients with RGM infections was studied to examine their treatments and outcomes. Methods : A total of 5 patients who had developed postoperative infections from January 2009 to December 2010 were retrospectively reviewed. Patients were initially screened using a mycobacteria rapid screening test (polymerase chain reaction [PCR]-reverse blot hybridization assay). To confirm mycobacterial infection, specimens were cultured for nontuberculous mycobacteria and analyzed by 16 S ribosomal RNA and rpoB gene PCR. Results : The patients were treated with intravenous antibiotics during hospitalization, and oral antibiotics were administered after discharge. The mean duration of follow-up was 9 months, and all patients were completely cured of infection with a regimen of a combination of antibiotics plus surgical treatment. Although none of the patients developed recurrence, there were complications at the site of infection, including hypertrophic scarring, pigmentation, and disfigurement. Conclusions : Combination antibiotic therapy plus drainage of surgical abscesses appeared to be effective for the RGM infections seen in our patients. Although neither the exact dosage nor a standardized regimen has been firmly established, we propose that our treatment can provide an option for the management of rapidly growing mycobacterial infection.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.56 no.3
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• pp.247-257
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• 2018

The aim of this study was to conduct a freshwater snail survey in Mae Lao agricultural basin to assess the diversity with a focus on habitat types and their larval trematode infections. Snails were collected and examined in 14 sites of Mae Lao agricultural basin from August 2016 to October 2017. A total of 1,688 snail individuals were collected and classified into 7 families, 8 genera, and 12 species. Snail diversity and habitat types were higher in rice paddies than irrigation canals and streams. The most abundant species was Bithynia siamensis siamensis, representing 54.6% of the sample. Three species of snails act as first intermediate host were found with cercarial infections. They were Filopaludina sumatrensis polygramma, B. s. siamensis, and Melanoides tuberculata. The cercariae were categorized into 7 types; echinostome, monostome, gymnocephalous, virgulate, parapleurolophocercous, pleurolophocercous and megalurous cercariae. Parapleurolophocercous cercariae constituted the most common type of cercariae recovered, contributing 41.2% of all infections in snails. Echinostome metacercariae infections were found in 6 snail species with 7.6% prevalence. In addition, the metacercaria of avian trematode, Thapariella sp. were found in Filopaludina spp. snails and B. funiculata with a prevalence of 0.5%. This is the first report for Thapariella metacercariae in the snail host, B. funiculata, and also confirmed that viviparid and bithyniid snails act as the second intermediate hosts of this trematode. This work will provide new information on the distribution and intermediate host of trematode in this area.

• Journal of the Korean Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.322-328
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• 2005

Oral and maxillofacial infections are most commonly odontogenic in origin. The present study was implemented for patients with oral and maxillofacial infections in order to determine what differences were present in cultured bacteria, depending upon the different types of infection. For the present study, the epidemiological characteristics, the state of infection, and the results of the pus culture and antibiotic susceptibility tests were analyzed for the 159 cases where pus culture tests were performed. The patients were treated at the Oral and Maxillofacial Surgical Department of Chonnam National University Hospital during an 18-months period from March 2003 to August 2004. Among the total 159 pus culture specimens, bacteria were cultured in 111 cases (69.8%). In the 111 pus culture specimens, Streptococcus species, Neisseria species, and Staphylococcus species were cultured from 69 cases (51.1%), 21 cases (15.6%), and 15 cases (11.1%), respectively and were determined to be bacterial strains the predominant bacteria responsible for oral and maxillofacial infectious diseases. Twenty four cases (15.1%) among the 159 specimens showed mixed infections. The mostly isolated bacteria from each of the space abscess, dentoalveolar abscess, inflammatory cyst, and pericoronitis cases were the Viridans streptococci. There was little relevance between the type of infection and the type of cultured bacteria. Antibiotic susceptibility tests showed a high level of susceptibility to teicoplanin(100%), vancomycin(100%), chloramphenicol(96.4%), ofloxacin(88.3%), imipenem(83.3%), erythromycin(82.5%) and a low susceptibility to cefazolin(40.0%), oxacillin(44.7%), ampicillin(49.4%), penicillin(51.1%). These results indicate that there was no significant difference among the cultured bacteria depending on the type of infections and their susceptibility to cephalosporin and penicillin G was low.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.21 no.11
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• pp.1109-1115
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• 2011

A highly sensitive and specific TaqMan real-time PCR was used to quantify hepatopancreatic parvovirus (HPV) type III infections in wild broodstocks and hatchery-reared postlarvae (PL) of Fenneropenaeus chinensis. Totals of 159 and 162 wild brooders from three locations were captured, and 140 and 180 PL were obtained from seven and six commercial hatcheries in 2007 and 2008, respectively. Among the three wild broodstock groups from 2007, only 1 group showed HPV infection and 3.2% of 159 brooders were positive for HPV infection. In 2008, HPV infections were observed from all three wild broodstock groups with $1.93{\times}10^4$ copies/mg tissue of pleopods. Of 162 brooders, 26.6% were positive for HPV infection. No PL from the two hatcheries collected in 2007 showed HPV infection, and PL from the rest of the five hatcheries had up to $1.74{\times}10^6$ copies/ng of DNA, and PL from three hatcheries showed HPV infections with over 1,000 copies/ng of DNA. The PL from all seven hatcheries collected in 2008 showed up to $2.10{\times}10^5$ HPV copies/ng of DNA. PL from two hatcheries showed less than 100 copies/ng of DNA, but PL from the rest of the hatcheries showed HPV infections with over 1,000 copies/ng of DNA. These results show that HPV type III is widely distributed in Korea in addition to previously reported HPV type I, and they can be effectively detected by type-specific realtime PCR.

• Journal of Microbiology
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• v.41 no.1
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• pp.1-6
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• 2003

The genetic relatedness of multidrug-resistant pneumococcal isolates of serotypes 19F and 23F was investigated. The DNA fragments digested with Sma I were resolved by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). PFGE analysis of 365. pneumoniae isolates showed 13 different patterns. Among 22 isolates of serotype 19F, 9 different PFGE patterns were present and 14 isolates of serotype 23F isolates represented 5 distinct PFGE patterns. Two isolates of serotype 19F and six isolates of serotype 23F shared the same PFGE pattern (Pattern I). Based on the genetic relatedness within the strains (one genetic cluster was defined as having more than 85% homology), we divided the pneumococcal strains into genefic clusters (Ⅰ, II, III, IV, V, and VI). The 22 strains of serotype 19F belonged to five distinct genetic clusters (I, II, III, IV, V and VI) and 14 strains of serotype 23F represented two genetic clusters (I and II ). These results showed that strains of serotype 19F are genetically more diverse than those of serotype 23F, Serotype 19F isolates with PFGE patterns H and I appeared to be less related to those of the remaining PFCE patterns (A to G) (less than 60% genetic relatedness), but those strains were genetically closely related with serotype 23f. These results suggest that the latter isolates originated from horizontal transfer of the capsular type 19F gene locus to 23F pneumococcal genotypes. In conclusion, the multidrug-resistant pneumococcal isolates of serotype 19f and 23F isolated in Korea are the result of the spread of a limited number of resistant clones.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.46 no.3
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• pp.191-193
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• 2008

Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is a parasitic disease characterized by single or multiple ulcerations. Secondary bacterial infections are one of the complications that can increase the tissue destruction and the resulting scar. To better determine the incidence of real secondary bacterial infections in CL, we designed the current study. This was a cross-sectional study performed in Skin Diseases and Leishmaniasis Research Centre, Isfahan, Iran. A total of 1,255 patients with confirmed CL enrolled in the study. Sterile swaps were achieved for ulcer exudates and scraping was used for non-ulcerated lesions. All samples were transferred to tryptic soy broth medium. After 24 hr of incubation at $37^{\circ}C$ they were transferred to eosin methylene blue agar (EMB) and blood agar. Laboratory tests were used to determine the species of bacteria. Among 1,255 confirmed CL patients, 274 (21.8%) had positive cultures for secondary bacterial infections. The bacteria isolated from the lesions were Staphylococcus aureus in 190 cases (69.3%), coagulase negative Staphylococcus in 63 cases (23.0%), E. coli in 10 cases (3.6%), Proteus sp. in 6 cases (2.2%), and Klebsiella sp. in 5 cases (1.9%). The results show that the overall incidence of secondary bacterial infections in the lesions of CL was 21.8%, considerably high. The incidence of secondary bacterial infections was significantly higher in ulcerated lesions compared with non-ulcerated lesions.