• Natural Product Sciences
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.286-290
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• 2017

Multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii and Pseudomonas aeruginosa are highly dangerous nosocomial pathogens, cause the symptoms of skin infections, pressure sores, sepsis, blood stream and wound infections. Unfortunately, these pathogens are immune to the most common antibiotics, such as, carbapenem, aminoglycoside and fluoroquinolone. Therefore, it is imperative that new and effective antibiotics be developed. In the present study, the antimicrobial effects of Aloe vera MAP (modified Aloe polysaccharide) on Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus subtilis, Escherichia coli and Enterobacter aerogenes, and clinical Pseudomonas aeruginosa and clinical Acinetobacter baumannii were comprehensibly investigated. Prior to the growth inhibition effect measurement and antibiotic disc diffusion assay on gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria and selected multidrug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Acinetobacter baumannii, antimicrobial resistance screening was performed for the multidrug-resistant bacteria obtained from clinical isolates. The results for showed the Aloe vera MAP had a concentration-dependent effect on all of examined bacteria, particularly on Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant experiments were also performed dose dependently effects to confirm the beneficial physiological effects of Aloe vera MAP.

• The Journal of the Korean Society for Microbiology
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• v.35 no.2
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• pp.129-139
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• 2000

Acinetobacter baumannii strains are emerging pathogens of the nosocomial infection with an increasing frequency in recent years. The therapeutic difficulty due to the wide spread of multiple resistant strains was major problem in A. baumannii infection. It seems likely that high frequency of A. baumannii infection will be increasing epidemiological importance in the future. However, the current limited understanding of the epidemiology of A. baumannii infections is caused by lack of a rapid and practical method for the molecular characterization of A. baumannii strains. This study was undertaken to determine molecular types and genetic similarity among A. baumannii strains isolated from four hospitals by RAPD analysis. Eighty-five strains, including 40 from Chunnam University Hospital, 27 from Dankook University Hospital, 15 from Yonsei University Hospital, and 3 from Seonam University Hospital, were classified into three molecular types. Molecular type II was the most common pattern and included 72 strains. All strains from Dankook University Hospital and 40 strains from Chunnam University Hospital belonged to molecular type I or II. A. baumannii strains form Yonsei University Hospital were very distant similarity values. The range of genetic similarity values among 85 strains of A. baumannii was 0.26 to 1.00. Although phenotypes including biotype and antimicrobial resistance pattern of A. baumannii strains were same or very similar to each other, their RAPD patterns were quite different. Typing with phenotypes was found to be less reliable than molecular typing by RAPD analysis. These results suggest that RAPD analysis provides rapid and simple typing method of A. baumannii strains for epidemiological studies. This work is the first epidemiological report of A. baumannii infections in Korea and it is hoped that results of this work may contribute to a better understanding of the clinical importance and epidemiology of A. baumannii strains.

• Journal of Veterinary Clinics
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.76-81
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• 2017

Studies on the concentration of airborne microorganisms in human medicine as a part of a study on the nosocomial infections have been conducted properly, but in veterinary medicine, there has been rarely performed in Korea to the best of study's knowledge. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the distribution of airborne microorganisms and to identify their species in different places in the animal hospital to alert the necessity of thorough cleanliness management. This study evaluated the concentrations of airborne bacteria and fungi in hospital areas, such as patient waiting room, internal medicine ward, surgical ward and radiological diagnostic ward. The concentration of bacteria and fungi was significantly lower (p < 0.05) in two operating rooms and higher in the patient waiting room. The dominant species of bacteria were Micrococcus spp., Staphylococcus spp., and fungi were Penicillium spp., Dermatophyte mold. Animal hospitals need to perform proper procedures for disinfection, sterilization, and environmental cleaning as well as appropriate employee training and monitoring in order to the maximum prevention of the risk of nosocomial and surgical infections.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.26 no.6
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• pp.886-893
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• 2012

Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a cephalosporin and beta-lactam antibiotic-resistant strain. In most cases, MRSA is spread from infected patients and infection rates are growing increasingly. Furthermore, increased resistance to antibiotics is causing serious problems in the world. Staphylococcus aureus is responsible for both nosocomial and community-based infections that range from relatively minor skin and soft tissue infections to life-threatening systemic infections. Therefore, there is a need to develop alternative antimicrobial drugs for the treatment of infectious diseases. In this study, we investigated antimicrobial activity of oriental medicine prescription against MRSA. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of Sohamhyung-tang water extract against S. aureus strains ranged from 500 to 2,000 ${\mu}g/mL$, so we have it confirmed that a strong antibacterial effect. Also, the combinations of Sohamhyung-tang water extract and conventional antibiotics exhibited improved inhibition of MRSA with synergy effect. We suggest that Sohamhyung-tang water extract against MRSA have antibacterial activity, it has potential as alternatives to antibiotic agent. We suggest that the Sohamhyung-tang water extract lead the treatment of bacterial infection to solve the resistance and remaining side-effect problems that are the major weak points of traditional antibiotics.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.60 no.4
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• pp.481-483
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• 2017

Sphingomonas paucimobilis (S. paucimobilis) is a gram negative bacillus. It has existed in soil, drinking water and plants. It has been isolated from distilled water tanks, respirators, and hemodialysis devices at the hospital setting. Patients with chronic disorders or immune suppression may be susceptible to infections with it. This microorganism has also been reported to infect healthy persons. Both nosocomial and community-acquired infections have been reported. So far, a variety of infections have been reported, including sepsis, septic pulmonary embolism, septic arthritis, peritonitis, and endophthalmitis. Only 2 cases of meningitis have been reported so far in the literature. So far, no previous reports of culture proliferation have been reported in patients with external ventricular drains, as was the case in our patient. Therefore, our case is the first to have S. paucimobilis proliferation in cerebrospinal fluid culture during intensive care unit stay for an external ventricular drain.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.33 no.6
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• pp.686-692
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• 2003

Purpose: To assess the effect of handwashing improving program and MRSA carrier detection program on MRSA(methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus) infection rate in a intensive care unit. Method: The intervention was Nosocomial Infection(NI) control program consisted of hand washing improving program and identification and treatment of MRSA carrier. Data on the NI and MRSA infections were collected by an infection control nurse based on the definition of CDC. MRSA infection rates were calculated by the number of MRSA infection per 100 admissions or 1,000 patients-days. The difference of MRSA infection rates between pre and post intervention was tested by Chi-square at =.05. Result: MRSA infection rates 3.0% or 3.2 per 1,000 patient-days at the pre, 4.6% or 3.7 per 1,000 patient-days at the post, and the differences were not statistically significant (p=.411, p=.769 respectively). Conclusion: The handwashing improving program and MRSA carrier detection program was not effective in reducing the Nosocomial Infection(NI) or MRSA infection rates. It is recommended further studies with a longer intervention and follow-up period.

• Pediatric Infection and Vaccine
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.241-246
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• 2001

Burkholderia cepacia, a widespread gram-negative environmental bacillus associated with nosocomial infection, is considered to be of relatively low virulence and rarely to cause invasive disease in immunocompromised patients. Nosocomial infections resulting from the use of contaminted medication, antiseptics and instruments have also been reported in otherwise healthy hosts. We experienced two cases of B. cepacia sepsis in 10 year-old male who was medicated with the anticancer drugs for the treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukemia(ALL) and in 15 day-old newborn who was examined with voiding vesicourethrography(VCUG) for the evaluation of congenital hydronephrosis. The organism isolated from serial blood culture in ALL patient and from serial blood culture and urine culture in newborn examined with VCUG. The former ALL patient improved after antibacterial medication of imipenem and the latter newborn improved after treatment with imipenem and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole.

• Journal of Korean Biological Nursing Science
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.147-153
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• 2008

Purpose: Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) has become a major clinical problem and one of the major nosocomial pathogen worldwide. The aim of the study was to investigate the epidemiological characteristics of genotypes of MRSA isolated in the A-hospital ICU. Methods: In the period between December 2007 and May 2008, MRSA was isolated from ICU patients and its surrounding environment. Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) was conducted for the detection of MRSA gene. The incidence of MRSA in the clinical isolates of Staphylococcus aureus was examined by using a multiplex PCR. The spa gene of Staphylococcus aureus encodes protein A and is used for typing of MRSA. We used sequence typing of the spa gene repeat region to study the epidemiology of MRSA at a hospital. Results: Two different genotypes of MRSA were identified with 90 isolated from the patients and its surrounding environments in the ICU. Conclusion: This study may contribute to the development of effective strategies for preventing nosocomial infections. Genotyping may have more general application for the study of MRSA epidemic outbreak in hospital and community infection.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.83-85
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• 2012

Vancomycin-resistant (VR)-E. faecium and VR-E. faecalis were isolated simultaneously from a rectal swab of a patient diagnosed with pneumonia in an intensive care unit (ICU). The patient was treated with various antibiotics including vancomycin. Only VR-E. faecium was continually isolated from the rectal swab at one and two weeks of the treatment. Identical vanA, IS1216V, and IS1542 genes were detected in both VR-E. faecium and VR-E. faecalis isolates which showed equal resistance against vancomycin and teicoplanin, but IS1251 was not detected. VR-E. faecium showed stronger multi-drug resistance than VE-E. faecalis. This result supports the reason why VR-E. faecium is one of the major pathogens in nosocomial infections.

• Journal of The Korea Institute of Healthcare Architecture
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.87-95
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• 2016

Purpose: Recently an experience in the MERS crisis focused on the importance of infection control in hospitals. According to Korean National healthcare-associated Infection Surveillance System (KONIS) of the KSICP, a great number of 498 people, 841 people, and 1021 people were infected by pneumonia, urinary tract infection, and bacteremia respectively from 94 hospital ICUs during the year of 2014. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to investigate the configuration and design guidelines for the ICU rooms to minimize the nosocominal infections. Methods: Based on the several infection control guidelines and revised Medical Law, consequent analyses which classified the planning and operational behavior in the ICUs of seven hospitals, were performed to reduce the cross-infection. Results: The results of this study are offering a space, configuration and design guidelines for effective infection control in the intensive care units through the unit-bed area, the bed-to-bed distance, the isolation room, etc. Implications: It is expected that this study propose the direction of architectural planning and guideline for the ICU room in order to realize the intension of revised Medical Law.