• The Journal of the Korean Society for Microbiology
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• v.35 no.5_6
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• pp.372-372
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• 2000

• Proceedings of the Microbiological Society of Korea Conference
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• 2008.05a
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• pp.37-37
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• 2008

• Journal of Dairy Science and Biotechnology
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.59-67
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• 2015

Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) O157:H7 is well-characterized as an important food-borne pathogen worldwide and causes human diseases such as diarrhea, hemorrhagic colitis, and hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) by producing shiga-like toxin (Stx). It has been reported that a number of dairy foods, including cheese, can act as the source of EHEC O157:H7 infections. In addition to the toxicity of Stx, recently it has been indicated that EHEC O157:H7 possesses virulence factors related to attachment, quorum sensing, and biofilms. Moreover, these novel virulence factors might become critical points to be considered in the future production of food derived from animals. Here, we review the evidences that support these insights on new virulence factors and discuss the potential mechanisms mediating the pathogenesis of EHEC O157:H7 in the dairy food industry.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.31 no.6
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• pp.393-398
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• 2016

The objective of this study was to isolate pathogenic Escherichia coli from fresh vegetables with selective media and Petrifilm, and identify a suspicious colony using biochemical identification. Twenty gram of lettuce, twenty gram of cabbage and ten gram of sprout were prepared, and a 5-strain mixture of pathogenic E. coli (Enterohemorrhagic E. coli NCCP11142, Enterotoxigenic E. coli NCCP14037, Enteropathogenic E. coli NCCP14038, Enteroaggregative E. coli NCCP14039, Enteropathogenic E. coli NCCP15661) was inoculated to obtain 1, 2 and 3 log CFU/g. Eighty to ninety milliliter of buffered peptone water (BPW) was placed and pummeled for 60 s. As a results, the Petrifilm method was all positive, but enrichment method of qualitative analysis was negative except for 3-log CFU/g inoculated lettuce. Regarding biochemical identification of pathogenic E. coli, the identification rates were dependent on type of methods and vegetables; lettuce: API 20E 100% (44/44), Microgen GNA 100% (44/44) and Food System 66.7% (10/15), cabbage: API 20E 64.7% (22/34), Microgen GNA 50% (16/32) and Food System 60% (9/15), sprout: API 20E 65.1% (28/43), Microgen GNA 62.3% (27/43) and Food System 53.3% (8/15). These results could be useful in determining an appropriate method to detect pathogenic E. coli in fresh vegetables.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.38 no.6
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• pp.773-778
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• 2006

The objective of this study was to evaluate three verocytotoxin-producing Escherichia coli (VTEC) detection kits to detect the presence of VT genes: Doupath Verocytotoxin (GLISA) developed by MERCK, ProsPect Shiga Toxin E. coil (STEC) Microplate Assay (ELISA) developed by Remel, and a polymerase chain reaction method. Our laboratory verified artificially inoculated samples. All three methods could detect very low numbers of VTEC, but VT-PCR had the best sensitivity for VTEC detection. From April through September 2005, 257 ground-beefs from supermakets and traditional markets were examined for the presence of VTEC by polymerase chain reaction immediately after purchase and total viable counts (TVC) were determined. VTEC was isolated from 30 of 257 ground-beefs. A variety of serogroups was found, including 10 stains belonging to the virulence type EHEC, but major serogroups such as O157, O26 and O111 were nor found.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.94-101
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• 2018

Although Kimchi has health benefits, food poisoning associated with consumption of Kimchi has been frequently reported. Accordingly, microbiological properties of Kimchi (100 samples) and washing effects on microbial reduction against its ingredients (200 samples) were examined. Total aerobic bacteria, coliforms, Escherichia coli, Bacillus cereus, and Clostridium perfringens were quantified. In addition, B. cereus, Salmonella spp., Enterohemorrhagic E. coli, C. perfringens, Campylobacter jejuni/coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Vibrio parahaemolyticus, Listeria monocytogenes, and Yersinia enterocolitica were analysed qualitatively. Total aerobic bacteria count was approximately 1.4-9.0 log CFU/g, which were highest in ginger (8.8 log CFU/g), and Chonggak Kimchi (9.0 log CFU/g). The range of coliform counts detected in all raw materials was 0.5-7.3 log CFU/g and ginger showed the greatest number 7.3 log CFU/g among others. Contamination was decreased to 0.2-3.2, 0.3-2.7, and 1.0-3.9 log CFU/g for total aerobic bacteria, coliforms, and B. cereus, respectively, after washing. Minimising microbial contamination in Kimchi ingredients is necessary to ensure the safety of Kimchi. These results indicate that washing is a useful method to reduce bacterial contamination in Kimchi.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.329-338
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• 2023

Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) is a foodborne pathogen that produces attaching and effacing lesions on the large intestine and causes hemorrhagic colitis. It is primarily transmitted through the consumption of contaminated meat or fresh produce. Similar to other bacterial pathogens, antibiotic resistance is of concern for EHEC. Furthermore, since the production of Shiga toxin by this pathogen is enhanced after antibiotic treatment, alternative agents that control EHEC are necessary. This study aimed to discover alternative treatments that target virulence factors and reduce EHEC toxicity. The locus of enterocyte effacement (LEE) is essential for EHEC attachment to host cells and virulence, and most of the LEE genes are positively regulated by the transcriptional regulator, Ler. GrlA protein, a transcriptional activator of ler, is thus a potential target for virulence inhibitors of EHEC. To identify the GrlA inhibitors, an in vivo high-throughput screening (HTS) system consisting of a GrlA-expressing plasmid and a reporter plasmid was constructed. Since the reporter luminescence gene was fused to the ler promoter, the bioluminescence would decrease if inhibitors affected the GrlA. By screening 8,201 compounds from the Korea Chemical Bank, we identified a novel GrlA inhibitor named Grlactin [3-[(2,4-dichlorophenoxy)methyl]-4-(3-methylbut-2-en-1-yl)-4,5-dihydro-1,2,4-oxadiazol-5-one], which suppresses the expression of LEE genes. Grlactin significantly diminished the adhesion of EHEC strain EDL933 to human epithelial cells without inhibiting bacterial growth. These findings suggest that the developed screening system was effective at identifying GrlA inhibitors, and Grlactin has potential for use as a novel anti-adhesion agent for EHEC while reducing the incidence of resistance.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.10-16
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• 2021

The consumption of fresh-cut agricultural materials is increasing due to increased public interest in health and the increase of single-person households. Most fresh-cut agricultural materials can be eaten without heating, thus easily exposing the consumer to food-borne pathogens. As a result, food-borne diseases are increasing worldwide. In the analysis of food-borne pathogens, it is important to detect the strains, but this is time consuming and laborious. Alternative detection methods that have been introduced, include polymerase chain reaction-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (PCR-DGGE), which is performed without prior culturing. Samples of fresh-cut agricultural materials, such as vegetables, were analyzed by the culture-based method. In 129 samples, non-pathogenic Escherichia coli (3.9%), Bacillus cereus (31.8%), Clostridium perfringens (5.4%), Yersinia enterocolitica (0.8%), and enterohemorrhagic E. coli (0.8%) were detected. Eight samples contaminated with bacteria were randomly selected, further analyzed by PCR-DGGE, and compared with the culture-based method. Two cases detected non-pathogenic E. coli by PCR-DGGE only, despite a lack of detection by the culture method. It was supposed there was possibility of sample loss during its 10-fold dilution for appropriate cultivation. In the detection of high-risk food-borne pathogens, it was found that the detection limit was lower in PCR-DGGE than in the culture-based method (10 CFU/g). This suggests that PCR-DGGE can be alternatively used to detect strains. On the other hand, low-risk food-borne pathogens seem to have higher detection limits in PCR-DGGE. Consequentially, this study contributes to the improvement of food-borne pathogen detection and the prevention of its related-diseases in fresh-cut agricultural materials.

• Culinary science and hospitality research
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• v.23 no.6
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• pp.20-26
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• 2017

To guarantee the safety of rice cake production, the Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points system was applied to the production process. The purpose of this study was to analyze the microbiological hazards of the manufacture of rice cakes, and establish critical limits in the process of the manufacturing rice cakes. To control the microbiological hazards, the sterilization process was set to a critical limit. The process of manufacturing rice cakes can reduce these microbiological hazards during the steaming process. A microorganism test for each specimen was conducted three times and compared with before and after steaming processes. The finished product was conducted by microbiology experiment and the validity of the steaming process was verified. The results were determined to be capable of reducing the biological element of Critical Control Point via the steaming process. Microbiology such as aerobic plate count, coliform, Escherichia coli(E. coli), Listeria monocytogenes, Enterohemorrhagic E. coli, Salmonella spp., Bacillus cereus, Staphylococcus aureus and Clostridium perfringens was evaluated by the experimental method of Korean Food Standards Codex. Aerobic plate count was reduced by steaming process, and no microorganism were detected. All rice cakes in the finished product were judged to be safe for both the Escherichia coli and general bacteria. In conclusion, it suggested that a HACCP plan was necessary for management standard and systematic approach in the establishment of critical limit, problem resolution, verification method, education, and records management. Based on this study, it is intended to provide a baseline for improving quality control standards and improving hygiene levels for small manufacturers.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Service
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.413-429
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• 1998

Escherichia coli is recovered from a wide variety of infections in many animals species. It may be a primary or secondary agent. Nursing and young animals are particularly susceptible, and urinary tract infections are frequent. The various serotypes of E coli are intestinal inhabitants of animals including humans and probably infect most mammals and birds : therefore, they have a cosmopolitan distribution. Colibacillosis refers to any totalized or systemic infection caused entirely or partly by E coli. Collibacillosis in mammals is most often a primary enteric disease, whereas collibacillosis in poultry is typically a secondary located or systemic disease occurring when host defenses have been impaired or overwhelmed. Other opportunistic bacteria, which can be identified by culture, may play a similar role to that of I coli in secondary infections. Collectively, infections caused by E coli are responsible for significant economic losses to the animal performance. From the standpoint of pathogenic mechanisms and diseases, four major categories of E coli are recognized : enterotoxigenic(ETEC), enteropathogenic (EPEC), enteroinvasive(EIEC), and enterohemorrhagic(EHEC). In addition, two less-well-defined E coli categories are recognized in animals and humans : enteroaggregative and cytotoxin necrotizing factor-positive. The aforementioned categories are represented by different serotypes. Certain serotypes show a host preference and are encountered more frequently in some disease syndromes. Of the four major categories, ETEC is the most common cause of diarrhea in calves, lambs, and pigs. Strains in the other categories cause the less-common diarrhea and other disease syndromes. Enterotoxins and pilus antigens are the two most prominent virulence factors thus far identified for ETEC. Two enterotoxins, one heat-stable(ST) and one heat-labile(LT), are produced by enterotoxigenic strains of E coli : not all culture produce both of these plasmid-based enterotoxins.