• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.385-393
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• 2016

Pseudomonas syringae pv. actinidiae causes bacterial canker disease in kiwifruit. Owing to the prohibition of agricultural antibiotic use in major kiwifruit-cultivating countries, alternative methods need to be developed to manage this disease. Bacteriophages are viruses that specifically infect target bacteria and have recently been reconsidered as potential biological control agents for bacterial pathogens owing to their specificity in terms of host range. In this study, we isolated bacteriophages against P. syringae pv. actinidiae from soils collected from kiwifruit orchards in Korea and selected seven bacteriophages for further characterization based on restriction enzyme digestion patterns of genomic DNA. Among the studied bacteriophages, two belong to the Myoviridae family and three belong to the Podoviridae family, based on morphology observed by transmission electron microscopy. The host range of the selected bacteriophages was confirmed using 18 strains of P. syringae pv. actinidiae, including the Psa2 and Psa3 groups, and some were also effective against other P. syringae pathovars. Lytic activity of the selected bacteriophages was sustained in vitro until 80 h, and their activity remained stable up to 50℃, at pH 11, and under UV-B light. These results indicate that the isolated bacteriophages are specific to P. syringae species and are resistant to various environmental factors, implying their potential use in control of bacterial canker disease in kiwifruits.

• Korean journal of applied entomology
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• v.21 no.4 s.53
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• pp.216-221
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• 1982

This experiment was conducted in Jeonnam to investigate the effects of fertilizer amounts at two application levels on disease severity of bacterial leaf blight, yield and qualify of rice grains using nineteen rice cultivars. Incidence of bacterial leaf blight was more severe in the field with higher amount of fertilizer application. Disease severity was also different depending upon maturity of rice cultivars of early maturing group, however, the flag, second and third leaves were diseased in rice cultivars of medium late maturing group. Such differences were more obvious in the field with higher amount of fertilizer application than in the field with ordinary fertilizer application. Rice cultivars such as Taebaegbyeo, Hangangchalbyeo, Baegunchalbyeo, Palgwangbyeo and Milyang 42 were resistant whereas rice cultivars such as Milyang 30, Geumgangbyeo, Nagdongbyeo and Jinjubyeo were susceptible to bacterial leaf blight in both treatments. However, fertilization rate and percentage of ripeness were decreased resulting in heavy loss of yield. The rate of green-kerneled rice was increased resulting in poor qualify.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.25 no.8
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• pp.1299-1306
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• 2015

This study aims to investigate the mechanism of action of the cinnamon bark essential oil (CB), when used singly and also in combination with piperacillin, for its antimicrobial and synergistic activity against beta-lactamase TEM-1 plasmid-conferred Escherichia coli J53 R1. Viable count of bacteria for this combination of essential oil and antibiotic showed a complete killing profile at 20 h and further confirmed its synergistic effect by reducing the bacteria cell numbers. Analysis on the stability of treated cultures for cell membrane permeability by CB when tested against sodium dodecyl sulfate revealed that the bacterial cell membrane was disrupted by the essential oil. Scanning electron microscopy observation and bacterial surface charge measurement also revealed that CB causes irreversible membrane damage and reduces the bacterial surface charge. In addition, bioluminescence expression of Escherichia coli [pSB1075] and E. coli [pSB401] by CB showed reduction, indicating the possibility of the presence of quorum sensing (QS) inhibitors. Gas-chromatography and mass spectrometry of the essential oil of Cinnamomum verum showed that trans-cinnamaldehyde (72.81%), benzyl alcohol (12.5%), and eugenol (6.57%) were the major components in the essential oil. From this study, CB has the potential to reverse E. coli J53 R1 resistance to piperacillin through two pathways; modification in the permeability of the outer membrane or bacterial QS inhibition.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.137-151
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• 2021

The present study describes the bacterial blight of walnut, caused by Xanthomonas arboricola pv. juglandis (Xaj) in the northern Gyeongbuk province, Korea. Disease symptoms that appear very similar to anthracnose symptoms were observed in walnut trees in June 2016. Pathogens were isolated from disease infected leaves, fruits, shoots, bud, flower bud of walnut, and cultured onto yeast dextrose carbonate agar plates. Isolated bacteria with bacterial blight symptoms were characterized for their nutrient utilization profiles using Biolog GN2 and Vitek 2. In addition, isolates were subjected to physiological, biochemical, and morphological characterizations. Furthermore, isolates were identified using 16S rDNA sequence analysis, and multi-locus sequence analysis using atpD, dnaK, efp, and rpoD. To confirm pathogenicity, leaves, fruits, and stems of 3-year-old walnut plants were inoculated with bacterial pathogen suspensions as a foliar spray. One week after inoculation, the gray spots on leaves and yellow halos around the spots were developed. Fruits and stems showed browning symptoms. The pathogen Xaj was re-isolated from all symptomatic tissues to fulfill Koch's postulates, while symptoms were not appeared on control plants. On the other hand, the symptoms were very similar to the symptoms of anthracnose caused by Colletotrichum gloeosporioides. When walnut plants were inoculated with combined pathogens of Xaj and C. gloeosporioides, disease symptoms were greater in comparison with when inoculated alone. Xaj population size was more in the month of April than March due to their dormancy in March, and sensitive to antibiotics such as oxytetracycline and streptomycin, while resistant to copper sulfate.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.38 no.3
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• pp.239-247
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• 2022

Bacterial wilt caused by the pathogen Ralstonia solanacearum is a devastating disease of potato crops. Harmonizing immunity to pathogens and crop yield is a balance between productive, economic, and environmental interests. In this work, the agronomic performance of two events of potato cultivar INIA Iporá expressing the Arabidopsis thaliana EFR gene (Iporá EFR 3 and Iporá EFR 12) previously selected for their high resistance to bacterial wilt was evaluated under pathogen-free conditions. During two cultivation cycles, the evaluated phenotypic characteristics were emergence, beginning of flowering, vigor, growth, leaf morphology, yield, number and size of tubers, analyzed under biosecurity standards. The phenotypic characteristics evaluated did not show differences, except in the morphology of the leaf with a more globose appearance and a shortening of the rachis in the transformation events with respect to untransformed Iporá. The Iporá EFR 3 genotype showed a ~40% yield decrease in reference to untransformed Iporá in the two trials, while Iporá EFR 12 did not differ statistically from untransformed Iporá. Iporá EFR 12 shows performance stability in the absence of the pathogen, compared to the untransformed control, positioning it as an interesting candidate for regions where the presence of the pathogen is endemic and bacterial wilt has a high economic impact.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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• v.49 no.4
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• pp.427-434
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• 2017

Species that belong to the Acinetobacter calcoaceticus-baumannii (Acb) complex are major causes of hospital-acquired infections. They are important opportunistic pathogens. These species are usually multidrug resistant (MDR), and the therapeutic options to treat the infections caused by these species are limited. In the present study, we investigated fluoroquinolone resistance mechanisms in 53 ciprofloxacin resistant Acinetobacter species isolates in Chungcheong, Korea. Antimicrobial susceptibilities were determined using the disk-diffusion method. Detections of genes and identification of mutations associated with fluoroquinolone resistance were carried out using PCR and DNA sequencing. In our study, 47 out of 53 ciprofloxacin resistant Acinetobacter isolates harbored sense mutations at the 83rd residue (serine to leucine) in the gyrA gene as well as at the 80th residue (serine to leucine) in the parC gene. Among the 47 isolates harboring sense mutations in gyrA and parC gene, 44 isolates were A. baumannii and 3 isolates were A. pittii. Plasmid-mediated quinolone resistance (PMQR) determinants were detected in isolates in our study. Among the 46 ciprofloxacin resistant A. baumannii isolates, 41 showed type A, B, or F banding patterns on their REP-PCR profiles. This result suggests that clonal relation and horizontal spreading of the bacterial isolates have been around hospitals in Chungcheong area. To prevent colonization and disseminations of fluoroquinolone resistance Acb complex isolates, continuous investigation and monitoring of antimicrobial resistant determinants of MDR isolates are needed.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.59-69
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• 1999

Bacterial population, signal compounds of pollution, bacterial productivity, heterotrophic activity and the activities of extracellular enzymes were analyzed four times from July 1994 to April 1995 at Daejin, Galnam, Pohang, and Ulsan in the coastal area of Bast Sea in order to investigate the state of eutrophication. The population of heavy metal resistant bacteria in Pohang was the highest among all stations. The bacterial populations which could utilize C -P compounds (phosphonate) showed the highest at Pohang that was expected for the industrial and agricultural effluents to inpour. It could be useful as an index of expectation about the influx of industrial sewages and agricultural effluents. The activities of extracellular enzymes for the degradation of organic matter were the highest in the Ulsan Chuyongam, but low in Daejin. These results showed positive relationship with the population of heterotrophic bacteria and bacterial productivity The ratio of poly-P and DNA in Pohang was the highest, and that in Ulsan, Galnam, and Daejin consecutively, corresponding with the distribution of heterotrophic bacteria. In case of the heterotrophic activities, each of the stations gives difference of seasonal variation in heterotrophic activities. Bacterial productivity seemed to be dependent on seasons; the highest in summer and the lowest in fall and winter. These seasonal variations of bacterial productivity seems to be similar with those of heterotrophic bacteria. It is suggested that the state of eutrophication could be evaluated by the criteria of the population sizes and the productivities of microorganisms, the amount of poly-P, heterotrophic activity, the activities of extracellular enzymes, etc.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.41 no.4
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• pp.511-521
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• 2001

Microorganisms were isolated and identified from bovine 296 quarters which showed positive reaction by California Mastitis Test (CMT) in 40 farms of Jeju from September 1999 to June 2000. The organisms associated with the mastitis of bovine were 11 different bacterial species in this study. Which of them, Staphylococcus aureus was the most predominant species as 152 (51.4%) isolates. Other identified species included 49 (16.5%) coliform, 47 (15.8%) Streptococcus dysgalactiae, 15 (5.1%) Bacillus spp., 8 (2.7%) Staphylococcus epidermidis, 6 (2.1%) Streptococcus agalactiae, 5 (1.7%) Enterococcus faecalis, 5 (1.7%) Corynebacterium spp., 3 (1.0%) Streptococcus uberis, 1 (0.3%) Pseudomonas aeruginosa and 1 (0.3%) Pasteurella haemolytica. Almost of all the islolated beacterial species showed high sensitivity against kanamycin (98.6%), cephalothin (98.0%), streptomycin (94.9%), gentamicin (94.6%), ampicillin (92.2%) and polymyxin B (90.2%). On the contrary, they showed resistance against penicillin (47.0%), tetracycline (37.2%), cefazolin (26.0%), bacitracin (22.6%) and erythromycin (19.9%). Eighty-one isolates were not resistant to any antibiotics and 215 drug resistant isolates showed 89 different drug resistance patterns from single to nine multiple antibiotics resistance patterns.

• Korean Journal of Poultry Science
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.227-233
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• 2000

Preset study was carried out to evaluate characteristics of lactic acid producing bacteria(LAB) in hen's cecum as probiotics value. Distribution of LAB in intestinal tracts was investigated using 5∼25 weeks - old hens. So, 12 strains to LAB with different morphology were isolated purely. Acid tolerance of LAB tested at pH 1, 2, 3, and 4, and bile resistant also tested at 0, 0.3% and 0.5% bile salt concentration. Growth pattern of LAB observed to 60h. All strains of cecal LAB couldn't survive at pH 1, and decreased linearly survival colony after incubation at pH 2 although some strains could survive for 2h. Most of LAB maintained constant number at pH 3 and 4. The bacterial action could increase linearly at 0% bile salt concentration in all of tested strains. However, only one strain could multiply at 0.3% bile salt, others were influenced by bile salt. That tendency was similar at 0.5% bile salt. Growth was peaked at 12 to 18 h after innoculation. After peak, the decreasing pattern of colony was different to strains which some strains decreased rapidly or maintained for long time. The LAB of hen's cecum was similar to intolerance acidity, but different to resistant to bile salt and growth pattern by strain. So, we choose three strains which have probiocs value, and identified as Lactobacillus amylovorus LLA7, Lactobacillus crispatus LLA9 and Lactobacillus vaginalis LLA11.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Service
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• v.42 no.4
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• pp.251-255
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• 2019

Wildlife is a bio-indicator of environmental pollution by antimicrobial resistant bacteria or genes, however, there is no information on antimicrobial resistance in wildlife-origin bacteria. This study aimed to investigate the normal microbiota of staphylococci and their antimicrobial resistance in wildlife that did not take any antimicrobials. After sampling and bacterial isolation/identification, antimicrobial resistance profiles were examined by broth microdilution test, Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion test and mecA genetargeted PCR. Of 90 isolates from wildlife, 83 were coagulase-negative staphylococci while only 7 were coagulase-positive staphylococci. Methicillin-resistance was found in 63 (70%) isolates and 35 of 90 (38.9%) isolates were multidrug-resistant staphylococci. When considering that all of the animals did not take any medication or contacted any medical device before the sampling, the results indicate significantly high prevalence of antimicrobial resistance in wild environments. Further study would be necessary to investigate the transmission route of antimicrobial resistance.