• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.77 no.4
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• pp.161-166
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• 2014

Since tuberculosis (TB) remains a major global health concern and the incidence of multi-drug resistant (MDR)-TB is increasing globally, new modalities for the detection of TB and drug resistant TB are needed to improve TB control. The Xpert MTB/RIF test can be a valuable new tool for early detection of TB and rifampicin resistance, with a high sensitivity and specificity. Late-generation fluoroquinolones, levofloxacin, and moxifloxacin, which are the principal drugs for the treatment of MDR-TB, show equally high efficacy and safety. Systemic steroids may reduce the overall TB mortality attributable to all forms of TB across all organ systems, although inhaled corticosteroids can increase the risk of TB development. Although fixed dose combinations were expected to reduce the risk of drug resistance and increase drug compliance, a recent meta-analysis found that they might actually increase the risk of relapse and treatment failure. Regarding treatment duration, patients with cavitation and culture positivity at 2 months of TB treatment may require more than 6 months of standard treatment. New anti-TB drugs, such as linezolid, bedaquiline, and delamanid, could improve the outcomes in drug-resistant TB. Nontuberculous mycobacterial lung disease has typical clinical and immunological phenotypes. Mycobacterial genotyping may predict disease progression, and whole genome sequencing may reveal the transmission of Mycobacterium abscessus. In refractory Mycobacterium avium complex lung disease, a moxifloxacin-containing regimen was expected to improve the treatment outcome.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.53 no.2
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• pp.77-82
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• 2013

The present study was planned to evaluate the bioequivalence of two commercial formulations of enrofloxacin, which have been marketed as 10% injectable solution after intramuscular administration at a single dose of 2.5 mg/kg body weight to 12 clinically healthy goats The study was carried out on the basis of crossover design. The two formulations were: Baytril as a reference product and Spectrama Vet as a test product. The plasma concentrations of enrofloxacin were measured by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with UV detector. The pharmacokinetics of that data was performed using non-compartmental analysis. The maximum plasma concentration ($C_{max}$), time to reach peak concentration ($T_{max}$), area under concentration-time curve (AUC), elimination half-life ($t_{0.5el}$) were 1.14 and $1.05{\mu}g/mL$, 0.79 and 0.83 h, 5.70 and $5.79{\mu}g.h/mL$, 5.19 and 5.39 h for Baytril and Spectrama Vet, respectively. The 90% confidence interval for the mean ratio of $T_{max}$, $C_{max}$ and AUC were 94.72-116.2, 87.88-97.16 and 86.44-118.72%, respectively. These values falls within the European Medicines Agency bioequivalence acceptance range of 80-125% for both $T_{max}$ and AUC and between 75-133% for $C_{max}$. In conclusion, Spectrama-Vet is bioequivalent to Baytril and both products can be used as interchangeable drug in veterinary medicine practice.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.19 no.5
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• pp.400-405
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• 1996

In vitro studies were conducted to dertermine the frequency rate of spontaneous resistance to LB20304 and to dertermine whether cross-resistance to other antimicrobial agents develops. In eight strains of bacteria, the frequency of mutation to LB20304 at the concentrations of four and eight times the minimal inhibitory concentration(MIC) ranaged from less than 4.0 ${\times}$ $10^{-10}$ to 2.2 $\{times}$ $10^{-10}$ . These results were similar to those founf for other new fluoroquinolones. THe development of stepwise resistance was determined by repeated subculture in broth in the presence of increasing concentration of the compounds. Exposure of bacteria to increasing concentrations of LB20304 resulted in the selection of organisms with higher MICs. There were 4- to 128-fold increases in the MIC of LB20304 for bacterial strains of Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. However, those strains selected after repeated exposure were well within the susceptibility range for LB20304 except for Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The resistant isolates selected with LB20304 showed cross-resistance when tested against ciprofloxacin and vice versa.

• YAKHAK HOEJI
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• v.42 no.2
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• pp.175-180
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• 1998

Bifidobacterium bifidum OFR9 that exhibits acquired resistance to rifampicin and fluoroquinolones was selected by MNNG and multi-step mutation method. To investigate the resistance mechanism to rifampicin in the strain, RNA polymerase from B. bifidum parent strain and rifampicin-resistance OFR9 was partially purified and its sensitivity to rifampicin was assayed. The profile of RNA polymerase preparation of B. bifidum parent and B. bifidum OFR9 is similar to that of E. coli RNA polymerase that includes the basic subunits of ${\beta}$`, ${\beta},\;{\sigma},\;{\alpha}$ but which are a little different in size when they are compared with E. coli RNA polymerase subunits. RNA polymerase isolated from the parent strain was inhibited by 1${\mu}$g/ml rifampicin but that from B. bifidum OFR9 was not affected by 100${\mu}$g/ml concentration of rifampicin. RNA polymerase activity of B. bifidum OFR9 was maintained over 90% through that rifampicin concentration. This result is consistent with MIC values of in vitro test. It can be concluded that the mechanism of rifampicin resistance in B. bifidum OFR9 is due to an alteration of RNA polymerase.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.46 no.4
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• pp.334-345
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• 2018

Spore-forming Bacillus species are commercially available probiotic formulations for application in humans. They have health benefits and help prevent disease in hosts by combating entero-pathogens and ameliorating antibiotic-associated diarrhea. However, the molecular and cellular mechanisms of these benefits remain unclear. Here, we report the draft genome of a potential probiotic strain of Bacillus clausii B106. We mapped and compared the probiotic profile of B106 with other reference genomes. The draft genome analysis of B106 revealed the presence of ADI pathway genes, indicating its ability to tolerate acidic pH and bile salts. Genes encoding fibronectin binding proteins, enolase, as well as a gene cluster involved in the biosynthesis of exopolysaccharides underscored the potential of B106 to adhere to the intestinal epithelium and colonize the human gut. Genes encoding bacteriocins were also detected, indicating the antimicrobial ability of this isolate. The presence of genes encoding vitamins, including Riboflavin, Folate, and Biotin, also indicated the health-promoting ability of B106. Resistance of B106 to multiple antibiotics was evident from the presence of genes encoding resistance to chloramphenicol, ${\beta}$-lactams, Vancomycin, Tetracycline, fluoroquinolones, and aminoglycosides. The findings indicate the significance of B. clausii B106 administration during antibiotic treatment and its potential value as a probiotic strain to replenish the health-promoting and disease-preventing gut flora following antibiotic treatment.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.63 no.12
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• pp.469-476
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• 2020

The major pathogens that cause atypical pneumonia are Mycoplasma pneumoniae, Chlamydophila pneumoniae, and Legionella pneumophila. Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) caused by M. pneumoniae or C. pneumoniae is common in children and presents as a relatively mild and self-limiting disease. CAP due to L. pneumophila is very rare in children and progresses rapidly, with fatal outcomes if not treated early. M. pneumoniae, C. pneumoniae, and L. pneumophila have no cell walls; therefore, they do not respond to β-lactam antibiotics. Accordingly, macrolides, tetracyclines, and fluoroquinolones are the treatments of choice for atypical pneumonia. Macrolides are the first-line antibiotics used in children because of their low minimum inhibitory concentrations and high safety. The incidence of pneumonia caused by macrolide-resistant M. pneumoniae that harbors point mutations has been increasing since 2000, particularly in Korea, Japan, and China. The marked increase in macrolide-resistant M. pneumoniae pneumonia (MRMP) is partly attributed to the excessive use of macrolides. MRMP does not always lead to clinical nonresponsiveness to macrolides. Furthermore, severe complicated MRMP responds to corticosteroids without requiring a change in antibiotic. This implies that the hyper-inflammatory status of the host can induce clinically refractory pneumonia regardless of mutation. Empirical macrolide therapy in children with mild to moderate CAP, particularly during periods without M. pneumoniae epidemics, may not provide additional benefits over β-lactam monotherapy and can increase the risk of MRMP.

• Toxicological Research
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.99-105
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• 2005

Photo-mutagenic compounds have been known to alter skin cancer rates by acting as initiators or by affecting subsequent steps in carcinogenesis. The objectives of this study are to investigate the utility of photo-chromosomal aberration (photo-CA) assay for detecting photo-clastogens, and to evaluate its ability to predict rodent photocarcinogenicity. Photo-CA assay was performed with five test substances that demonstrated positive results in photo-carcinogenicity tests: 8-Methoxypsoralen (photoactive substance that forms DNA adducts in the presence of ultraviolet A irradiation), chlorpromazine (an aliphatic phenothiazine an alpha-adrenergic blocking agent), lomefloxacin (an antibiotic in a class of drugs called fluoroquinolones), anthracene (a tricyclic aromatic hydrocarbon a basic substance for production of anthraquinone, dyes, pigments, insecticides, wood preservatives and coating materials) and Retinoic acid (a retinoid compound closely related to vitamin A). For the best discrimination between the test substance-mediated genotoxicity and the undesirable genotoxicity caused by direct DNA absorption, a UV dose-response of the cells in the absence of the test substances was firstly analyzed. All 5 test substances showed a positive outcome in photo-CA assay, indicating that the photo-CA test is very sensitive to the photo-genotoxic effect of UV irradiation. With this limited data-set, an investigation into the predictive value of this photo-CA test for determining the photo-carcinogenicity showed that photo-CA assay has the high ability of a test to predict carcinogenicity. Therefore, the photo-CA test using mammalian cells seems to be a sensitive method to evaluate the photo-carcinogenic potential of new compounds.

• Journal of Digital Convergence
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• v.13 no.12
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• pp.313-318
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• 2015

We investigated the prevalence of extended spectrum ${\beta}$-lactamase (ESBL) genes and 16S rRNA methyltransferase genes to study antimicrobial resistance mechanisms of Enterobacter cloacae strains isolated from a university hospital in the Chungcheong province of Korea. Eight of the bacteria strains involved in this study contained CTX-M-15 type ESBL. Among 8 strains harboring the ESBL gene, 3 strains also harbored armA gene. The three isolates showed resistance to antimicrobial agents belonged to third cephalosporin, aminoglycoside, and fluoroquinolones. Furthermore, interspecies plasmid transfer of the antimicrobial resistant genes may induced horizontal spreading of the genes and emergence of multidrug resistant bacteria. Therefore, surveillance for existence of antimicrobial resistance determinants is important to prevent distribution of antimicrobial resistant strains.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.141-148
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• 2007

We determined the sequences of the quinolone resistance-determining region (QRDR) of gyrA and gyrB for 21 clinical strains of Enterobacteriaceae resistant to ciprofloxacin, norfloxacin and levofloxacin. The clinical strains were isolated from the specimens of three general hospitals in Busan. In the present study, we found mutations in type II topoisomerase (DNA gyrase) genes for all strains. We confirmed that some genera of Enterobacteriaceae of clinical specimen exhibited decreased sensitivity to fluroquinolone due to changes in Ser-83$\rightarrow$Leu and Asp-87$\rightarrow$Asn types on gyrA and alterations in Glu-465$\rightarrow$Arg and Ser-492$\rightarrow$Asn type on gyrB. All the twenty-one strains had a missense mutation in gyrA (codon 83 and 87). Three of them had an additional mutation in gyrB (codon 465 or 492), but one of them had an additional mutation in gyrB (codon 426, 427, 491, 495 and 496). The strains which had two mutations in type II topoisomerase genes (gyrA and gyrB) were significantly more resistant to fluoroquinolones than those with a single mutation in gyrA (mean MICs of ciprofloxacin: $\geq8\mu$g/ml, mean MICs of levofloxacin: $\geq16\mu$g/ml). Interestingly, the examination of silent nucleotide changes n the gyrA and gyrB genes revealed six different patterns of DNA polymorphism, respectively. Fifteen strains of the twenty-one strains bearing the gyrase A mutation shared the same polymorphism and eleven strains of the twenty-one strains bearing the gyrase B mutation shared the same polymorphism.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.16 no.12
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• pp.1841-1848
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• 2006

Insights into gene expression have the potential for improvement of antibiotic yield and the development of robust production hosts for use in recombinant biomolecule production. $Cubicin^{TM}$ (daptomycin for injection) is a recently approved antibiotic active against many Gram(+) pathogens, including those resistant to methicillin, vancomycin, and fluoroquinolones. Daptomycin is produced as a secondary metabolite by Streptomyces roseosporus. A 128 kb region of DNA including the daptomycin biosynthetic gene cluster (dpt) has been cloned. and sequenced. Using a selected array of nucleic acid probes representing this region, we compared the expression levels of the dpt genes between S. roseosporus wild-type (WT) and derived S. roseosporus high-producer of daptomycin (HP). We observed that the majority of the biosynthetic genes were upregulated in HP compared with WT; a total of 12 genes, including those encoding daptomycin synthetase, showed consistently and significantly higher expression levels, at least 5-fold, in HP compared with WT. In contrast, some genes, flanking the dpt cluster, were expressed at higher levels in the WT strain. The expression of housekeeping genes such as S. roseosporus rpsL, rpsG, and 16S (positive controls) and presumptive intergenic regions in the dpt cluster (negative control) were identical in the two strains. In addition, we compared transcription during the early, mid-log, and early-stationary phases of growth in the HP strain. The same set of genes was upregulated and downregulated under all conditions examined; housekeeping genes showed no relative change in expression level over the periods of growth tested. Analyses of this type would be of value in studies of strain improvement and also for the identification of gene regulation processes that are important for secondary metabolite production.