• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.330-336
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• 2004

Fifty-two pathogenic Vibrio parahaemolyticus strains were isolated from the environments of Busan and Yeosu, Korea. Forty-three of these strains showed protease activities, whereas 4 strains showed $\alpha / \beta$ hemolysin activities and 6 strains had urease activities. Their pathogenic factors were not overlapping except one strain, which had both protease and hemolysin activities. The 6 urease-positive strains (V. parahaemolyticus YKB4, YKB14, S25, YFB20, YFO21, and YFO22) showed the same biochemical characteristics as a reference strain [V. parahaemolyticus KCTC 2471 (urease-negative)], except for urease production. The 6 urease-positive strains showed different urease activities in their culture supernatant during the growth. The urease activity of S25 increased sharply at the late exponential phase, and was the highest at the initial stationary phase and was kept until the late stationary phase. The other 5 isolates, except C25, showed urease activities at the mid-stationary phase and increased steadily until the late stationary phase, when the urease activity was maximal. To compare the degree of virulence of V. parahaemolyticus with different pathogenic factors, hemolysin, protease, or urease-positive strains were injected into groups of 10 each of ICR mice (7- to l0-week-old males). The lethal rates of urease-positive V. parahaemolyticus, YKB14, YKB4, and S25, were significantly high, being 50, 70, and 80%, respectively. Protease-positive V. parahaemolyticus strains FM39 and FM50 showed 40% and 60% of lethal rate, respectively. Hemolysin-positive V. parahaemolyticus strains S34 and S72 had no mortality, similar to nonpathogenic V. parahaemolyticus FM12.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.94-100
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• 2000

Urease is an important microbial enzyme and its production is a marker to predict potential pathogenicity. An unusual halophilic bacterium producing urease was isolated from sea product and identified as Vibrio parahaemolyticus KH410. Its biochemical properties were indole negative, gelatin positive, sodium citrate positive and Kanagawa positive whereas other characteristics were identical as the standard strain except it showed a positive reaction on Christensen's urea agar. V. parahaemolyticus urease production was directly related to urea concentration. The production of urease was noticeable by the addition of 0.2% urea, 0.5% glucose, 2% NaCl in LB broth, and the initial pH of 5.5. The maximum production reached after 6 hr of incubation at 37$^{\circ}C$. However, NiCl2, metal ions, phosphorus did not affect production of urease.

• Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.58-63
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• 2004

Five urease-positive Vibrio parahaemolyticus strains were isolated from Kamak Bay in Yeosu in 2002 and 2003. V. parahaemolyticus YKB4 and YKB14 were isolated from seawater, YFB20 from black rockfish (Sebastes schlegeli), and YFO2l and YFO22 from olive flounder (Paralichthys olivaceus). The five urease-positive strains (YKB4, YKB14, YFB20, YFO21, and YFO22) did not show hemolysin and protease activity, while they did alter in color (to red) as the bacteria grew in the urea broth medium. All samples showed identical biochemical characteristics as a reference strain, V. parahaemolyticus KCTC2471, except in urease production. The five urease-positive strains showed urease activities at a mid stationary phase, and their activity was maximal in the late stationary phase of their culture supernatant. The addition of urea to the Luria-Bertani (LB) broth medium significantly affected the initial production of urease of V. parahaemolyticus isolates. Mortality by urease-positive V. parahaemolyticus YKB4, YKB14, YFO2l, and YFO22 was significantly high, being$60-80\%$, while YFB20 only reflected a rate of $20\%$. Protease-positive V. parahaemolyticus FM39 and FM50 showed a $40\%$ and $60\%$ mortality rate, respectively. However, hemolysin-positive V. parahaemolyticus had no mortality, like the non-pathogenic V. parahaemolyticus KCTC2471, while V. vulnificus resulted in a $40\%$ mortality rate. Injection with urease-positive V. parahaemolyticus strains showed mortality within 12 hrs in mice, and the strains could be isolated from the dead mice.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.42 no.6
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• pp.531-536
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• 2009

A urease-positive bacterium isolated from sea water was identified as Photobacterium sp. by morphological, biochemical, and 16s rRNA gene analyses and named Photobacterium sp. strain HA-2. 2.0-fold increase enzyme activity was observed in LB medium containing 3% NaCl and 0.1% urea or not and the enzyme activity was 16.0-fold lower compared to urease-positive Vibrio parahaemolyticus AQ4673 strain when grown in the LB medium containing 3% NaCl with 0.1% urea. The cloning and sequencing of Photobacterium sp. strain HA-2 urease gene cluster is currently being analyzed in our laboratory.

• Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.10-15
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• 2004

A total of 52 pathogenic Vibrio strains was isolated from the Gwangan Beach during summer in 2003. The isolated vibrios were composed of 6 different species: V. parahaemolyticus, V. cholerae non O1, V. fluvialis, V. vulnificus, V. alginolyticus, and V. mimicus. V. parahaemolyticus was most predominant as $46\%$ (24/52), V. cholerae non O1 was the second with $23\%$ (12/52), and V. fluvialis was the third with $17\%$ (9/52). Among the isolated strains, 22 strains showed hemolytic, proteolytic or ureolytic activity. Eight strains showed both hemolysin and protease activities, and either 6 strains showed only hemolysin activities and 7 strains only protease activities. Only one strain of V. parahaemolyticus isolates showed urease activity. The urease-positive V. parahaemolyticus strain (V. parahaemolyticus S25) showed the same biochemical characteristics as the reference strain, V. parahaemolyticus KCTC 2471 (urease­negative) except for urease production. To compare the degree of virulence of Vibrio strains having different pathogenic factors, hemolysin, protease, or urease-positive strains were injected into groups of 10 each of ICR mice (7- to l0-week-old male). The lethal rate of urease-positive V. parahaemolyticus S25 was significantly high, being $70\%$. Protease-positive strains showed $40-60\%$ of lethal rate. Hemolysin-positive strains showed no mortality, similar to non-pathogenic V. parahaemolyticus KCTC 2471 and V. parahaemolyticus FM12.

• Proceedings of the PSK Conference
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• 2002.10a
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• pp.332.1-332.1
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• 2002

Streptococcus vestibularis is a urease-producing oral bacterium. frequently isolated from vestibular mucosa of human oral cavity. Ureolysis by S. vestibularis and other ureolytic oral bacteria is believed to be crucially involved in oral microbial ecology and oral health. Genomic library of the S. vestibularis ATCC49124 was constructed in an E. coli plasmid vector and the urease-positive transformants harboring the urease gene cluster were isolated on Christensen-urea agar plates. The minimal DNA region required for the urease activity was located on a 5.6 kb DNA fragment. (omitted)

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.105-110
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• 1985

A incubation study was conducted to find out the effects of rice straw and gypsum as soil ameriolite on urease, nitrate and nitrite reductase activities in newly reclaimed saline sandy soil. The results obtained were summarized as follows: 1. Very low urease activities were observed in saline soil if contrast to high productive paddy soil. Urease activities were lower at 5 days than that of 25 and 50 days after incubation. Remarkably high urease activities were obtained by the application of rice straw and gypsum. 2. Comparing with NPK treatment, application of rice straw and gypsum were enhanced the activities of nitrate and nitraite reductase. 3. Positive correlation (r=0.5501 p=0.05) was obtained between urease activities and ammonium nitrogen concentration in soil. 4. Cyclic oxidation and reduction of nitrate and nitrite in soil were obtained in terms of first order microbial kinetics reaction in case of application of rice straw and gypsum, respectively. 5. Positive correlation (r=0.6296 p=0.05) was obtained between the activitie of nitrite reductase and nitrate reductase in soil.

• Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.34-40
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• 2013

Purpose: We investigated the positivity rate and the time period to the positive color change of the urease test in children and adults and assessed the correlation of the urease test to histopathologic findings. Methods: From 1995 to 2000, endoscopic biopsies of the antrum and body were collected from 811 children and 224 adults and subjected to urease tests and histopathology. Results: The positivity rate of the urease test was 49.4% for 0-4 years, 48.4% for 5-9 years, 47.3% for 10-15 years, and 62.5% for 20-29 years in the antrum. The positivity rate was 85.1% in 0-4 years, 82.3% in 5-9 years, 74.7% in 10-15 years, and 74.1% in 20-29 years for the body. In the antrum, the highest positivity rate was <1 hour for the group aged 10-29 years and 6-24 hours in the group <10 years old (p<0.0001). In the body, the highest positivity rate was <1 hour in adults and 6-24 hours in children (p<0.0001). The proportions of the positive reactions within 1 hour were similar for the antrum and the body. In the cases of more severe chronic gastritis, active gastritis, and Helicobacter pylori infiltration, a positive urease test reaction occurred more quickly (p<0.0001). Conclusion: There were significant differences in urease tests according to age and sampling site. The discrepancy between the antrum and the body was greater in younger children. These results might be related to the low density and patchy distribution of bacteria in children and in the body.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.77-81
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• 1984

Paddy soil samples were collected from the plow layers of 19 soil series distributed in Yeongnam district to determine the relationship between soil urease activity and other soil characteristics. The results obtained were summarized as follows: 1. Simple correlation analyses showed that the urease activity was positively related with available $P_2O_5(r=.844^{**})$, potassium activity ratio($r=0.762^{**}$), available $SiO_2(r=.580^{**})$ and $SiO_2$/O.M ratio($r=0.591^{**}$). 2. Among soil chemical properties which had positive linear correlations with soil urease activity, the content of available $P_2O_5$ in soil had the highest contribution to the multiple regression equation of soil urease activity. 3. The activity of soil urease was especially lower in sandy texture than in clayey paddy soils, and a tendency was observed that the heavier soil textures the higher activity of soil urease. 4. Relatively well drained soils had the higher activity of soil urease while the soils in "poorly drained" had remarkably lower activity of soil urease. 5. The soils in higher classes of paddy soil equitability group had higher activities of soil urease.

• Journal of Veterinary Clinics
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.7-11
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• 2003

The selection of a test as a reference with no perfect sensitivity and specificity may lead to bias, yielding distortion of the diagnostic performance. This means it is inappropriate to use imperfect diagnostic tests as a reference method to identify infected patients in clinical environments. In this study, diagnostic performance of rapid urease test, polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and histology of gastric biopsy specimens for diagnosing Helicobacter pylori infection separately and in combination was estimated by using non-linear regression. Based on this approach, the sensitivity, specificity and likelihood ration positive and negative values for each test were as follows: urease test 99.9%, 99.9%, 99.9%, 99.6%, respectively; PCR 88.6%, 99.9%, 99.9%, 70.5%, respectively; histology 78.3%, 97%, 78.3%, 97%, respectively. Predictive values for positive and negative changes with varying Combination of three diagnostic tests employed in the study gives no substantial benefit for practitioners to screen infected patients, and urease test or PCR represents an appropriate single test in clinical environments.