• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.26 no.12
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• pp.2060-2065
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• 2016

Characteristics of E. coli O157:H7-specific infection bacteriophages (O157 coliphages) and broad-host-range bacteriophages for other E. coli serotypes (broad-host coliphages) were compared. The burst sizes of the two groups ranged from 40 to 176 PFU/infected cell. Distributions of the virulence factors stx1, stx2, ehxA, and saa between the two groups were not differentiated. Broad-host-range coliphages showed lower stability at $70^{\circ}C$, in relation to O157 coliphages. However, O157 coliphages showed high acid and ethanol tolerance by reduction of only 22% and 11% phages, respectively, under pH 3 and 70% ethanol for 1 h exposure. Therefore, these results revealed that the O157 coliphages might be more stable under harsh environments, which might explain their effective infection of the acid-tolerant E. coli O157:H7.

• 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.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.52 no.6
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• pp.596-604
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• 2019

Vibrio parahaemolyticus causes food poisoning, mainly via marine fisheries products. We investigated the virulence factors and drug resistance of V. parahaemolyticus isolated from fisheries products purchased from the Yeosu Fisheries Market. The isolates were identified using a variety of biochemical tests and the detection of toxR and hns gene. The presence of the virulence factor-encoding genes tdh and trh in the isolates was also investigated by PCR. The resistance of the isolates to 13 antibacterial agents was tested using the disc-diffusion method and carriage of β-lactamase genes and class 1 integrons by ampicillin-resistant isolates was investigated by PCR. Four of seventeen isolates identified as V. parahaemolyticus by biochemical tests produced a species-specific PCR band. Those isolates showed >98% 16S rRNA gene sequence homology with V. parahaemolyticus and only one isolate harbored the tdh gene. All of the V. parahaemolyticus isolates were resistant to ampicillin and amoxicillin; moreover, VPA0477, a class A β-lactamase gene, and class 1 integrons were detected. Therefore, V. parahaemolyticus from fisheries products represents a low risk to human health. Also, V. parahaemolyticus is likely to develop multidrug resistance because it has class 1 integrons.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.55 no.3
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• pp.191-197
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• 2015

Escherichia (E.) coli is commensal bacteria found in the intestine; however, some pathogenic strains cause diseases in animals and humans. Although E. coli does not typically produce hydrogen sulfide ($H_2S$), $H_2S$-producing strains of E. coli have been identified worldwide. The relationship between virulence and $H_2S$ production has not yet been determined. Therefore, characteristics of $H_2S$-producing isolates obtained from swine feces were evaluated including antibiotic resistance patterns, virulence gene expression, and genetic relatedness. Rates of antibiotic resistance of the $H_2S$-producing E. coli varied according to antibiotic. Only the EAST1 gene was detected as a virulence gene in five $H_2S$-producing E. coli strains. Genes conferring $H_2S$ production were not transmissible although the sseA gene encoding 3-mercaptopyruvate sulfurtransferase was detected in all $H_2S$-producing E. coli strains. Sequences of the sseA gene motif CGSVTA around Cys238 were also identical in all $H_2S$- producing E. coli strains. Diverse genetic relatedness among the isolates was observed by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis analysis. These results suggested that $H_2S$-producing E. coli strains were not derived from a specific clone and $H_2S$ production in E. coli is not associated with virulence genes.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.364-373
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• 2013

It has been known that most regulation of pathogenicity factor (rpf ) genes in xanthomonads regulates virulence in response to the diffusible signal factor, DSF. Although many rpf genes have been functionally characterized, the function of rpfE is still unknown. We cloned the rpfE gene from a Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo) Korean race KACC10859 and generated mutant strains to elucidate the role of RpfE with respect to the rpf system. Through experiments using the rpfE-deficient mutant strain, we found that mutation in rpfE gene in Xoo reduced virulence, swarm motility, and production of virulence factors such as cellulase and extracellular polysaccharide. Disease progress by the rpfE-deficient mutant strain was significantly slowed compared to disease progress by the wild type and the number of the rpfE-deficient mutant strain was lower than that of the wild type in the early phase of infection in the inoculated rice leaf. The rpfE mutant strain was unable to utilize sucrose or xylose as carbon sources efficiently in culture. The mutation in rpfE, however, did not affect DSF synthesis. Our results suggest that the rpfE gene regulates the virulence of Xoo under different nutrient conditions without change of DSF production.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.47 no.2
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• pp.310-316
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• 2019

Distribution of Salmonella enterica serovars and their associated virulence determinants is wide-spread among food animals, which are continuously implicated in periodic salmonellosis outbreaks globally. The aim of this study was to determine and evaluate the diversity of five Salmonella serovar virulence genes (invA, pefA, cdtB, spvC and iroN) isolated from food animals and humans. Using standard microbiological techniques, Salmonella spp. were isolated from the feces of humans and three major food animals. Virulence determinants of the isolates were assayed using PCR. Clonal relatedness of the dominant serovar was determined via pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) using the restriction enzyme, Xbal. Seventy one Salmonella spp. were isolated and serotyped into 44 serovars. Non-typhoidal Salmonella (NTS; 68) accounted for majority (95.8%) of the Salmonella serovars. Isolates from chicken (34) accounted for 47.9% of all isolates, out of which S. Budapest (14) was predominant (34.8%). However, the dominant S. Budapest serovars showed no genetic relatedness. The invA gene located on SPI-1 was detected in all isolates. Furthermore, 94% of the isolates from sheep harbored the spvC genes. The iroN gene was present in 50%, 100%, 88%, and 91% of isolates from human, chicken, sheep, and cattle, respectively. The pefA gene was detected in 18 isolates from chicken and a single isolate from sheep. Notably, having diverse Salmonella serovars containing plasmid encoded virulence genes circulating the food chain is of public health significance; hence, surveillance is required.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.36-46
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• 2021

Acidovorax citrulli (Ac) is the causal agent of bacterial fruit blotch (BFB) in watermelon, a disease that poses a serious threat to watermelon production. Because of the lack of resistant cultivars against BFB, virulence factors or mechanisms need to be elucidated to control the disease. Glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase is the enzyme involved in glycerol production from glucose during glycolysis. In this study, we report the functions of a putative glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase in Ac (GlpdAc) using comparative proteomic analysis and phenotypic observation. A glpdAc knockout mutant, AcΔglpdAc(EV), lost virulence against watermelon in two pathogenicity tests. The putative 3D structure and amino acid sequence of GlpdAc showed high similarity with glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenases from other bacteria. Comparative proteomic analysis revealed that many proteins related to various metabolic pathways, including carbohydrate metabolism, were affected by GlpdAc. Although AcΔglpdAc(EV) could not use glucose as a sole carbon source, it showed growth in the presence of glycerol, indicating that GlpdAc is involved in glycolysis. AcΔglpdAc(EV) also displayed higher cell-to-cell aggregation than the wild-type bacteria, and tolerance to osmotic stress and ciprofloxacin was reduced and enhanced in the mutant, respectively. These results indicate that GlpdAc is involved in glycerol metabolism and other mechanisms, including virulence, demonstrating that the protein has pleiotropic effects. Our study expands the understanding of the functions of proteins associated with virulence in Ac.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.34 no.8
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• pp.1599-1608
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• 2024

Yersinia enterocolitica is a globally distributed food-borne gastrointestinal pathogen. The O-antigen variation-determined serotype is an important characteristic of Y. enterocolitica, allowing intraspecies classification for diagnosis and epidemiology purposes. Among the 11 serotypes associated with human yersiniosis, O:3, O:5,27, O:8, and O:9 are the most prevalent, and their O-antigen gene clusters have been well defined. In addition to the O-antigen, several virulence factors are involved in infection and pathogenesis of Y. enterocolitica strains, and these are closely related to their biotypes, reflecting pathogenic properties. In this study, we identified the O-AGC of a Y. enterocolitica strain WL-21 of serotype O:10, and confirmed its functionality in O-antigen synthesis. Furthermore, we analyzed in silico the putative O-AGCs of uncommon serotypes, and found that the O-AGCs of Y. enterocolitica were divided into two genetic patterns: (1) O-AGC within the hemH-gsk locus, possibly synthesizing the O-antigen via the Wzx/Wzy dependent pathway, and (2) O-AGC within the dcuC-galU-galF locus, very likely assembling the O-antigen via the ABC transporter dependent pathway. By screening the virulence genes against genomes from GenBank, we discovered that strains representing different serotypes were grouped according to different virulence gene profiles, indicating strong links between serotypes and virulence markers and implying an interaction between them and the synergistic effect in pathogenicity. Our study provides a framework for further research on the origin and evolution of O-AGCs from Y. enterocolitica, as well as on differences in virulent mechanisms among distinct serotypes.

• Mycobiology
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• v.39 no.3
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• pp.143-150
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• 2011

The basidiomycete fungus Cryptococcus neoformans is an important pathogen of immunocompromised people. The ability of the fungus to sense its environment is critical for proliferation and the generation of infectious propagules, as well as for adaptation to the mammalian host during infection. The conserved cAMP/protein kinase A pathway makes an important contribution to sensing, as demonstrated by the phenotypes of mutants with pathway defects. These phenotypes include loss of the ability to mate and to elaborate the key virulence factors capsule and melanin. This review summarizes recent work that reveals new targets of the pathway, new phenotypic consequences of signaling defects, and a more detailed understanding of connections with other aspects of cryptococcal biology including iron regulation, pH sensing, and stress.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.44 no.1 s.137
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• pp.15-20
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• 2006

Free-living amoebae of the genus Acanthamoeba are causative agents of granulomatous amebic encephalitis and amebic keratitis. Because the virulence of Acanthamoeba culbertsoni cultured in the laboratory is restored by consecutive brain passages, we examined the genes induced in mouse brain-passaged A. culbertsoni by differential display reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (DDRT-PCR). Enhanced A. culbertsoni virulence was observed during the second mouse brain passage, i.e., infected mouse mortality increased from $5\%\;to\;70\%.$ Ten cDNAs induced during mouse brain passage were identified by DDRT-PCR and this was confirmed by northern blot analysis. BlastX searches of these cDNAs indicated the upregulations of genes encoding predictive NADH-dehydrogenase, proteasomal ATPase, and GDP-mannose pyrophosphorylase B, which have previously been reported to be associated with A. culbertsoni virulence factors.