• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.27 no.5
• /
• pp.995-1004
• /
• 2017

Culture-dependent methods, such as heterotrophic plate counting (HPC), are usually applied to evaluate the bacteriological quality of hemodialysis water. However, these methods cannot detect the uncultured or viable but non-culturable (VBNC) bacteria, both of which may be quantitatively predominant throughout the hemodialysis water treatment system. Therefore, propidium monoazide (PMA)-qPCR associated with HPC was used together to profile the distribution of the total viable bacteria in such a system. Moreover, high-throughput sequencing of 16S rRNA gene amplicons was utilized to analyze the microbial community structure and diversity. The HPC results indicated that the total bacterial counts conformed to the standards, yet the bacteria amounts were abruptly enhanced after carbon filter treatment. Nevertheless, the bacterial counts detected by PMA-qPCR, with the highest levels of $2.14{\times}10^7copies/100ml$ in softener water, were much higher than the corresponding HPC results, which demonstrated the occurrence of numerous uncultured or VBNC bacteria among the entire system before reverse osmosis (RO). In addition, the microbial community structure was very different and the diversity was enhanced after the carbon filter. Although the diversity was minimized after RO treatment, pathogens such as Escherichia could still be detected in the RO effluent. In general, both the amounts of bacteria and the complexity of microbial community in the hemodialysis water treatment system revealed by molecular approaches were much higher than by traditional method. These results suggested the higher health risk potential for hemodialysis patients from the up-to-standard water. The treatment process could also be optimized, based on the results of this study.

• Korean journal of food and cookery science
• /
• v.16 no.1
• /
• pp.75-83
• /
• 2000

The effects of salting methods on sensory and microbiological properties of Kakdugi were evaluated during fermentation at 10$\^{C}$ for up to 52 days. Kakdugi samples were prepared by 4 different salting methods at the final salt concentration about 1.5%, which was appropriate for organoleptic quality. The salting methods for radish cubes(2cm size) of Kakdugi included; 1) Treatment S-1: spraying dry salt uniformly onto the radish cubes, at the concentration of about 1.5%(w/w) and cured for 1 hr, 2) Treatment S-5: spraying dry salt uniformly onto the radish cubes, at the concentration of about 1.2%(w/w) and cured for 5 hr, 3) Treatment B-1: brining radish cubes in a 8.5%(w/v) salt solution and cured for 1 hr, 4) Treatment B-5: brining radish cubes in a 4.0%(w/v) salt solution and cured for 5 hr. During the early stage of fermentation, sensory test showed higher scores in the overall acceptability of Kakdugi prepared with salting methods S-1 and S-5 than those with B-1 and B-5. However, the trend of acceptability has been reversed by the treatments B-1 and, more notably, by B-5 at the later stage of fermentation. The counts of lactic acid bacteria increased remarkably and then decreased gradually after the optimum ripening period. The major lactic acid bacteria isolated and identified from Kakdugi were Pediococcus, Streptococcus, Leuconostoc, and Lactobacillus.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
• /
• v.36 no.2
• /
• pp.141-147
• /
• 2010

Indicator bacteria of fecal pollution were enumerated and compared by various detection methods for influent and final effluent of a sewage treatment plant. Total coliforms were enumerated by four methods including most probable numbers, chromogenic enzyme substrate test, membrane filtration, and plate counts and were about $10^4$ for influent and $10^2{\sim}10^3\;CFU/ml$ for final effluent. Fecal coliforms ranged between $10^3$ and $10^4$ for influent and $10^2\;CFU/ml$ for effluent by chromogenic enzyme substrate test and membrane filtration. Fecal streptococci counts were 1-log less than fecal coliforms counts, $10^2{\sim}10^3$ for influent and $10^1\;CFU/ml$ for effluent. Total coliforms numbers by plate count both in influent and in effluent showed 1-log higher than by the other three methods. Statistical analysis revealed that numbers of total coliforms by plate count in final effluent had the highest average of correlation (r=0.778, p<0.01) compared with those by the other three methods. In addition, total coliforms numbers by plate count showed most significant correlation (r=0.835, p<0.01) with those by chromogenic test which is well-known as its highest recovery efficiency. These results suggest that the plate count would be the optimum detection method for total coliforms in wastewater treatment plants which are the only microbiological standard of final effluent from wastewater treatment plants in the Republic of Korea, considering economic aspects and difficulties in laboratories.

• Journal of Microbiology
• /
• v.45 no.2
• /
• pp.113-121
• /
• 2007

The bacterial diversity inherent to the biofilm community structure of a modified rotating biological contactor wastewater treatment process, referred to as the Rotating Activated Bacillus Contactor (RABC) process, was characterized in this study, via both culture-dependent and culture-independent methods. On the basis of culture-dependent methods, Bacillus sp. were found to exist in large numbers on the biofilm (6.5% of the heterotrophic bacteria) and the microbial composition of the biofilms was quite simple. Only three phyla were identified-namely, the Proteobacteria, the Actinobacteria (High G+C Gram-positive bacteria), and the Firmicutes (Low G+C Gram-positive bacteria). The culture-independent partial 16S rDNA sequence analysis revealed a considerably more diverse microbial composition within the biofilms. A total of eight phyla were recovered in this case, three of which were major groups: the Firmicutes (43.9%), the Proteobacteria (28.6%), and the Bacteroidetes (17.6%). The remaining five phyla were minor groups: the Planctomycetes (4.4%), the Chlorobi (2.2%), the Actinobacteria (1.1%), the Nitrospirae (1.1%), and the Verrucomicrobia (1.1%). The two most abundant genera detected were the endospore-forming bacteria (31.8%), Clostridium and Bacillus, both of which are members of the Firmicutes phylum. This finding indicates that these endospore-forming bacteria successfully colonized and dominated the RABC process biofilms. Many of the colonies or clones recovered from the biofilms evidenced significantly high homology in the 16S rDNA sequences of bacteria stored in databases associated with advanced wastewater treatment capabilities, including nitrification and denitrification, phosphorus accumulation, the removal of volatile odors, and the removal of chlorohydrocarbons or heavy metals. The microbial community structures observed in the biofilms were found to correlate nicely with the enhanced performance of advanced wastewater treatment protocols.

• Environmental Engineering Research
• /
• v.17 no.4
• /
• pp.211-216
• /
• 2012

Quantification of the airborne microorganisms (bacteria and fungi) at a swine wastewater treatment plant was performed. Microbial samples were collected at three different phases of the treatment process over a 1-yr period. Cultivation methods based on the viable counts of mesophilic heterotrophic bacteria and fungi were performed. The concentrations of airborne bacteria ranged up to about $5{\times}10^3$ colony-forming unit (CFU)/$m^3$, and those of airborne fungi ranged up to about $9{\times}10^2CFU/m^3$. The primary treatment (e.g., screen, grit removal, and primary sedimentation) was found to be the major source of airborne microorganisms at the site studied, and higher levels of airborne bacteria and fungi were observed in summer. High levels of the respirable bioaerosol (0.65 to $4.7{\mu}m$ in size) were detected in the aeration phase. Among the environmental factors studied, temperature was strongly associated with fungal aerosol generation (with a Spearman correlation coefficient of 0.90 and p-value <0.01). Occupational biorisks are discussed based on the observed field data.

• Membrane and Water Treatment
• /
• v.8 no.5
• /
• pp.463-481
• /
• 2017

Bacteria have been considered as a major foulant that initiates the formation of biofilm on the polymeric membrane surface. Some polymeric membranes are naturally antibacterial and have low fouling properties, however, numerous efforts have been devoted to improve their antibacterial performance. These modifications are mostly carried out through blending the membrane with an antibacterial agent or introducing the antibacterial agent on the membrane surface by chemical grafting. Currently, a significant number of researches have reported nanocomposite membrane as a new approach to fabricate an excellent antibacterial membrane. The antibacterial nanoparticles are dispersed homogenously in membrane structure by blending method or coating onto the membrane surface. Aim of the modifications is to prevent the initial attachment of bacteria to membrane surface and kill bacteria when attached on the membrane surface. In this paper, several studies on antibacterial modified membranes, particularly for water treatment, will be reviewed comprehensively. Special attention will be given on polymeric membrane modifications by introducing antibacterial agents through different methods, such as blending, grafting, and coating.

• International Journal of Oral Biology
• /
• v.48 no.2
• /
• pp.9-18
• /
• 2023

The rapid detection of bacteria in the oral cavity, its species identification, and bacterial count determination are important to diagnose oral diseases caused by pathogenic bacteria. The existing clinical microbial diagnosis methods are time-consuming as they involve observing patients' samples under a microscope or culturing and confirming bacteria using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) kits, making the process complex. Therefore, it is required to analyze the development status of substances and systems that can rapidly detect and analyze pathogenic microorganisms in the oral cavity. With research advancements, a close relationship between oral and systemic diseases has been identified, making it crucial to identify the changes in the oral cavity bacterial composition. Additionally, an early and accurate diagnosis is essential for better prognosis in periodontal disease. However, most periodontal disease-causing pathogens are anaerobic bacteria, which are difficult to identify using conventional bacterial culture methods. Further, the existing PCR method takes a long time to detect and involves complicated stages. Therefore, to address these challenges, the concept of point-of-care (PoC) has emerged, leading to the study and implementation of various chair-side test methods. This study aims to investigate the different PoC diagnostic methods introduced thus far for identifying pathogenic microorganisms in the oral cavity. These are classified into three categories: 1) microbiological tests, 2) microchemical tests, and 3) genetic tests. The microbiological tests are used to determine the presence or absence of representative causative bacteria of periodontal diseases, such as A. actinomycetemcomitans, P. gingivalis, P. intermedia, and T. denticola. However, the quantitative analysis remains impossible, and detecting pathogens other than the specific ones is challenging. The microchemical tests determine the activity of inflammation or disease by measuring the levels of biomarkers present in the oral cavity. Although this diagnostic method is based on increase in the specific biomarkers proportional to inflammation or disease progression in the oral cavity, its commercialization is limited due to low sensitivity and specificity. The genetic tests are based on the concept that differences in disease vulnerability and treatment response are caused by the patient's DNA predisposition. Specifically, the IL-1 gene is used in such tests. PoC diagnostic methods developed to date serve as supplementary diagnostic methods and tools for patient education, in addition to existing diagnostic methods, although they have limitations in diagnosing oral diseases alone. Research on various PoC test methods that can analyze and manage the oral cavity bacterial composition is expected to become more active, aligning with the shift from treatment-oriented to prevention-oriented approaches in healthcare.

• Journal of Microbiology
• /
• v.42 no.1
• /
• pp.1-8
• /
• 2004

Changes in the bacterial populations of a 5-stage biological nutrient removal (BNR) process, with a step feed system for wastewater treatment, were monitored by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) of PCR-amplified 16S ribosomal DNA fragments. DGGE analysis indicated seasonal community changes were observed, however, community profiles of the total bacteria of each reactor showed only minor differences in the samples obtained from the same season. The number of major bands was higher in the summer samples, and decreased during the winter period, indicating that the microbial community structure became simpler at low temperatures. Since the nitrogen and phosphate removal efficiencies were highly maintained throughout the winter operation period, the bacteria which still remaining in the winter sample can be considered important, playing a key role in the present 5-stage BNR sludge. The prominent DGGE bands were excised, and sequenced to gain insight into the identities of the predominant bacterial populations present, and most were found to not be closely related to previously characterized bacteria. These data suggest the importance of culture-independent methods for the quality control of wastewater treatment.

• Korean Journal of Pharmacognosy
• /
• v.23 no.4
• /
• pp.240-247
• /
• 1992

Impatiens balsamina Linne(Balsaminaceae) known as 'BONG SUN HWA' in Korea and has been used for the treatment of scrofulosis, carbunculus and dysenteria etc. Bioassay-guided fractionation of MeOH extract from the whole plants of Impatiens balsamina has afforded a simple naphthoquinone derivative, 2-methoxy-1,4-naphthoquinone. The structure of this compound was established by spectroscopic methods. This compound possessed strong antifungal activity against Candida albicans, AspergiIlus niger, Crytococcus neoformans and Epidermophyton floccusum. The activity of 2-methoxy-1,4-naphthoquinone on E. floccusum $(MIC{\;}:{\;}5.0{\;}{\mu}g/ml)$ was the same potency as that of nystatin. It showed also strong antibacterial activity against gram-positive bacteria Bacillus subtilis as well as gram-negative bacteria Salmonella typhimurium. Although the activity of this compound on gram-negative bacteria was lower than that of gram-positive bacteria.

• Journal of the Korean Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons
• /
• v.45 no.6
• /
• pp.324-331
• /
• 2019

Objectives: This study investigated the types and antibiotic sensitivity of bacteria in odontogenic abscesses. Materials and Methods: Pus specimens from 1,772 patients were collected from affected areas during incision and drainage, and bacterial cultures and antibiotic sensitivity tests were performed. The number of antibiotic-resistant bacteria was analyzed relative to the total number of bacteria that were tested for antibiotic susceptibility. Results: Bacterial cultures from 1,772 patients showed a total of 2,489 bacterial species, 2,101 gram-positive and 388 gram-negative. For penicillin G susceptibility tests, 2 out of 31 Staphylococcus aureus strains tested showed sensitivity and 29 showed resistance. For ampicillin susceptibility tests, all 11 S. aureus strains tested showed resistance. In ampicillin susceptibility tests, 46 out of 50 Klebsiella pneumoniae subsp. pneumoniae strains tested showed resistance. Conclusion: When treating odontogenic maxillofacial abscesses, it is appropriate to use antibiotics other than penicillin G and ampicillin as the first-line treatment.