• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.23 no.7
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• pp.885-896
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• 2013

2,3-Butanediol (2,3-BDO) has immense industrial applications. Recently, microbial fermentation has emerged as an alternative way to produce this industrially important chemical. Although 2,3-BDO is produced by several microorganisms, the Klebsiella genera has an excellent production compared with other 2,3-BDO-producing microorganisms. In order to produce 2,3-BDO on a large scale, the challenges of removing pathogenic factors from Klebsiella pneumoniae need to be addressed. K. pneumoniae produces a number of virulence factors that contribute to its pathogenesis, including lipopolysaccharides, capsules, fimbrial adhesins, etc. Removal of these pathogenic factors from 2,3-BDO-producing Klebsiella strains will result in avirulent strains for the safe, economic, and efficient production of 2,3-BDO. In this review, we summarize the current trends in 2,3-BDO production using K. pneumoniae and insights into the removal of its virulence factors for industrial applications.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.48 no.2
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• pp.121-128
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• 2020

Diarrhea is a major public health concern associated with pathogenic Escherichia coli infections. Food-borne pathogenic E. coli can lead to large diarrheal outbreaks and hence, there is a need to estimate the frequency of pathogenic E. coli load in the various types of meat available in markets. In the present study, we classified and characterized diarrheagenic E. coli isolates collected from 399 raw meat samples from retail sources in Korea. Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) were detected in 11 (9.7%) samples, including nine strains (8.0%) in beef and two strains (1.8%) in chicken. The frequency of the detected virulence markers were as follows: astA, 28.3%; escV,18.6%; eaeA,17.7%; ent, 7.0%; EHEC-hly, 4.4%; stx1, 3.5%; and stx2, 3.5%. We did not observe any typical EPEC, EIEC, or ETEC virulence determinants in any of the samples. The STEC serotype O26 was detected in one sample, but no other serogroups (O91, O103, O128, O157, O145, O111, and O121) were found. Further research is needed to better understand the virulence mechanism of STEC serotypes, their ecology, and prevalence in animals, food, and the environment. These results will help improve risk assessment and predict the sources of food poisoning outbreaks.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.195-204
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• 2022

Chinese chive (Allium tuberosum Rottler) has potential risks associated with pathogenic bacterial contamination as it is usually consumed raw. In this study, we investigated the microbiota of Chinese chives purchased from traditional markets and grocery stores in March (Spring) and June (Summer) 2017. Differences in bacterial diversity were observed, and the microbial composition varied across sampling times and sites. In June, potential pathogenic genera, such as Escherichia, Enterobacter, and Pantoea, accounted for a high proportion of the microbiota in samples purchased from the traditional market. A large number of pathogenic bacteria (Acinetobacter lwoffii, Bacillus cereus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Serratia marcescens) were detected in the June samples at a relatively high rate. In addition, the influence of the washing treatment on Chinese chive microbiota was analyzed. After storage at 26℃, the washing treatment accelerated the growth of enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) because it caused dynamic shifts in Chinese chive indigenous microbiota. These results expand our knowledge of the microbiota in Chinese chives and provide data for the prediction and prevention of food-borne illnesses.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Crop Science Conference
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• 2006.04a
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• pp.480-481
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• 2006

• Food Science and Biotechnology
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.483-488
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• 2008

Foodborne pathogenic bacteria in various food samples in Korea were monitored and the obtained data was statistically analyzed. A total of 1,240 food samples including 280 sashimi, 244 processed frozen products, 258 kimbab (cooked rice wrapped with seaweed), 337 soybean pastes were obtained from 7 cities including Seoul in Korea. Microorganisms tested were Bacillus cereus, Salmonella spp., Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, E. coli O157:H7, Vibrio parahaemolyticus, Yersinia enterocolitica, Listeria monocytogenes, Campylobacter jejuni, and Clostridium perfringens. The contaminated microorganisms in food samples were comprised of 10.55% B. cereus, 2.7% S. aureus, 2.0% V. parahaemolyticus, 0.8% C. perfringens, 0.2% Y. enterocolitica, and 0.1% of L. monocytogenes, respectively. Salmonella spp., C. jejuni, and E. coli O157:H7 were not detected in any of the food samples. Particularly, B. cereus that harbors the enterotoxin gene was detected in various foods and regions in Korea, therefore it should be a given special consideration not to allow the hazardous level of contamination.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.46-49
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• 2000

Two neolignan compound, magnolol $(5,5^{l}-diallyl-2,2^{l}-dihydroxybiphenyl, 1)$ and honokiol $(5,5^{l}-diallyl-2,4^{l}-dihydroxybiphenyl, 2)$ were isolated from the stem bark of Magnolia obovata and evaluated for antifungal activity against various human pathogenic fungi. Compound 1 and 2 showed significant inhibitory activities against Trichophyton mentagrophytes, Microsporium gypseum, Epidermophyton floccosum, Aspergillus niger, Cryptococcus neoformans, and Candida albicans with minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) in a range of $25-100{\mu}g/ml$. Therefore, compound 1 and 2 could be used as lead compounds for the development of novel antifungal agents.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.14 no.5
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• pp.1063-1066
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• 2004

The rpoS gene product is a global transcriptional factor, which is involved in bacterial survival under various stress conditions. An rpoS-homologous gene was cloned from a septicemia-causing pathogenic Vibrio vulnificus. Introduction of this gene as a multicopy plasmid into various E. coli strains displayed functional complementation, for examples, increased survivability of an rpoS-defective E. coli cell and induction of known $\delta^S$-dependent, stress-responding promoters of E. coli genes.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.67-71
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• 2017

This study examined the antimicrobial activity of flaxseed meal extract (FME) against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli O157:H7 inoculated on red mustard. With the treatment of 0.7% FME for 3 min, the reduction levels of S. aureus and E. coli O157:H7 populations were 1.23 and 1.83 log CFU/g, respectively. In addition, the combined treatment of 0.7% FME at $50^{\circ}C$ for 3 min reduced the populations of the pathogenic bacteria by 2.28 and 2.41 log CFU/g, respectively. The color and the vitamin C content were not significantly different between treatments. Thus, FME can be used as a novel antimicrobial agent in fresh-cut vegetables.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.11 no.6
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• pp.1120-1123
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• 2001

Screening tests against six plant pathogenic fungi were performed in order to develop biopesticides. Actinomycetes were used to discriminate Bacillus thuringiensis for wide use as a microbial pesticide. From more than 100 actinomycetes tested, twelve strains showed potent antifungal activities. We report in vivo screening results from fermentation broths of these twelve strains and identification of the strain taxa.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.27 no.5
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• pp.415-418
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• 1999

Thecodiplosis japonensis is an important insect pest in pine trees and hard to be controlled by chemical pesticides due to its characteristic life cycle. Experiments were conducted to determine the pathogenicity and growth temperature of several entomopathogenic fungi as potential microbial insectcides for T. japonensis. Beauveria bassiana SFB-SC and Paecilomyces fumosoroseus SFP-198 were highly pathogenic against T. japonensis. B. bassiana SFB-SC had also pathogenicity against a beneficial insect Bombyx mori. Growth rate and pathogenicity of P. funmosoroseus SFP-198 under 15$^{\circ}C$ was higher than those of B. bassians SFB-SC. These results indicated that P. fumosoroseus SFP-198 is a potential microbial control candidate for control of T. japonensis.