• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.270-274
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• 2008

A bacterium isolated from contaminated white ginseng was identified using API kit and electron microscope. This isolate was determined as rod shaped bacterium having about 1.0 ${\mu}m$ in diameter and 2.0 to 6.0 ${\mu}m$ in length. It had motility by peritrichous flagellum. The isolate had ${\beta}-galactosidase$, arginine dihydrolase and ornithin decarboxylase. It did not have ability not only to use citrate as sole carbon source and but also to produce $H_2S$. However, it could ferment glucose, manitol, sorbitol, rhamnose, arabinose and amygdalin. From these obserbations, the isolate was identified as Citrobacter sp. Ginseng saponin was added to culture of Citrobacter sp. in order to investigate saponin's influence on its growth. The strain was incubated at $38^{\circ}C$ for 3 days after addition of 0.05, 0.5, 2.0 and 4.0% (w/v) of saponin, respectively and the growth rates was investigated. The relative bacterial growth inhibition rates showed 28.6, 66.7, 92.4 and 97.7%, respectively, when compared with saponin non-treated group. These results suggest that the growth of Citrobacter sp. is inhibited by saponin in a concentration-dependent manner.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.46-51
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• 1996

The in vitro activity of LB 10517, a new catechol-substituted cephalosporin, was compared with those of E-1077, cefpirome and ceftazidime 1034 clinical isolates collected in Japan. LB10517 showed a broad-spectrum antibacterial activity against a wide range of grampositive and gram-negative bacteria including non-glucose fermenting rods, Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Against the methicillin-susceptible strains of Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA) and Strptoccus pyogenes, the $MIC_{90}$ values of LB10517 which required to inhibit 90% of the strains wre $3.13\mug/ml\; and\; 0.1\mug/ml$, respectively. It was as active as E-1077 but more active than cefpirome and ceftazidime. Methicillin-resistant strains of S.aureus (MRSA) and Enterococcus spp. were highly resistant to all the test compunds. LB10517 was highly active against most members of the family Enterobacteriaceae, 90% of which were inhibited at a concentration of less than $0.78\mug/ml$, except for Enterobacter cloacae ($1.56\mug/ml$) and Serratia marcescens ($3.13\mug/ml$)Its activity was comparable to those of E-1077 and cefpirome but it was greater than that of ceftazidime. Against Pseudomonas aeruginosa, LB10517 showed the most potent antibacterial activity among the compounds tested. Ninety percent of P. aeruginosa isolates were susceptible at the concentration of $0.39\mug/ml$. Its activity was 32-to 128 fold higher than those of E-1077, cefpirome and ceftazidime. Against imipenem- or ofloxacin-resistant P. aeruginosa, LB10517 with $MIC_{90}\; of\; 6.25 \\mug/ml\; and\; 3.13\mug/ml$, respectively, showed 16-fold more potent activity than the other test compounds. LB10517 showed a relatively high plasma level and long plasma elimination half-life in rats $(t_{1/2}(\beta,\; 52 min)\; and\; dogs\; (t_{1/2}(\beta),\; 103 min)$.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.318-326
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• 2002

The pathogenic marine bacterium Vibrio vulnificus is the causative agent of food-borne diseases such as life-threatening septicemia. To better understand this organism's strategies to survive osmotic stress, a mutant that was more sensitive to high osmolarity was screened from a library of mutants constructed by a random transposon mutagenesis. By a transposon-tagging method, putAP genes encoding a proline dehydrogenase and a proline permease were identified and cloned from V. vulnificus. The amino acid sequences deduced from nucleotide sequences of putAP from V. vulnificus were 38 to $59\%$ similar to those of PutA and PutP reported from other Enterobacteriaceae. Functions of putAP genes were assessed by the construction of mutants, whose putAP genes were inactivated by allelic exchanges. When proline as the sole carbon or nitrogen source was used, the putA mutant was not able to grow to the substantial level, revealing the proline dehydrogenase is the only enzyme for metabolic conversion of proline into other amino acids. Although the growth rate of the putP mutant on proline as the sole carbon or nitrogen source was significantly reduced, the mutant still grew. This indicated that at least one more proline permease is produced by V. vulnificus. The putP mutant decreased approximately $2-log_10$ CFU/ml after a hyperosmotic challenge, while the parent strain decreased approximately $l-log_10$ CFU/ml. This result suggests that the gene product of putP contributes to the osmotic tolerance of V. vulnificus.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Service
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• v.43 no.2
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• pp.79-88
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• 2020

The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of CTX-M β-lactamase and plasmid-mediated quinolone resistance (PMQR) genes, and the pattern of antibiotic resistance in cefotaxime-resistant gramnegative bacteria. A total 126 gram-negative bacteria were isolated from hospitalized dogs and cats between 2018 and 2019. The most predominant isolates were E. coli (n=41), followed by Pseudomonas aeruginosa (n=25), Proteus mirabilis (n=14), Klebsiella pneumoniae (n=9), Sphingomonas paucimobilis (n=7), and Enterobacter cloacae and Serratia marcescens (respectively, n=5). Cefotaxime-resistant isolates were identified in 26.2% (33 isolates) of 126 gram-negative bacteria. CTX-M type β-lactamase were found in 15 isolates (10 E. coli, 1 Ent, cloacae and 4 K. pneumoniae, respectively). Among the CTX-M producing gram-negative bacteria, CTX-M-1 and CTX-M-9 were detected in 10 (66.7%) and 5 (33.3%) isolates, respectively. While, CTX-M-2 and CTX-M-8 were not found. PMQR genes were detected in 12 (36.4%) isolates (4 E. coli, 2 Ent, cloacae and 6 K. pneumoniae, respectively), and the predominant PMQR gene was aac(6')-lb-cr (n=9), followed by qnrB (n=8) and qnrS (n=1) alone or in combination. qnrA and qepA were not found. Additionally, 9 (60%) of 12 PMQR positive isolates were co-existence with CTX-M-1 or CTX-M-9. CTX-M or PMQR producing isolates showed highly resistance to penicillins (100%), cephalosporins (100~66.7%), monobactams (72.2%), and non-β-lactam antibiotics (94.4~61.1%) such as quinolones, trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole, tetracycline and gentamicin. These findings showed CTX-M-1, CTX-M-9, aac(6')-lb-cr and qnrB were highly prevalent in cefotaxime-resistant Enterobacteriaceae isolates from companion animals in our region. Moreover, PMQR genes were closely associated with CTX-M type β-lactamase.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.50 no.1
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• pp.89-94
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• 2022

Triclosan (TCS) is an antimicrobial agent used in various human personal care products against both gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the presence of TCS-resistant bacteria in sewage water in Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK), Pakistan, for the first time. TCS-supplemented Luria Bertani (LB) agar was used to isolate TCS-tolerant bacteria. A total of 17 TCS-resistant isolates were randomly selected from a large pool of bacteria that showed growth on TCS-supplemented LB agar. Based on gram staining and physiochemical characteristics, the isolated strains were identified as Salmonella typhi (n = 6), Escherichia coli (n = 4), Citrobacter freundii (n = 4), Proteus mirabilis (n = 1), Enterobacter cloacae (n = 1), and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (n = 1). The Triclosan mean minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) for the isolates of Salmonella typhi, Escherichia coli, Citrobacter freundii, Proteus mirabilis, Enterobacter cloacae, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa were 23.66 ㎍ ml^-1, 18.75 ㎍ ml^-1, 42 ㎍ ml^-1, 32 ㎍ ml^-1, 64 ㎍ ml^-1, and 128 ㎍ ml^-1, respectively. The antibiogram revealed that all isolates were resistant to penicillin G (100%) and linezolid (100%), followed by ampicillin (94%), tetracycline (76%), tazobactam (76%), sulbactam/cefoperazone (64%), polymyxin PB (58%), amikacin (29.41%), aztreonam (29.41%), imipenem (5%), and gentamicin (5%). This is the first known study regarding the isolation of TCS-tolerant bacteria from sewage water in Peshawar, KPK, Pakistan. It was concluded that all the TCS-resistant isolates were multidrug resistant (MDR) gram-negative rod-shaped bacteria, mostly belonging to the Enterobacteriaceae family.

• Korean Journal of Poultry Science
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• v.49 no.2
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• pp.125-137
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• 2022

This study aimed to determine the effects of dietary microalgae (Tetradesmus sp. (TO)) on intestinal immunity and microbiota of pre-starter broilers. One hundred and twenty 1-day-old birds (Ross 308) were allocated to two dietary treatment groups with six blocks in a randomized complete block design. The two experimental diets consisted of a corn-soybean meal-based basal diet and a diet with 0.5% TO powder instead of cornstarch in the basal diet. After feeding the experimental diets for ten days, all birds' body weight and feed intake were measured, and representative eight birds were selected from each treatment group. Small intestinal lamina propria cells were isolated using flow cytometry to examine the frequency of immune cells. Cecal feces were harvested for 16s rRNA gut microbiota analysis and fecal IgA levels. Here, we found that 0.5% TO supplementation increased CD3⁺CD4⁺ T cells in the small intestine, but decreased CD3⁺CD8⁺ T cells in the small intestine. Gut microbial analysis showed that TO supplementation significantly increased the alpha diversity of the gut microbiome. Taxonomic analysis showed that TO treatment increased the abundance of Firmicutes and decreased that of Bacteroidetes at the phylum level. The distribution of Enterobacteriaceae containing many harmful bacteria at the family level, was lower in the TO group. In the LEfSe analysis, the TO group had a significantly enriched abundance of Agathobaculum at the genus level. Overall, results show that Tetradesmus sp. supplementation influences intestinal T-cell immunity and induces the expansion of beneficial gut microbes in pre-starter broiler chickens.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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• v.54 no.3
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• pp.179-191
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• 2022

Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) poses an increasing public health threat and has limited treatment options with high associated mortality. Genotypes of carbapenemase that threaten public health (bla_KPC, bla_NDM, bla_IMP, and bla_VIM) and bla_OXA-48-like genes were detected by phenotypic and molecular diagnosis, and related gene distribution patterns were investigated. Phenotypic testing using the modified Hodge test confirmed positivity in all 41 strains examined, and carbapenemase inhibitory testing using meropenem+phenyl boronic acid or meropenem+EDTA confirmed positivity in 18 and 8 strains, respectively. Polymerase chain reaction revealed the presence of amplification products in 28 strains of bla_KPC, 25 strains of bla_NDM, 5 strains of bla_IMP, 1 strain of bla_VIM, and 13 bla_OXA-48-like strains. In addition, 7 strains of bla_KPC+bla_NDM, 1 strain of bla_KPC+bla_IMP, 1 strain of bla_NDM+bla_OXA-48-like, 1 strain of bla_NDM+bla_VIM, 4 strains of bla_KPC+bla_NDM+bla_IMP, and 4 strains of bla_KPC+bla_NDM+bla_OXA-48-like were identified. Melting curve analysis using real-time PCR was wholly consistent with PCR results. The study shows genetic identification of highly specific CRE by real-time PCR could be used to provide early diagnoses and infection control, improve surveillance, and prevent the transmission of CRE.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.51 no.4
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• pp.517-525
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• 2023

The emergence and spread of multidrug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa (MRPA) have become a serious problem worldwide. The involvement of metallo-β-lactamases (MBLs) in inducing carbapenem resistance is particularly acute. However, unlike other members of the Enterobacteriaceae genus, new clones of P. aeruginosa are constantly emerging and rapidly replacing previously prevalent dominant clones. Therefore, this study aimed to perform antimicrobial resistance gene analysis, integron gene cassette analysis using DNA sequencing, and plasmid transfer analysis by conjugation to investigate the antimicrobial resistance dynamics of 18 P. aeruginosa strains isolated from various medical samples at a general hospital in Busan from September 2017 to September 2019. All 18 strains showed extensively drug-resistant (XDR) phenotype and were resistant to most antibiotics, except colistin (100%) but were susceptible to aztreonam (22.2%) and ceftazidime (16.6%). Approximately 66.7% of the strains had Class 1 integrons showing various antimicrobial resistances. Notably, IMP-6 ST235 (66.7%), VIM-2 ST357 (16.7%), and IMP-1 ST446(16.7%) were identified. The identification of IMP-1-producing ST446, previously unreported in Korea, is noteworthy considering the emergence and prevalence of another MRPA high-risk clone.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.49 no.1
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• pp.24-29
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• 2013

In the present study, the effects of prebiotics and prebiotics+probiotics on intestinal microflora and fermentation products were evaluated in a pig in vitro fermentation model. The substrates used in this study were iso-malto oligosaccharide (IMO), partially digested chicory-inulin (CI), raffinose (RA), and cyclodextrin (CD) as prebiotics and Lactobacillus reiteri as probiotics. For a pig in vitro fermentation, the experimental diet for growing pigs was predigested using digestive enzymes secreted by small intestine and this hydrolyzed diet was mixed with a buffer solution containing 5% fresh swine feces. The mixture was then incubated with either prebiotics or prebiotics+probiotics for 24 h. Samples were taken at 24 h, and viable counts of microflora, gas, pH, volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) were analyzed. The viable count of Enterobacteriaceae was significantly decreased (p<0.001) in all treatments containing prebiotics and prebiotics+probiotics when compared to the control. However, the number of lactic acid bacteria increased in the prebiotics and prebiotics+probiotics treatment. The pH values in the fermentation fluid decreased in all treatments when compared to the control, and their effects were greater in the prebiotics+probiotics group than prebiotics group. Fermentation with prebiotics resulted in a reduction in malodorous compounds such as ammonia, hydrogen sulfide and skatole when compared to the prebiotics+probiotics group. Short-chain fatty acid production was also higher for treatment with prebiotics+probiotics than treatment with prebiotics. In conclusion, the results of this study demonstrated that fermentation with prebiotics was effective in reducing the formation of malodorous compounds and prebiotics+probiotics was effective in increasing lactic acid bacteria and SCFA and reducing the pH. Moreover, further studies will be needed to determine whether the results observed in the in vitro model would occur in pigs that ingest these prebiotics or probiotics.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.31 no.6
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• pp.439-444
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• 2016

In the present study, the performance of culture methods using two selective agars and real-time PCR were compared for selective isolation of Cronobacter in powdered infant formula and dried pumpkin. Two food samples were spiked with the pathogen and then preenriched in distilled water. A small portion of preenrichment (10 mL) was incubated in Enterobacteriaceae enrichment both, followed by inoculation onto Druggan-Forsythe-Iversen agar (DFI agar) and Cronobacter sakazakii chromogenic plating agar (R&F agar). The preenrichment and enrichment (1 mL each) was used in real-time PCR assay. In powdered infant formula (PIF), no statistical difference was observed between both culture methods and real-time PCR with preenrichemt (p > 0.05). However, the number of positives obtained by R&F agar and real-time PCR was much higher than that of culture method using DFI agar in dried pumpkin (p < 0.05). In particular, R&F agar yielded a significantly greater selectivity than DFI agar in dried pumpkin (p < 0.05). Real-time PCR and R&F agar, which are currently recommended by US FDA, could be used as an alternative detection tools for the isolation of Cronobacter in PIF and ingredient of child foods such as dried pumpkin that has high number of competing natural microflora.