• The Journal of the Korean Society for Microbiology
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.69-78
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• 1976

There have been increasing reports of mycobacterioses in man and animals caused by "atypical" or "opportunist" mycobacteria. At the presnt, "opportunist mycobacterioses" are not generally responsive to antituberculosis drugs, and therefore, create considerable problems with regard to chemotherapy and control measures. In recent years studies have been made to isolate opportunist mycobacteria from soil, house-dusts and tap-water. It seemed quite interesting to define the extent of circumstantial presence of "opportunist" mycobacteria and nocardia in the soils of school-ground of primary schools and middle-high schools. This communication is the results of pilot study to isolate and identify "opportunist" mycobacteria and nocardia from 504 soil specimens of 72 schools in Seoul City. 1. Of a total of 59 isolates from 504 soil specimens tested, 32 strains were identified as opportunist mycobacteria and 27 strains as nocardia. 2. Isolation rates of opportunist mycobacteria by the areas(of specimen collection) were as follows: 36.4% in the southern area of Han-River, 33.3% in the central area, 22.7% in the outskirt area and 16.6% in the intermediate area. There observed no apparent difference in the isolation rates both-between the areas and between primary schools and middle-high schools. However, a significant difference was noted in the isolation rates between the places of soil sampling in a given school(P<0.05), i.e., the highest was the soil of refuge heaps(15.2%), and tap-water pole area(11.1%), the school-lavatory entrance(9.7%), the school gate entrance(5.5%), and iron-bar play ground(2.7%). The soil specimens from the center of school ground and from school building entrance yielded none of mycobacterial isolates. 3. Isolation rates of nocardia by the areas were as follows: 33.3% in the central area, 31.8% in the outskirt area, 27.3% in the southern ares of Han-River and 11.1% in the intermediate area. As in the case of mycobacteral isolates, there observed no apparent differences in the isolation rates both between the areas and between primary schools and middle-high schools, but a significant difference was noted between the places of soil sampling(P<0.05), i.e., the highest was the soil of school building entrance(15.2%), and of school gate entrance(6.9%), refuge heaps(5.5,%), iron-bar play ground(4.1%), the school-lavatory entrance(2.7%) and tap-water pole area(2.7%), respectively. The soil specimens from the center of, school ground yielded none of nocardia isolates. 4. Of the 32 strains of isolated mycobacteria. 15 strains were slow-growing mycobacteria and the remaining 17 strains belonged to the rapid growers. Of the 15 slow-growers. 4 strains were M. scrofulaceum-szulgai complex, 3 M. gordonae, 4 M. terrae-triviale complex, 2 M. avium-intracellulare-xenopi complex, and 2 unclassified schotochromogens. Of the 17 strains of rapid growers, 12 were M. diernhoferi, 2 M. fortuitum-peregrinum complex, 2 M. vaccae and one M. flavescens. 5. Of the 27 strains of nocardia isolated, 11 strains were N. transvalensis, 5 N. convoluta, 5 N. erythropolis, one N. vaccinii, one N. polychromogens-paraffinae complex and 4 untypable strains of orange-pigmented nocardia spp.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.79 no.2
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• pp.101-103
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• 2016

Nocardia species are aerobic, gram-positive pathogens found worldwide in soil. Nocardia is considered an opportunistic pathogen, and its infection mostly occurs in immunocompromised patients. We report a case of Nocardia farcinica induced mediastinitis and pneumonia that occurred in a 64-year-old male patient who had no significant medical history except for hypertension. He visited another hospital with a complaint of dyspnea and left chest wall pain. The symptoms arose 7 days ago without any trauma and they worsened. A mediastinal mass was found on computed tomography scan. After being transferred to our hospital for further evaluation, he was diagnosed with mediastinitis and pneumonia. As N. farcinica was found to be the causative organism by 16S rRNA sequencing, proper antibiotic therapy including trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole was initiated immediately. After this, the patient improved and he was discharged. If an infection has a disseminating course, nocardiosis cannot be excluded even in immunocompetent patients. Once the diagnosis is established, prompt antibiotic therapy should be performed based on the severity.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society for Applied Microbiology Conference
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• 1977.10a
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• pp.196.3-196
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• 1977

Nocardia sp는 공업폐액의 활성요인로 부터 형태학적으로는 일반세균과 방선균과의 중위위치에 속하는 분류학상 특이한 미생물로서 이의 유녹균으로서는 Corynebacterium, Mycobacterium을 들수있으나 이들과 형태적인 구별은 매우 어렵다. 그러므로 이들 유연균들과 비교하기 위하여 전자현미경에 의한 미세구조를 관찰하였던 바 세포내 unit membrane을 가진 막양구조가 복잡한 형태로 질내에 분포되에 있음을 알았다.(중략)

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.38 no.1
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• pp.217-225
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• 1998

영국 Hertfordshire의 두지역에서 사육되고 있는 건강한 조랑말의 결막낭내 상존하고 있는 진균총의 분포도를 조사 비교하고자 36두 조랑말의 양안(총72안)의 상 하 결막낭에서 시료를 채취하여 진균을 분리 동정하였다. 총 76.4%의 안구에서 진균이 발견되었으며, 13종이 분리되었다. 전체적으로 가장 많이 분리된 진균은 Aspergillus spp(27.8%), Nocardia spp(25.0%), Cladosporium spp(19.4%), Penicillium spp(9.7%) 및 Penicillium spp(9.7%)순이었다. 1지역에서는 Nocardia spp와 Cladosporium spp가 가장 많이 분리된 반면, 2지역에서는 Aspergillus spp가 가장 많이 분리되었다. 상 하결막낭내 진균분리율의 차이는 상결막낭에서보다는 하결막낭내에서 진균이 유의성 있게 많이 분리되었다(p<0.05). 시료채취시에 사용된 swab의 상태에 따른 비교에서 건조된 swab과 젖은 swab간에는 통계적 유의성이 없었다.

• Investigative Magnetic Resonance Imaging
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.50-54
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• 2013

Nocardiosis is an uncommon Gram-positive bacterial infection caused by aerobic actinomycetes in the genus Nocardia. Nocardia spp. have the ability to cause localized or systemic suppurative disease in humans and animals. Nocardiosis is typically regarded as an opportunistic infection, but approximately one-third of infected patients are immunocompetent. We report a rare case of pulmonary nocardiosis and a brain abscess caused by Nocardia asteroides in an elderly woman with a history of Crohn's disease. Radiographic imaging revealed a contrast-enhancing lesion with perilesional parenchymal edema that was preoperatively thought to be a neoplasm. The patient experienced aggressive disease progression simulating a metastatic brain tumor. Early diagnosis of norcadiosis, the absence of underlying disease, and the administration of appropriate antibiotics has a positive impact on prognosis. Familiarity with the magnetic resonance and computed tomography findings associated with CNS nocardiosis, such as those presented here, is essential for making an early diagnosis.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.5 no.3
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• pp.133-140
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• 1977

The results of electron microscopic studies on the cell fine structure of Nocardia sp the location of tellurite-reducing enzyme and the reduction part of T. T. C. (Triphenyl tetrazonium chloride) were summarized as follows. As the fine structure of the cell, the membrane-like structure with unit membrane was distributed in the cytoplasm. The membrane-like structure had complicate forms: some of membrane-like structure appeared spiral form. As the metal tellurium salt appeared in the cytoplasm, it is obvious that tellurite and tellurate-reducing enzymes are present in the cytoplasm. Reduction of T. T. C. took place in the cell membrane and the intracellular membrane-like structure. Therefore, it was thought that reduction of tellurate and T. T. C. took place in different parts. T. T. C. formazane formed in the cell was reoxidized by osmic acid which was used as a fixation reagent for the electron microscopic specimen preparation. As 95％ T. T. C. formazane was soluble in ethanol and embedding materials and removed out of the cell, an originally formed formazane appeared as electron light part on the electron microscopic image.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.69 no.6
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• pp.469-473
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• 2010

Nocardia farcinia, an aerobic, gram-positive bacilli actinomycetes of the genus Nocardia, is an uncommon pathogen found in humans. The most common Nocardia infection sites are the lung, central nervous system, and skin. Even though hematogenous dissemination can occur, isolation of the organism from blood cultures is very rare. We report a case of Nocardia infection that was isolated on blood cultures. A 59-year-old male with a medical history that includes a liver transplantation 6-years prior due to hepatocellular carcinoma secondary to chronic hepatitis B, developed pneumonia and was transferred to Severance Hospital. At the time of admission, the patient's initial exam showed hypothermia, tachypnea, and hypotension. His chest radiograph showed severe pneumonia and a large abscess on left upper lobe. Under the presumptive diagnosis of bacterial pneumonia or other opportunistic infection, we started broad spectrum antibiotics. However, he developed Nocardia sepsis, rapidly deteriorated, and subsequently died.

• Journal of fish pathology
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.1-23
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• 2007

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.337-344
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• 1990

Slime sampless from 10 ratating biological contactor (RBC) plants in New Jersey were microscopically examined. Filamentous bacteria such as Type 1701, Type 0041, Type 021N, Nocardia, Beggiatoa, and Sphaerotilus, which are commonly present as suspended forms also were found in RBC slimes growing as attached forms. However, the abundance wwas much different from that of activated sludge. In RBC slimes, Beggiatoa was most frequently observed filamentous bacteria and Sphaerotilus, Type 0041, Type 1701, Type 021N and Nocardia were present in decreasing order of abundance. There were morphologically two different types of Behhiatia in RBC slimes. The statistical anaysis shows that filamentous bacterial poulations between the 100 cm inside and the outside the RBC were different in most cases with significant interactions between the location and stage.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.243-248
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• 1992

In order to examine the viability depending on rehydration process and membrane injury of Nocardia mediterranei upon lyophilization, We labeled $3^H$-thymidine in deoxyribonucleic acid of N. mediterrranei to obtain information on the mechanisms of injury caused by lyophilization. Suspensions of rehydrated cells were incubated with added DNase in a buffer solution. Extracellular radioactivity levels appeared to be high in the rehydrated solutions after lyophilization than freezing-thawing. Thus, the membrane systems were injured by lyophilization, but not ovenvhelmed. These considerations were confirmed by electron microscopy. In effects of rehydration, the cell membrane was seriously damaged by strong atmospheric pressure as soon as the inner ampule was opened, but this was not the case without admitting air under vacuum. N. rnediterranei cells, with no additives, were lyophilized and reconstituted without admitting air, virtually about 84% of the cells were viable.