• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.410-416
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• 2011

Cereals are the main raw material for sunsik manufacture. As the fundamental processing step, it is very important to confirm the level of the microorganism contamination in the cereals. This study was carried out a micrbiological screening of cereal samples for sunsik from 19 companies located in South Korea. Ten kinds of cereals which were glutinous rice, barley, brownrice, blackbean, blackrice, blacksesame, sorghum, millet, perilla seed, and adlay were investigated. As the results, the contaminations of general bacterial were 3.1~8.6 log(CFU/g). The results of Escherichia coli were 1.0~3.4 log(CFU/g). There was no contamination of Salmonella. spp in any cereal samples except black sesame and mold was detected in barley. The experiment for microbiological contamination during sunsik processing was also investigated in this study. The results of general bacteria were detected as 5.1~8.5, 4.4~7.5, 1.0~2.3, 2.4~4.2, 1.0~4.0, 3.4~4.2, 4.3~5.2, and 3.3~5.5 log(CFU/g) during environment of warehousing, washing, steaming, 1st cooling, drying, 2nd cooling, grinding, and packaging process, respectively. The results of coliform were 1.0~2.0 log(CFU/g) during warehousing respectively. Mold was found in warehousing. In case of the instruments, the contaminations of general bacterial were 4.2~7.5, 0.1~2.0, 0.1~3.2, 3.7~4.0, 2.5~3.0, and 3.8~5.2 log(CFU/g) in cereals tanks, washing machines, grinding machines, packaging machines, and workrooms. The results of coliform were 2.4~4.0, 0.0~4.1 log(CFU/g) in cereals tanks and grinding machines, respectively. Mold were only found in cereals tanks, grinding machines, and workings. Therefore, the risk of hazard microorganisms contmination might be decrased as the exhaustive management is applied to the whole sunsik process.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.35 no.3
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• pp.197-204
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• 1999

A total of 22 Leptospiua inlermgans field isolates from the ~ a t s captured in 5 provinces of Korea in 1996, and 6 antigenically closely related relerence serovars of lai, yeonchon, birkini. gem, mwogolo. and canicola were analysed. When the antigenic characteristics were analysed by reactivity with 7 monoclonal antibodies prepared with sh.ains belongng to serogroup Icterohaemorrhagiae. all 22 isolates showed the same reaction pattern with that of serovar lai. Large restriction fragment patterns obtained after cleavage of geno~nic DNAs with infrequently cuttimg restriction enzymes were analyzed by pulsed-field pel electrophoresis(PFGE). Identification of leptospira strains by PFGE with Nor I, Asc I or Iise I digests correlated with their antigenically typed serovars, silh a few exceptions. PFGE of isolates, except for JR89, digested wjth Nor I showed identical pattern w~th serovar lai, showing 13 Cragments between 940 kb and 63 kb. When PFGE pallerns of JR89 were compared with those of serovar lai, Not I digest showed additional two hands of 1000 kb and 460 kb, while Asc I digest showed 650 kb fragment and Fse I digest did not show the fragment of 280 kb. Whereas serovar yeonchon. which was isolated in Korea and identified as a new serovar previously. could be differentiated from serovar lai in antigenic reactivities with monoclonal antibodres. it showed the similar PFGE pattern with serovar lai includin~ reference and field isolates. It was suggested that Korean leptospiral field isolates are closely related in DNA level.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.48 no.4
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• pp.240-245
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• 2012

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an opportunistic Gram-negative bacterium that causes serious infection, particularly in immunocompromised patients. Also, P. aeruginosa possessing carbapenem-resistant metallo-${\beta}$-lactamases (MBL) has been reported with increasing frequency in Korea. We therefore analyzed the level of multidrug-resistant clinical P. aeruginosa isolated from a secondary hospital in Korea in 2010. A total of 92 isolates of P. aeruginosa were collected from Sahmyook Medical Center in 2010. Susceptibility to antimicrobial agents was determined by analysis of the minimum inhibitory concentration test; the inhibitor-potentiated disk diffusion (IPD) test was performed for MBL detection. RAPD-PCR was used for genotyping to rapidly characterize P. aeruginosa strains isolated from clinical patients. The percentages of non-susceptible isolates were as follows: 40.2% to ceftazidime, 58.7% to meropenem, 56.5% to gentamicin, 46.7% to tobramycin, 62.0% to ciprofloxacin and 97.8% to chloramphenicol. The 29 multidrug-resistant strains were screened by the IPD test: of the 21 PCR-positive isolates, 19 were IPM-1 producers and 2 were VIM-2 producers. Among the 19 IMP-1-producing P. aeruginosa isolates, 16 isolates showed similar patterns, and three different banding patterns were observed. The proportion of IMP-1-producing multidrug-resistant P. aeruginosa from clinical isolates steadily increased in this secondary hospital in Korea in 2010. This study provides information about the antimicrobial-resistant patterns and genotype of multidrug-resistant P. aeruginosa isolated from clinical isolates in Korea, 2010.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.35 no.2
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• pp.224-230
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• 2006

Microbial contamination levels and legal preservative appropriation in child foods sampled from the neighborhood of elementary schools were investigated. Contamination levels of total aerobic bacteria in seasoned dried fish slices, bread and snacks, sausages, sugar products and dumplings were $1.70\~6.91,\;1.40\~6.66$, 4.50, $3.48\~5.88$, and $4.79\~4.82\;log_{10}$ CFU/g, respectively. Coliforms in four kinds of foods except for dumplings were $2.30\~6.60,\;4.22\~~5.98$, 2.00, and $2.78\;log_{10}$ CFU/g, respectively. Yeasts and molds in those foods were $0.10\~4.23,\;1.66\~4.91,\;1.46\~1.91,\;1.56\~4.26$, and $1.12\~1.84\;log_{10}$ CFU/g, respectively. S. aureus was isolated in $18\%$ of seasoned dried fish slices ($1.00\~2.84\;log_{10}$ CFU/g), $33\%$ of bread and snacks ($1.70\~1.79\;log_{10}$ CFU/g), $50\%$ of sausages ($3.28\;log_{10}$ CFU/g), $22\%$ of sugar products ($2.16\~2.88\;log_{10}$ CFU/g), and $100\%$ of dumplings $(1.18\~3.31\;log_{10}\;CFU/g)$ B. cereus was isolated in $21\%$ of seasoned dried fish slices $(0.70\~2.48\;log_{10}\;CFU/g)$, $50\%$ of bread and snacks $(0.70\;log_{10}\;CFU/g)$, and $11\%$ of sugar products $(0.30\;log_{10}\;CFU/g)$. Both E. coli and Salmonella spp. were not isolated in all samples. Preservative was only labeled on four products among 15 products but preservative on 13 products including 4 products haying an indication of preservative were not detected. Moreover, $0.30\%$ of sorbic acid was detected in one of Squid products . The results of this study indicated that the hygienic level of child foods in Gyeonggi and Incheon was very poor and need to be improved.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.40 no.4
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• pp.342-347
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• 2004

A bacterial strain YC4963 with antifungal activity against Colletotrichum orbiculare, a causal organism of cucumber anthracnose was isolated from the rhizosphere soil of Siegesbeckia pubescens Makino in Korea. Based on physiological and biochemical characteristics and 16S ribosomal DNA sequence analysis, the bac­terial strain was identified as Pseudomonas aurantiaca. The bacteria also inhibited mycelial growth of several plant fungal pathogens such as Botrytis cinerea, Fusarium oxysporum and Rhizoctonia solani on PDA and 0.1 TSA media. The antifungal activity was found from the culture filtrate of this isolate and the active compound was quantitatively bound to XAD adsorption resin. The antibiotic compound was purified and identified as phenazine-l-carboxylic acid on the basis of combined spectral and chemical analyses data. This is the first report on the production of phenazine-l-carboxylic acid by Pseudomonas aurantiaca.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.39 no.4
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• pp.260-266
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• 2003

In this study bacterial community was analyzed to evaluate the impacts of long-term use of agricultural chemicals on a soil ecosystem as well as to obtain fundamental data on the relationship. Sequences of 16S rRNA clones from a non-agricultural site and a tangerine orchard soil which has a history of long-term use of agricultural chemicals over 30 years were analyzed. This revealed that bacterial community containing 5 divisions and 18 genera was distributed in a tangerine orchard soil, while bacterial community containing 9 divisions and 44 genera was distributed. In a tangerine orchard soil site, the most abundant bacteria in subdivision level were placed into Proteobacteria γ group which occupied 56% of total clones. The other bacterial clones from the ocrhcard soil exposed to agricultural chemicals over 30 years were Acidobacteria group (25%), Fimicutes group (5%), Planctomycetes group (2%), Proteobacteria α (1%), δ group (1%), and Cyanobacteria group (1%). Whereas, the clones were from the non-agricultural site were distributed among the division or subdivision Acidobacteria group (14%), Planctomycetes group (13%), Proteobacteria α (10%), β (9%), δ (9%), Fimicutes group (8%), Verrucomicrobia group (8%), Actinobacteria group (6%), Proteobacteria γ group (3%), Bacteroidetes group (3%), Gemmatimonadetes group (3%), and Cyanobacteria group (1%). This finding suggests the possibility that long-term application of agricultural chemicals or fertilizers on a tangerine orchard might result in drastic reduction or alteration in the composition of the bacterial community in the contaminated soil site.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.39 no.4
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• pp.267-271
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• 2003

Burkholderia sp. D5, a polyaromatic hydrocarbons(PAHs)-degrading bacterium, was isolated from oil-contaminated soil. The bacterium could utilize phenanthrene (Phe) as a sole carbon source but could not use pyrene (Pyr). However, the strain could degrade Pyr when a cosubstrate such as yeast extract (YE) was supplemented. The PAH degradation rate of the bacterium was enhanced by the addition of other organic materials such as YE, peptone and glucose. YE was a particularly effective additive in stimulating cell growth as well as PAH degradation. When 1 g-YE/L was supplemented into the basal salt medium (BSM) with 215 mg-Phe/L, the specific growth rate (0.28 h-1) and Phe-degrading rate (29.30 μmol/L/h) were enhanced approximately ten and two times more than those obtained in the BSM with 215 mg-Phe/L, respectively. Through kinetic analysis, the maximum specific growth rate (μmax) and PAH degrading rate (Vmax) for Phe were obtained as 0.34/h and 289 ${\mu}mol$/L/h, respectively. Also, μmax and Vmax for Pyr were 0.27 h-1 and 50 ${\mu}mol$/L/h, respectively. The degradation rates for each Phe (2.20 μmol/L/h) and Pyr (2.18 μmol/L/h) were lower in mixture substrates than in a single substrate (29.30 ${\mu}mol$/L/h and 9.58 ${\mu}mol$/L/h, respectively). Burkholderia sp. D5 can degrade Phe and Pyr contained in soil, and the PAH degradation rates in soil were 20.03 ${\mu}mol$/L/h for Phe and 1.09 ${\mu}mol$/L/h for Pyr.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.42 no.4
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• pp.277-285
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• 2006

The most biofilm forming bacteria in catheter, Esctherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Staphylococcus aureus were isolated and identified from a patient's catheter occuring catheter-associated urinary tract infection (CA-UTI). We examined mRNA expression and its quantification of AIs synthetic genes encoding signal substance of quorum sensing from each bacterial species in order to elucidated quorum sensing mechanism. Both pure cultures for each bacterial strains and a mixed cultures with three were grown for 24 hr and 30 days. Initial densities to be able to detect mRNA expression oil single strains culture were shown at $2.4{\times}10^5$ CFU/ml, $5.4{\times}10^6$ CFU/ml of E. coli for ygaG and S. aureus for luxS, and at $6.9{\times}10^4$ CFU/ml of P. aeruginosa for rhlI and lasI. Also, in mixed culture of three, initial cell densities of mRNA expression were appear to at $7.3{\times}10^5$ CFU/ml, $1.6{\times}10^7$ CFU/ml of E. coli for ygaG and S. aureus for luxS, and at $2.1{\times}10^5$ CFU/ml of P. aeruginosa for rhlI and lasI. Each AIs synthetic gene was expressed in initial cell density and the mRNA expression of the genes were detected continously during 30 days. And then, the quantification of mRNA expression level of ygaG, rhlI, last, and luxS which were related AIs synthesis was done each time point by real-time RT-PCR. Interestingly, the mRNA levels of ygaG, rhlI, lasI, and luxS from the mixed culture was higher than those from each single strain culture. In the case of E. coli ygaG, the amount of transcript from the mixed culture was at least 30 times for that from single culture. In the case of P. aeruginosa rhlI and lasI, the amount of transcript from the mixed culture was at least 40 times and 250 times for that from single strain culture. In the case of S. aureus luxS, the amount of transcript from the mixed culture was at least 5 times for that from single strain culture. And specially, the mRNA expression of rhlI and lasI of P. aeruginosa showed the highest efficency among four AIs synthetic genes.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.48 no.3
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• pp.180-186
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• 2012

Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a Gram-negative bacterium, is an ubiquitous and opportunistic human pathogen, which expresses many virulence factors through quorum sensing (QS) regulation. QscR, one of the QS signal receptors of P. aeruginosa, has unique features that make it possible to distinguish QscR from other QS receptors. In the present study, we focused on amino acid residues responsible for such a broad signal specificity of QscR. Thus we constructed mutant QscRs: $QscR_{T72I}$, $QscR_{R132M}$, and $QscR_{T140I}$ by substituting $72^{nd}$ threonine, $132^{nd}$ arginine, and $140^{th}$ threonine residues with isoleucine, methionine, and isoleucine, respectively by site-directed mutagenesis. When we examined the activity of these mutant QscRs, $QscR_{R132M}$ failed to respond to N-3-oxododecanoyl homoserine lactone (3OC12-HSL), but $QscR_{T72I}$ and $QscR_{T140I}$ remained the ability to respond to 3OC12-HSL despite much reduction of the sensitivity. When we treated a variety of acyl-HSLs with different structure, $QscR_{T72I}$ and $QscR_{T140I}$ showed better responsiveness to N-decanoyl HSL (C10-HSL) or N-dodecanoyl HSL (C12-HSL) that has no oxo-moiety at $3^{rd}$ carbon of acyl group than to 3OC12-HSL, and $QscR_{R132M}$ showed no responsiveness to any acyl-HSLs tested here. In addition, $QscR_{T72I}$ and $QscR_{T140I}$ were inhibited by 5f, a QscR inhibitor as similarly as wild type QscR was. These results suggest that while the $130^{th}$ arginine is crucial in both activity and acyl-HSL binding of QscR, the $72^{nd}$ and $140^{th}$ threonines are important in the activity, but they are little responsible for the discrimination of acyl-HSLs or competitive inhibitor.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.45 no.3
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• pp.246-250
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• 2009

Retroviruses enter host cells by membrane fusion between the viral Env proteins on the virus membrane and a virus receptor on the cellular membrane. The envelope protein of the ecotropic Moloney murine leukemia virus is synthesized as a gp85 precursor and is proteolytically cleaved into an extracellular surface unit (SU) and the transmembrane protein (TM). The cytoplasmic tail (16 amino acid; R peptide) of the TM protein is further cleaved by the viral protease during virion maturation. Unlike the wild type Env protrin bearing the R peptide, R peptide-truncated Envelope induces syncytia in susceptible cells. To understand the mechanism of R peptidetruncated Env in syncytium formation, R peptide-truncated Env expressing full-length molecular clone containing EGFP in PRR (proline rich region) of Env was constructed. This molecular clone induced syncytia in transfected NIH3T3 cells, fluorescence was detected in the cytoplasm and at the plasma membrane, while the nuclei did not stain and appeared black by fluorescence microscopy. Interestingly, virions with truncated envelope produced from transfected NIH3T3 cells induced syncytia in NIH3T3 cells, but fluorescence was not detected in the same infected cells. It is believed that cell-free viruses direct the fusion of neighboring cells without infection. Our data suggests that use of EGFP-tagged envelope for monitoring syncytium is a sensitive and convenient method. We also found that virion incorporated the R peptide-truncated Env is able to induce the formation of syncytia by fusion from without.