• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.12 no.4
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• pp.346-353
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• 1997

This study was undertaken to find out distribution and contamination sources of hazardous microbes through microbial hazard analysis on the processing steps of surimi-based imitation crab (SBIC). As a results of ananlysis of 9 hazardous microbes for 16 raw materials and 8 processing steps, no Samonella spp. and Escherichia coli were detected in all samples. Level and distribution of hazardous microbes in mixed color were similar to those of surimi. Changes of aerobic plate counts (APC), psychrotropic bacteria, coliforms, Staphylococcus aureus and Vibrio parahaemolyticus showed similar trends at different processing steps. Thermotrophic bacteria and aerobic sporeformers were not detected until mixing step and feeding step, respectively and not reduced after cooking step. According to the comparison of APC at each step, it was suggested that surimi, workers and silent cutter at mixing step, and mixed color, workers and bundler at packaging step were the major contamination sources of bacteria.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.67-75
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• 1998

The objectives of this study were both to evaluate the level and correlations of hazardous agents and to suggest measures to control industrial hygiene problems caused by using water-soluble metalworking f1uids(MWF). Geometric mean of formaldehyde(0.039 ppm) was higher than criteria of NIOSH(0.016ppm). Formaldehyde, originally existed in the biocide, is released and used to kill microbes in soluble MWF. Microbe concentrations were above $10^4No./mL$ in 14 MWF tanks among 20 tanks surveyed. Nitrosamines that is formed by reaction of nitrosating group and amines was detected to $18.4-47.1{\mu}g/m^3$. Formaldehyde concentration was low when microbes were abundant(r=-0.67, p=0.011), and high when open tank area was wide(r=0.75. p=0.012). The significant relationship between pH and microbes(r=-0.76. p=0.003) was also observed. The predominant bacteria species in MWF were Pseudomonas spp., Bacillus spp., Comamonas testosteroni, Acinetobacter haemolyticus, Bordertella bronchiseptica in order. Therefore, hazardous agents emitted by using water-soluble MWF seems to be correlated microbial growth. In order to minimize worker's exposure to several hazardous agents by an water-soluble MWF and to increase productivity, microbial growth must be controlled to the lowest level as possible. Administrative control as well as engineering control must comprehensively be applied to control microbe's growth in water-soluble MWF.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.16 no.10
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• pp.1550-1554
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• 2003

One hundred of lactic cultures were evaluated for their ability to inhibit hazardous microbes, such as Salmonella enteritidis, Salmonella typhimurium, Escherichia coli, Listeria monocytogenes, and Bacillus cereus by agar well diffusion method. None of them showed inhibitory halo against S. enteritidis, while 27 strains showed inhibitory activity against S. typhimurium, 6 against E. coli, 9 against ampicillin resistant E. coli, 31 against L. monocytogens, 10 against B. cereus. pH of the culture does not explain for the inhibitory activity except against B. cereus. A neutralized culture from corn silage showed highest inhibitory activity against S. typhimurium, and the size of inhibitory halo was same as 10 ug/mL of ampicillin. The culture was identified to be Lactobacillus buchneri on the basis of biochemical characteristics and utilization of substrates. Using the culture as probiotics could be expected to reduce antibiotics for animal feeding.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.51 no.1
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• pp.1-9
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• 2023

Arsenic (As), which is ubiquitous throughout the environment, represents a major environmental threat at higher concentration and poses a global public health concern in certain geographic areas. Most of the conventional arsenic remediation techniques that are currently in use have certain limitations. This situation necessitates a potential remediation strategy, and in this regard bioremediation technology is increasingly important. Being the oldest representativse of life on Earth, microbes have developed various strategies to cope with hostile environments containing different toxic metals or metalloids including As. Such conditions prompted the evolution of numerous genetic systems that have enabled many microbes to utilize this metalloid in their metabolic activities. Therefore, within a certain scope bacterial isolates could be helpful for sustainable management of As-contamination. Research interest in microbial As(III) oxidation has increased recently, as oxidation of As(III) to less hazardous As(V) is viewed as a strategy to ameliorate its adverse impact. In this review, the novelty of As(III) oxidation is highlighted and the implication of As(III)-oxidizing microbes in environmental management and their prospects are also discussed. Moreover, future exploitation of As(III)-oxidizing bacteria, as potential plant growth-promoting bacteria, may add agronomic importance to their widespread utilization in managing soil quality and yield output of major field crops, in addition to reducing As accumulation and toxicity in crops.

• Journal of Wetlands Research
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.107-114
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• 2007

This study aimed to investigate the hexachlorobenzene (HCB) dechlorinating ability of sediment microbes collected from a natural canal receiving secondary effluents from an industrial estate and nearby factories. Nine sites along the stream and one in the estuary in the Gulf of Thailand into which the canal spills were specified and sampling for sediment and water. Preliminary analysis of the sediments showed that the first four sites nearest to the discharging location were contaminated by HCB within the range of 0.18 to 1.25 ppm. Apart from that, 1,3,5-trichlorobenzene which has never been commercially produced or used in any manufacturing processes except for the transformation from higher chlorinated benzene was also identified in the range of 0.16 to 0.24 ppm. This suggested a possibility of sporadically HCB contamination in this stream. Of more important, people in the community along this canal earn their living by coastal fishery; hence, posing a risk of spreading HCB and its less chlorinated congeners via food chain from caught marine creatures to human. As a result, there is an urgent need to understand the behavior of HCB dechlorination in this stream sediment which can lead to a clean-up action in the future. Serum bottles with sediment slurries (sediment to water ratio of 1:1 (v/v) and filtered to remove particles larger than 0.7 mm) from each site were inoculated with 2 mg/l of HCB, kept anaerobically in the dark at room temperature without any nourishment, and analyzed for HCB and its less-chlorinated congeners every 6 days. Total chemical oxygen demand, suspended solids, and volatile suspended solids were in the range of 21,492-73,584, 158,100-518,100 and 6,000-32,700 mg/l, respectively. It was found that all sediment slurries began to dechlorinate HCB in 12 to 30 days and the HCB was completely removed within 42 to 60 days or so. On the other hand, there was no HCB dechlorination occurred in the controlled set which was sterilized by autoclaving prior to the addition of HCB. This implies that the HCB transformation was solely due to microorganisms' activities. HCB was dechlorinated principally via pentachlolobenzene to 1,2,3,5-tetrachlorobenzene and terminated at 1,3,5-trichlorobenzene which is the major pathway as reported by many researchers. Dichlorobenzene has not been detected in any samples within the dechlorination period of 60 days. The results indicate that the microbial matrix in the sediment of this stream has an outstanding capability to dechlorinate HCB. Existing substrates and nutrients which mainly sorbed onto the solid phase and the typical temperature in Thailand were sufficient and suitable to promote the activities of these HCB-dechlorinating microbes.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.31 no.9
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• pp.862-872
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• 2021

Recent studies on synthesis of metallic nanomaterials such as silver (Ag), gold (Au), platinum (Pt), cerium (Ce), zinc (Zn), and copper (Cu) nanoparticles (NPs) using plants and microbes are attracted researchers for their wide range of applications in the field of biomedical sciences. The plant contains abundant of bioactive contents such as flavonoids, alkaloids, saponins, steroids tannins and nutritionals components. Similarly, microbes produce bioactive metabolites, proteins and secretes valuable chemicals such as color pigments, antibiotics, and acids. Recently reported, biogenic synthesis of NPs in non-hazardous way and are promising candidates for biomedical applications such as antibacterial, antifungal, anti-cell proliferative and anti-plasmodia activity. All those activities are dose dependent, along with their shape and size also matters on potential of NPs. Microbes and plants are great source of metabolites, those useful in biomedical field, such metabolites or chemicals involved in synthesis of NPs in an ecofriendly way. NPs synthesized using microbes or plant materials are reveals more non-toxic, facile, and cost-effective compare to chemically synthesized NPs. In present review we are focusing on NPs synthesis using biological agents such as microbes (bacteria, fungi and algae) and plant, characterization using different techniques and their antibacterial applications on pathogenic Gram-positive and Gram-negative organisms.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.478-483
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• 2014

Objectives: The main objective of this study is to assess the levels of hazardous substances in floor dust in primary schools located in the city of Busan in Korea. Materials and Methods: An on-site investigation of three primary schools was performed between April and May 2013. The hazardous substances measured in this study were 14 heavy metals (Cu, Fe, Pb, Mn, Ni, Zn, Cr, Cd, As, Al, Sn, Co, Mo and Si) and the biological agents were bacteria, fungi and endotoxin). Results: Among the heavy metals, Cd, Co, Pb and Cr were not detected in the floor dust from the three primary schools. The mean levels of other heavy metals were as follows: $20({\pm}10)ng/cm^2$ for As, $30({\pm}20)ng/cm^2$ for Al, $5({\pm}4)ng/cm^2$ for Sn, $20({\pm}20)ng/cm^2$ for Mo, $1,340({\pm}620)ng/cm^2$ for Si, $110({\pm}100)ng/cm^2$ for Cu, $240({\pm}50)ng/cm^2$ for Fe, $30({\pm}30)ng/cm^2$ for Mn, $10({\pm}10)ng/cm^2$ for Ni, and $50({\pm}30)ng/cm^2$ for Zn. It was found that mean concentrations of bacteria, fungi and endotoxin in the floor dust of primary schools were $4.7{\time}10^7({\pm}2.2{\time}10^7)cfu/cm^2$, $6.3{\time}10^6({\pm}6.4{\time}10^6)cfu/cm^2$, and $8,140({\pm}5,801)EU/cm^2$, respectively. The predominant species identified in the floor dust of the primary schools were Pseudomonas spp. for bacteria and Penicillium spp.,Cladosporidium spp.,and Aspergillus spp. for fungi, which would be somewhat similar to the microbial distribution pattern of other general environments. Conclusions: Based on the results obtained from this study, the levels of heavy metals, microbes and endotoxin distributed in the floor dust of primary school were higher than those reported for other general facilities. Thus, preventive measures should be prepared for the health care of children.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.51 no.4
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• pp.374-389
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• 2023

Organophosphorus (OP) pesticides, particularly malathion, parathion, diazinon, and chlorpyrifos, are widely used in both agricultural and residential contexts. This refractory quality is shared by certain organ phosphorus insecticides, and it may have unintended consequences for certain non-target soil species. Bioremediation cleans organic and inorganic contaminants using microbes and plants. Organophosphate-hydrolyzing enzymes can transform pesticide residues into non-hazardous byproducts and are increasingly being considered viable solutions to the problem of decontamination. When coupled with system analysis, the multi-omics technique produces important data for functional validation and genetic manipulation, both of which may be used to boost the efficiency of bioremediation systems. RNA-guided nucleases and RNA-guided base editors include zinc-finger nucleases (ZFNs), transcription activator-like effector nucleases (TALENs), and clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR), which are used to alter genes and edit genomes. The review sheds light on key knowledge gaps and suggests approaches to pesticide cleanup using a variety of microbe-assisted methods. Researches, ecologists, and decision-makers can all benefit from having a better understanding of the usefulness and application of systems biology and gene editing in bioremediation evaluations.

• Journal of Mushroom
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.178-182
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• 2017

Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) is the world's leading quality certification for food safety. Since its introduction in Korea in 2006, its importance has been increasing every year. In particular, food safety issues are becoming increasingly important in society, and food safety is directly linked to health. The core of GAP certification is the traceability of the production, distribution, and consumption of hazardous materials, including pesticide residues, heavy metals, and microbes. In the present study, pesticides and heavy metals in button mushroom (Agaricus bisporus) and associated cultivation materials were analyzed. Tricyclozole (0.0144 ppm), flubendiamide (0.147 ppm), and trifloxystrobin (0.0340 ppm) were detected in rice straw and wheat straw, and carbendazim (0.0142 ppm) was detected in mixed wheat straw and rice straw medium. Lead and cadmium were detected at levels higher than the standard level in rice straw and mixed medium. However, lead and cadmium were not detected in mushrooms, and levels of arsenic and mercury were below the safety limit. Therefore, it was confirmed that the residual pesticides and heavy metals are safely managed in the investigated mushroom species. The results of the present study suggest that if these materials are adequately managed in the surroundings during cultivation, all hazardous materials can be managed during mushroom production.

• The Korean Journal of Mycology
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.21-25
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• 1975

This is a study to determine the content of the mercury compound and the distribution of microorganisms in the waste waters flowing from the chemical plants in the Ulsan area (at 4 stations). The summary of the result of this study is as follows: 1. The content of the mercury compound has ranged from non-detection to 0.075 ppm with an average of 0.03 ppm. The highest content has been detected from the water at station A. 2. As for the distribution of the microorganisms, one species each of bacteria, Mucor, Aspergillus, Cladosporium, and Trichothecium (T. roseum); 4 species of Penicillium; and 3 species of Sterile hyphae; a total of 12 species have been isolated. 3. The following results have been found with regard to the growth of these microorganisms in terms of the content of the mercury compound. In the case of an inorganic mercury compound, most of the microbes can grow in water with a content of up to 10 ppm. Pe. sp No. 1 particularly can grow even in 50 ppm. In the case of an organic mercury compound, the growth of the microbes seems to be somewhat restrained even in 2 ppm.