• Pediatric Infection and Vaccine
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.149-156
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• 2012

Purpose : We conducted a prospective comparative clinical study to determine the field efficacy of the 2010-2011 influenza vaccines [Influenza virus strains; A/California/7/2009 (H1N1), A/Perth/16/2009 (H3N2), B/Brisbane/60/2008] in healthy Korean children under 18 years of age. Methods : In this study, we enrolled subjects aged between 6 months and 18 years and divided them into 2 study groups: a group who received the influenza vaccines (407 subjects), and a control group who did not receive the influenza vaccines (230 subjects). Ours was a multicenter study that involved 7 hospitals, including the Korea Cancer Center Hospital. The study was conducted between September 2010 and February 2011. We collected nasal wash or throat swab samples from subjects who presented with acute febrile respiratory or influenza-like illnesses at the hospital. We used PCR to confirm the presence of the influenza virus in the respiratory samples and characterize the virus type. Results : In this study, we collected 22 respiratory samples from the influenza-vaccinated group and found 3 cases of influenza virus infection. Similarly, we collected 21 samples from the control group and found 12 cases of influenza virus infection among 10 subjects during the study period. We determined the field efficacy of the 2010-2011 seasonal influenza vaccines to be 83.2% in healthy Korean children and adolescents. Conclusion : In this study, we determined the field efficacy of the 2010-2011 seasonal influenza vaccines in healthy Korean children and adolescents. We found that the field efficacy of 2010-2011 seasonal influenza vaccines was adequate.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.53 no.5
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• pp.569-576
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• 2002

Background : Chlamydia pneumoniae is one of common causes in upper and lower respiratory infections. Isolating C. pneumoniae from clinical specimens is very difficult due to the characteristics of the organism. Recently, we succeeded in isolating C. pneumoniae from a Korean patient, who suffered from acute pharyngitis. This is the first isolate from a clinical specimen in Korea. Methods : We attained a nasopharyngeal swab from a 22-year-old female patient, and inoculated it on a monolayer of the Hep-2 cell line. After 8 passages, we found the inclusion bodies of C. pneumoniae by an immunofluorescence(IF) test. The species-specific monoclonal antibody IF staining and species-specific PCR were done to confirm the species of the isolate, and electron microscopy was used to characterize the morphology. Results : The isolated was confirmed to be C. pneumoniae by species-specific IF and PCR, and the strain was named LKK-1. The shape of the elementary body was round and with a narrow periplasmic space, as shown by electron microscopy, which is similar to the Japanese strain, but not the Western strain. Conclusion : We succeeded in isolating C. pneumoniae from a 22-year-old patient with acute pharyngitis, which is the first isolate in Korea. In the future, this Korean strain will be useful to the study of C. pneumoniae.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.109-115
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• 1984

In order to estimate the recent patterns of intestinal helminth infections among the residents in Taegu City, Korea, a survey based on discovery of helminth eggs by formalin-ether sedimentation and modified Graham's scotchtape anal swab techniques, were performed during the period from March to September in 1983. A total of 1, 697 fecal specimens were collected from 854 male and 843 female residents from 5 village (Dong), each of whom were selected randomly to represent 1, 000 persons referred to the census in 1982. Among the specimens examined, one or more species of helminth parasites were found in 473, revealing the overall positive rate of 27.9 per cent. Of them, Trichuris trichiura was found most frequently, in 13.2 percent, followed by Enterobius vermicularis in 7.0 per cen t. Hookworm was the least prevalent. The sex-specific rate of overall helminth infections was a little higher in females than in males, while in cases of Clonorchis sinensis, Metagonimus yokogawai and Taenia species, the infection rates in males was higher than in females. T. trichiura was most prevalent in the 20~29 age group and showed about the same prevalence in males and females of all age groups. C. sinensis infection rate increased with age while those of Ascaris lumbricoides decreased. Single infections were 82.5 per cent of all positive cases. Of these, T. trichiura revealed the highest prevalence in 31.7 per cent, followed by E. vermiculasis in 20.1 per cent and A. lumbricoides in 14.8 per cent. Of the double infections, the percentage of T. trichiura in combination with other intestinal helminths was higher than that of A. lumbricoides. It was concluded that although the infection rates of intestinal helminths among the residents in Taegu City, Korea is still high, eradication of these parasitic diseases seems to be possible with twice-a-year administration of specific anthelmintics, in combination with extensive public health education and improvement of the dietary life.

• Pediatric Infection and Vaccine
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.1-8
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• 2014

Purpose: The aim for this study was to investigate clinical manifestation of seasonal influenza A and B during the 2012 winter season in Wonju, South Korea. Their clinical and laboratorial characteristics and effect of oseltamivir were compared and analyzed. Methods: Children under the age of 18 years who visited the Wonju Severance Christian Hospital with fever or acute respiratory symptoms and who were diagnosed with influenza A or B by rapid antigen test from nasopharyngeal swab were selected for the study. The medical records of patients were retrospectively reviewed. Results: Influenza A was detected in 374 patients (83.7%), and influenza B in 72 (16.6%). The incidence of influenza A was highest in February (n=186), while that of influenza B was highest in March (n=36). The most common symptoms were fever (n=434, 97.1%) and cough (n=362, 81.0%). No significant differences were observed between influenza A and B in symptoms and laboratory data. Patients who had used oseltamivir within 2 days showed statistically lower admission rate, shorter admission duration, and lower incidence of pneumonia. Conclusion: This study found no statistical difference between influenza A and B, in symptoms, progression, and laboratory test, but those who were treated with oseltamivir given within 2 days of the onset of fever experienced more positive outcomes.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.46 no.1
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• pp.85-90
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• 2018

Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are a global health concern and can cause serious complications such as miscarriage, premature birth, and pelvic infection in pregnant women. Therefore, accurate diagnosis and information on the epidemiologic trends are critical. However, studies of STI trends in Cheonan, South Korea, have not been conducted since 2012. We examined the STI trends in the Cheonan area after 2012. From January 2011 to September 2017, 3,362 cervical swab specimens from female patients were sampled at the Dankook University Hospital and analyzed by multiplex PCR. Of the 3,362 specimens, 1,281 were positive for pathogens (38.92%). A total of 1,893 pathogens were detected. Ureaplasma urealyticum, Mycoplasma hominis, and Chlamydia trachomatis were the most frequent pathogens, accounting for 36.29% (687/1,893), 30.16% (571/1,893), and 19.97% (378/1,893) of the pathogen-positive samples, respectively. In the 2009-2012 analysis, M. hominis was identified as the predominant pathogen in STI samples, whereas U. urealyticum was identified as the major pathogen in this study. In many countries, including South Korea and the United States, the rate of STIs is increasing, while a decreasing trend was observed in Cheonan.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural Science
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• v.42 no.1
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• pp.29-35
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• 2015

This study was performed to analyze the distribution and antimicrobial resistance of pathogenic microorganisms isolated from the carcass and environments of chicken processing plant located in Gyeonggi province from October to November in 2010. Chicken slaughterhouse was visited 3 times and totally 40 samples were collected from chicken carcass before and after washing (n=14), chicken cuts (n=7), cooling water (n=8), brine (n=2), cutting knives (n=7) and working plate (n=2). Whole-chicken rinsing technique (for chicken carcasses) and swab technique (for working plate and knives) were used to analyze the distribution of pathogenic microorganisms. In addition, brine and chilling water from storage tanks were gathered using sterilized tubes and used as samples. The matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI MS) for whole cell fingerprinting in combination with a dedicated bioinformatic software tool was used to identify the isolated microorganisms. The pathogenic microorganisms, such as Bacillus cereus (n=8) and Staphylococcus aureus (n=9), were isolated form the chicken processing process (chicken carcasses of before and after chilling, chicken cuts, and working plate). The antimicrobial susceptibility of those isolated microorganisms was analyzed using 21 antimicrobial agents. In the case of B. cereus, it showed 100% of resistance to subclasses of penicillins and peptides, and it also resistant to cephalothin, a member of critically important antimicrobials (CIA), however there was no resistance (100% susceptible) to vancomycin and chloramphenicol. S. aureus showed 100% resistance to subclasses of peptides and some of penicillins (penicillin and oxacillin), however, it showed 100% susceptibility to cephalosporins (cefazolin and cephalothin). All of the tested pathogens showed multi drug resistance (MDR) more than 4 subclasses and one of B. cereus and S. aureus showed resistance to 9 subclasses. After the ban on using the antimicrobials in animal feed in July 2011, there would be some change in microbial distribution and antimicrobial resistance, and it still has a need to be analyzed.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.40 no.2
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• pp.88-97
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• 2014

Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate the occurrence of microbiological contamination of kitchen utensils and environments of food service operations at university located in Seoul, Korea. Methods: We collected swab samples from the surfaces of knives, chopping boards, floors, and drains, as well as drinking water and airborne bacteria samples from 20 food service operations. Three bacterial indicators and five food poisoning bacteria were measured quantitatively and qualitatively, respectively. We used selective culture media and the PCR assay targeting 16S rRNA gene for the microbiological analysis. Results: We detected bacterial indicators on knives or chopping boards in eight different food service operations and, three food service operations (I, M, and O) showed more than 3 log colony forming units $(CFU)/100cm^2$ on their knives, significantly higher than the others. The levels of bacterial indicators on the floors and drains in the cooking areas were much higher than those on the cooking utensils. S. aureus was detected on 10 floors and 8 drains. Culturable bacteria were identified in 5 drinking water samples, and food service operation B ($431.1CFU/m^3$) and C ($551.2CFU/m^3$) showed more than $400CFU/m^3$ of total airborne bacteria. Conclusions: These results suggest that some of food service operations in this study may require additional investigation to secure the microbial safety of cooking environments. In addition, further actions including hygiene education for employees and proper guidelines to maintain clean cooking environments should be prepared.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.21 no.8
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• pp.1156-1162
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• 2011

Equine coital exanthema caused by equine herpesvirus type 3 (EHV-3) is a venereal disease which seriously drops horse reproduction rates. Here, we isolated EHV-3 from infected horses and investigated their biological characteristics. Initial cytopathic effects such as rounding of cells were detected 48 hours post infection of the virus into RK-13 cells. The infected cells were going to detach from the surface of culture flasks 72 hours post infection. The type of isolated viruses from swabbed samples was EHV-3 by PCR analysis. Glycoprotein G (gG) of isolated EHV-3 has a 99.25 percent similarity rate to that of EHV-3 334/74 control strain. The isolated EHV-3 was named Georo strain. Georo strain consisted of four major proteins including 145 kD, 60 kD, 45 kD and 40 kD, as shown by SDS-PAGE analysis. We hope the newly isolated Georo strain of EHV-3 can be used for studying various aspects of Korean equine coital exanthema.

• Journal of the Korean Dietetic Association
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.235-244
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• 1998

Hand washing is an important component of hygiene program for food handlers. Hands can be a source of direct or indirect contamination of foods with pathogenic microorganisms. In this study, the effectiveness of hand washing methods and the use of 70% alcohol solution against transient skin bacteria was tested in an university foodservice facility. 70% alcohol solution is sprayed for 5 seconds automatically when hands are placed in the dispenser. Samples were taken using swab technique in meat cutting area, vegetable trimming area, and vegetable cutting area: before and after washing hands according to planned methods, and after being sprayed with 70% alcohol solution after washing hands. The bacteriological analysis of total plate counts, coliform, fecal coliform of food handlers' hands was done. Statistical data analysis was completed with Mann-Whitney U test and Kruskal-Wallis model using the SPSS program. The levels of initial contamination of workers' hand were significantly different by the work areas($x^2$=9.156, p<0.01). Workers in the vegetable trimming area had more heavily soiled hands than in the other work areas. Mean of TPC counts and coliform was 8.97×$10^5$ CFU/12.4$cm^2$, 2.93×$10^2$ MPN/12.4$cm^2$ respectively, but fecal coliform was not detected. Transient bacteria were removed from hands after washing and using 70% alcohol solution but were not removed completely. Mean reduction percentage in TPC varied among work areas and ranged from 93.19% to 94.99%, and in coliforms from 97.31% to 100%. A significant difference in TPC was found between before and after hand disinfection (Z=-2.714, p<.01) and between standardized hand washing procedures and un-standardized hand washing procedures(z=-2.301, p<.01). Subjects using the hand sanitizer showed a great elimination of TPC(99.45% reduction), but this effect was valid only after following proper washing procedures. Based on the results, the most effective hand washing method was recommended as the combination of the standardized hand washing procedure with warm-water and use of the 70% alcohol solution. The results can be used to develop hand hygiene programs and training strategies for enhancing hand hygiene practices for food handlers in foodservice operations.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.55 no.1
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• pp.9-12
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• 2015

Brachyspira (B.) hyodysenteriae is a causative agent of swine dysentery that is responsible for death and economic losses in the pig industry. It is imperative that clinical samples be delivered fresh for accurate diagnosis. The viability and DNA detection of B. hyodysenteriae using lab-made (phosphate buffered saline and modified tryptic soy broth) or commercial transport media (C, D, and E) were compared by culturing and real-time PCR at $4^{\circ}C$ or room temperature (RT), respectively. B. hyodysenteriae grown in D (Anaerobe Systems, USA) and E (Starplex Scientific, Canada) media was viable for 4 days at $4^{\circ}C$ and RT. However, B. hyodysenteriae in A, B, and C (culture swab; BD Biosciences, USA) media were not recovered after 2 days at RT. Ct values for real-time PCR at $4^{\circ}C$ and RT ranged from $27.2{\pm}2.1$ (C) to $29.6{\pm}0.5$ (B), and $28.0{\pm}0.9$ (E) to $30.2{\pm}1.5$ (B), respectively. Considering the field conditions, it is important that transport media is used for specimen isolation and PCR to obtain an accurate diagnosis of swine dysentery.