• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.42 no.1
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• pp.40-46
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• 2006

Galactose joined to glucose by a $\beta(1\rightarrow4)$ glycosidic bond makes lactose and this disaccharide is rich in milk. It is known that lacotse is hydrolyzed to each monomeric sugar by either lactase in human or $\beta-galactosidase$ in bacteria. Ingestion of milk by lactase-deficient persons causes a temporary diarrhea and subsequent chronic diarrhea results in colitis with chronic inflammation. We isolated a $\beta-galactosidase$ producing psycrotolerant strain AS-20 from near cattle shed and investigated the growth at various temperature conditions. Whereas Escherichia coli strains did not grow at $10^{\circ}C$, the AS-20 strain could grow well at this low temperature and showed optimal growth at $30^{\circ}C$. The isolated strain was identified as 97% Hafnia alvei by biochemical properties. This strain could ferment glucose, lacotse, maltose, mannitol, xylose, ONPG, rhamanose and L-arabinose, and decarboxylate lysin and ornithine. To confirm the identity of isolated strain we amplified 16S rDNA by PCR and searched similarity of the 1426 bp DNA sequcence with Genbank database. The strain AS-20 showed 99% similarity with Hafnia alvei. The activity of $\beta-galactosidase$ was 1.5 times higher when the cell was grown at 10 or $20^{\circ}C$ than at $30^{\circ}C$. The highest enzyme activity of AS-20 was also much higher than that of E. coli, which was grown at $30^{\circ}C$.

• Pediatric Infection and Vaccine
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.31-39
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• 2009

Purpose : Neisseria meningitides is one of the most common causative pathogens of bacteremia and meningitis. Recently protein-conjugated vaccines have been developed and included in the routine vaccination schedule in a few countries. In Korea, carriage rates of N. meningitides among healthy adults have been reported. However, systematic data for childhood carriage rates are not available. This study was performed to evaluate the carriage rates of N. meningitides and the serotype distribution among healthy children attending day care centers. Methods : During the period of January through May 2005, nasopharyngeal swabs and culture were obtained from 904 children attending 13 different day care centers located in Seoul and Gyeonggi Province. The Vitek NHI card was used to identify N. meningitides and the crgA gene was detected via polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Serotype determination was performed by agglutination test using N. meningitides antisera to serotypes A, B, C, D, 29E, W135, X, Y, and Z. PCR for detection of the org2 and saiD gene confirmed serotypes A, B, C, W135, and Y. Results : The mean age among 904 children was 4.5 years; 6.5% (59/904) were children <2 years old, 53.8% (486/904) were 2-5 years old, and 39.7% (359/904) were >5 years old; 52.0% (468/904) were male. N. meningitides was isolated from only 7 children attending 5 different day care centers and the overall carriage rate of N. meningitides was 0.8%. The detected serotypes of N. meningitides were serotype A (n=2), C (n=2), and Y (n=3). Conclusion : The carriage rate of N. meningitides among healthy children attending day care centers was very low in Korea and the detected serotypes were A, C, and Y.

• Journal of Digital Convergence
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• v.12 no.9
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• pp.237-244
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• 2014

Pathogenic fungal infections are predominantly occurred in patients with severe immune or metabolic defects. In the present study, we aimed to investigate the last five years (2007~2011) 190,250 cases clinical specimens of yeast 3,487 results that had shown positive culture and to look at the significance of regional difference and identify relationship between provide the characteristics about association between clinical isolates and gender, age, and type of specimens. The yearly strain-specific isolation frequency of yeast separated was 1,925(55.2%) for C. albicans the largest of them. All kinds of clinical specimen was 1,495(42.9%) in urine, 998(28.6%) in sputum. Strain-specific gender differences in C. albicans for males was 1,177(57.8%) of the total of 2,037 and 748(51.6%) of 1,450 and as for age, those between 70 and 79 were the largest with 639(55.1%) of the 1,925 strain. In this study, well presented the general characteristics of pathogenic yeast seen in diverse specimens. This limitation has been implemented in a single area, Future research is expected to examine more on nationwide distribution chart, dynamic characteristics and future antibiotic sensitivity.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.39 no.5
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• pp.541-545
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• 2007

The potential to produce biogenic amines was investigated in microbial strains isolated from fermented soybean paste, cheonggukjang. The typical levels of 11 biogenic amines, including putrescine, histamine, and tryptamine, were analyzed in commercial cheonggukjang. The tyramine and histamine levels in the samples ranged from 4.2 to 483.1 mg $kg^{-1}$ and 0.2 to $70.3mg\;kg^{-l}$, respectively. A total of 4 microbial strains of Bacillus sp. were isolated from cheonggukjang. The Bacillus sp. were identified as B. amyloliquefaciens, B. subtilis, and B. licheniformis based on phenotypic characteristics, which included using the VITEK system. The screening plate method for detecting amino acid decarboxylase positive microorganisms was performed. The results fer amino decarboxylation were positive, and biogenic amine formation was evaluated by the confirmation of amine-forming capacity.

• Restorative Dentistry and Endodontics
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.40-48
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• 1999

This study was designed to examine the specificities of the designed primers for F. nucleatum and F. necrophorum and to compare the PCR results using clinical samples with those of the anaerobic culture method. F. nucleatum and F. necrophorum spp. are frequently isolated in infected root canals, and they are related to periapical diseases. F. nucleatum(VPI 10197) and F. necrophorum(ATCC 25286) were used as references for PCR reaction, and thirty five teeth with one canal and periapical lesion were used. The samples were cultured anaerobically and identified using Rapid ID 32A(BioMerieux Vitek, Inc., France) as biochemical battery. In the GenBank database, species-specific PCR primers(nuc1/nuc2 primers for F. nucleatum and nec1/nec2 primers for F. necrophorum) were designed from the 16S ribosomal DNA(rDNA) sequences of F. nucleatum(accession number M58683) and F. necrophorum(accession number AF044948). PCR procedures of F. nucleatum(VPI 10197) and F. necrophorum (ATCC 25286) were simulated on a computer software. Amplify(v.1.2${\beta}$ for Macintosh). 820 bps and 817 bps of nucleotides were expected, respectively. Using extracted DNAs with QiaAmp tissue kit(Qiagen co., Germany), PCR was done. The results were as follows : 1. The nuc1/nuc2 primers produced an amplicon of 820 bps and the nec1/nec2 primers produced an amplicon of 817 bps. 2. The nuc1/nuc2 primers and the nec1/nec2 primers were specific and did not react with species other than the designated ones(i.e. nuc1/nuc2 primers did not produce amplicons for F. necrophorum, and vice versa.). And the PCR products of Porphyromonas endodontalis(ATCC 35406), Porphyromonas gingivalis(ATCC 33277), Prevotella intermedia(ATCC 25611), and Prevotella nigrescens(ATCC 33563), frequently isolated in infected root canals and periapical lesions, were not amplified by the primers specific for Fusobacterium nucleatum and Fusobacterium necrophorum. 3. This method utilizing PCR could detect F. nucleatum and F. necrophorum in clinical samples, while anaerobic culture method could detect neither.

• Mycobiology
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• v.47 no.4
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• pp.449-456
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• 2019

Invasive fungal infections caused by Cyberlindnera fabianii have recently increased. However, biochemical kits such as API 20 C AUX and Vitek-2C have misidentified this species as other Candida spp. such as C. pelliculosa or C. utilis due to no information of Cy. fabianii in yeast database. During our 2016-2017 surveys, eleven isolates of Cy. fabianii were obtained in International St. Mary's Hospital in Korea. Here, we describe its morphological and molecular characteristics and tested its antifungal susceptibility against nine antifungal agents. The sequences of the ITS region and the D1/D2 region of LSU revealed 100% identity with the sequences of Cy. fabianii. In comparison with the results from MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry, we found that Cy. fabianii can be distinguished from other species. In antifungal susceptibility test, voriconazole and echinocandins exhibited good antifungal activities against the majority of Cy. fabianii isolates despite the absence of standard criteria.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.343-347
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• 2008

Recently, Sunshik has been issued because of easy-cook and well-being food. Sunshik basically was made of the heated cereals. Amount of spore-forming Bacillus cereus was detected and it has been caused some problem of food safety. B. cereus was isolate from 57 out of 161 Sunshik samples resulting in the isolation rate of 35.4%. Quantitative analysis of 57 samples showed that 21 samples were less than 100 CFU/g, 33 samples were between 100 and 1,000 CFU/g and distinctively even 3 (1.9%) samples had over 1,000 CFU/g. Typical morphology of B. cereus isolated from Sunshik was observed on MYP agar and then further characteristics was identified by using VITEK 2 (Biomeriux, France). 53 strains out of 57 strains isolated from Sunshik (about 93.0%) produced diarrheal enterotoxin in brain heart infusion broth which was detected by the Bacillus cereus enterotoxin reversed passive latex agglutination test kit (Oxoid England). The D-values of the B. cereus spores were $75^{\circ}C$ (37.1mim), $80^{\circ}C$ (22.5mim), $85^{\circ}C$ (4.9mim), and $90^{\circ}C$ (3.1mim) respectively. The Z-value was calculated $12.8^{\circ}C$ in Sunshik sample inoculated with B. cereus. Therefore, the management of B. cereus in Sunshik is required for the food-safety.

• The Korean Journal of Food And Nutrition
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.142-148
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• 2020

The purpose of this study was to investigate the prevalence, toxin gene profiles, and enterotoxin producing ability of Bacillus cereus isolated from environment-friendly vegetables and good agricultural practices (GAP) vegetables. A total of 49 vegetables including 40 environment-friendly vegetables and 9 GAP vegetables were tested. The Vitek 2 system was used to identify B. cereus and the PCR was used to detect 6 toxin genes, respectively. B. cereus was detected in 34 (69.3%) of 49 vegetables and the prevalence of B. cereus in GAP vegetables (44.4%) was lower than in the environment-friendly vegetables (75.0%). The detection rates of entFM, nheA, hblC, and cytK enterotoxin genes, respectively, among all isolates were 100%, 97.0%, 88.2%, and 73.5%, respectively. All of the isolates had at least one or more enterotoxin gene and 20 isolates (58.8%) had hemolysin BL enterotoxin producing ability. The risk of food poisoning from the environment-friendly vegetables and the GAP vegetables has been shown as constant. Thus, it is necessary to expand the supply of GAP vegetables showing lower B. cereus contamination than the environment-friendly vegetables. The characteristics of the environment-friendly vegetables and the GAP vegetables that must be consumed after cleaning should be disseminated to consumers regarding food poisoning prevention.

• Journal of Veterinary Clinics
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.62-65
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• 2010

Arowana (Scleropages formosus) is the most valuable group of ornamental fishes and very much in demand in the ornamental fish trade and commands high price ranging from hundreds to thousands of dollars per fish. In this paper, we described a case of mortality of arowana from a private aquarium in Korea. A bacterial pathogen from fish organs (brain, kidney, liver) was cultured, identified and confirmed using Vitek System 2, API 20E test, multiplex PCR and 16S rRNA gene sequencing. The morphological and biochemical properties of the bacterium isolated from the brain, kidney and liver of the fish were similar to Aeromonas sobria. Positive amplification products using the multiplex PCR assay for detection of A. sobria were obtained from these organs. The 16S rRNA gene of the isolates from fish was identical and exhibited 100% sequence similarity with A. sobria (AY987762.1) strain available from GenBank. This bacterium contained hemolysin gene, a virulence factor that plays an important role in outbreaks of disease and is pathogenic to humans as well as in fish. Although this opportunistic bacterium was isolated from a fish without any external symptoms, this pathogen may act as a reservoir and enhance chances of zoonosis to human such as during handling.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.46 no.3
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• pp.303-307
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• 2010

Acinetobacter baumannii 1625, a clinical isolate identified by Vitek and 16S rDNA sequence, showed an extended resistance to most ${\beta}$-lactams including imipenem, kanamycin, gentamicin, tobramycin, and cephalosporins of the third and fourth generations, and produced metallo-${\beta}$-lactamase (MBL) of IMP-1 type which is rare in Korea. The isolate contained a class 1 integron of about 2.5 kb in size and the integron included accA4 (aminoglycoside resistance gene), $bla_{IMP-1}$ (carbapenem resistance gene), and $bla_{OXA-2}$ (extended-spectrum ${\beta}$-lactam resistance gene) gene cassettes in order. The coexistence of IMP-1 type and OXA-2 type ${\beta}$-lactamase gene cassettes in an integron has not been reported in Korea. The transformed integron rendered the E. coli transformant resistant more than eight folds against imipenem, ampicilin, piperacillin, cefazolin, cefoperazone, and aztreonam comparing to the reference strain. This study clearly showed that the extended multi-drug resistance of A. baumannii 1625 was mainly due to the integron.