• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.60 no.2
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• pp.171-179
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• 2006

Background : Despite the emerging danger of MDR-TB to human beings, there have only been a limited number of drugs developed to treat MDR-TB since 1970. This study investigated the cross-resistance rate between rifampicin (RFP) and rifabutin (RBU) in order to determine the efficacy of rifabutin in treating MDR-TB. In addition, the results of rifabutin were correlated with the rpoB mutations, which are believed to be markers for MDR-TB and RFP resistance. Methods : The MICs of RBU were tested against 126 clinical isolates of MDR-TB submitted to the clinical laboratory of National Masan TB Hospital in 2004. Five different concentrations ($10-160{\mu}g/ml$) were used for the MICs. The detection of the rpoB mutations was performed using a RFP resistance detection kit with a line probe assay(LiPA), which contains the oligonucleotide probes for 5 wide type and 3 specific mutations (513CCA, 516GTC, and 531TTG) The rpoB mutation was determined by direct sequencing. Results : The rate of cross-resistance between RFP and RBU was 70.5%(74/105) at $20{\mu}g/ml$ RBU(ed note: How much RFP?) Most mutations (86.3%) occurred in the 524~534 codons. The His526Gln, His526Leu, Leu533Pro, Gln513Glu, and Leu511Pro mutations(Ed note: Is this correct?) were associated with the susceptibilty to RBU. Conclusion : Based on the cross-resistance rate between RFP and RBU, RBU may be used effectively in some MDR-TB patients. Therefore, a conventional drug susceptibility test for RBU and a determination of the critical concentration are needed. However, rpoB gene mutation test may be have limited clinical applications in detecting RBU resistance.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.44 no.2
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• pp.251-263
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• 1997

Background : The emergence of multidrug-resistant strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis presents a significant challange to the treatment and control of tuberculosis, and there is an urgent need to understand the mechanisms by which strains acquire multidrug resistance. Recent advances in molecular methods for the detection of M. tuberculosis genetic targets have approached the sensitivity of culture. Furthermore the prospect of determining resistance in mycobacteria at the nucleic acid level particulary to first-line drugs like rifampin, isoniazid has provided a glimps of the next generation of sensitivity test for M. tuberculosis. Previous studies in RMP resistant M. tuberculosis have shown that mutation in $\beta$subunit of RNA polymerase is main mechanism of resistance. Method : In this study, rpoB gene for the $\beta$subunit of RNA polymerase from M. tuberculosis of 42 cultured samples (32 were RMP resistant and 10 were sensitive cases) were isolated and characterised the mutations. Direct sequencing data were compared with the results of INNO-LiPA Line Probe Assay (LiPA, Innogenetics, Belgium), commercial RMP resistance detecting kit using reverse hybridization method. Results : All of the RMP resistant samples were revealed the presence of mutation by LiPA. In 22 samples (68.8%) out of 32 RMP resistant cases, the mutation types were confirmed by the positive signal at one of 4 mutation bands in the strip. The most frequent type was R5 (S531L) which were 17 cases (77.3%). Results of direct sequencing were identified the exact characteristics of 8 mutations which were not confirmed by LiPA. S522W type point mutation and 9 base pair deletion at codon 513~515 were new identified mutations for the first time. Conclusion : Mutations in rpoB gene is the main mechanism of RMP resistance in M. tuberculosis and LiPA is a very useful diagnostic tool for the early diagnosis of RMP resistance in M. tuberculosis.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.55 no.5
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• pp.440-448
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• 2003

Background : Development of rapid drug susceptibility testing provides the opportunity for rapid identification of individuals with drug resistant tubercle bacilli, allowing selection of appropriate therapeutic regimens. Methods : A total of 502 drug resistant isolates were subjected to reverse blot hybridization assay to detect mutations within genes (rpoB, katG, inhA, and ahpC) associated with rifampicin (RMP) and isoniazid (INH) resistance. Results : Among the 264 RMP resistant strains ($RMP^R$) tested, the most prevalent mutation was the Ser531Leu seen in 121 strains (46%). The second common mutation occurred in 84 strains (32%) at codon 526. And 27 strains (10%) showed the mutation at codon 516. Among all 469 INH resistant strains ($INH^R$), the katG mutation was responsible for INH. The inhA mutation was present in 88 strains (19%). In 11 isolates (2%), coexisting of the katG and inhA mutations were identified. Reverse hybridization assay successfully detected over 80% of $INH^R$ and over 92% of $RMP^R$ among Korean isolates. CONCLUSION: Reverse hybridization was useful for rapid detection of $INH^R$ and $RMP^R$.

• Annals of Clinical Microbiology
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.23-27
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• 2014

Rapidly growing mycobacteria are ubiquitous in the environment and are increasingly being recognized as opportunistic pathogens. Recently, a new species, Mycobacteium conceptionense, has been validated from the Mycobacterium fortuitum third biovariant complex by molecular analysis. However, there are few reports, and postsurgical wound infection by this species is rare. We report a case of postsurgical wound infection caused by M. conceptionense in an immunocompetent patient that was identified by a sequencing analysis of 16S rRNA, hps65, and rpoB genes.

• Korean Journal of Plant Taxonomy
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• v.42 no.4
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• pp.282-293
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• 2012

Phylogenetic studies were conducted to evaluate the taxonomic relationships among 28 taxa, including 2 outgroups of Korean Campanulaceae, using atpB, atpB-rbcL, atpF-H, matK, rbcL, rpl16, rpoC1 and trnL-F regions sequences in chloroplast DNA. The combined analyses of eight chloroplast DNA regions suggest that Codonopsis and Platycodon basally branches within the phylogenetic tree; Wahlenbergia distinguished an independent clade; Campanula forms a clade; Peracarpa and Asyneuma clade is a sister to the Adenophora-Hanabusaya clade; Hanabusaya is placed within the section Remotiflorae of Adenophora; Adenophora form a clade. Our present results support the generic level, although discordance remained at the infrageneric groups such as section and series based on morphological characteristics in the genus Adenophora.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.466-472
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• 2012

In this study, ribulose bisphosphate carboxylase (rbcL), RNApolymeraseC (rpoC1), intergenic spacer (psbA-trnH), and second internal transcribed spacer (ITS2) as identification markers for discrimination of P. mirifica in foods were selected. To be primer design, we obtained 719 bp, 520 bp, 348 bp, and 507 bp amplicon using universal primers from selected regions of P. mirifica. The regions of rbcL, rpoC1, and psbA-trnH were not proper for design primers because of high homology about P. mirifica, P. lobata, and B. superba. But, we had designed 4 pairs of oligonucleotide primers from ITS2 gene. Predicted amplicon from P. mirifica were obtained 137 bp and 216 bp using finally designed primers SFI12-miri-6F/SFI12-miri-7R and SFI12-miri-6F/SFI12-miri-8R, respectively. The species-specific primers distinguished P. mirifica from related species were able to apply food materials and processed foods. The developed PCR method would be applicable to food safety management for illegally distributed products in markets and internet shopping malls.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.46 no.5
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• pp.618-627
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• 1999

Background : Rifampicin (RFP) is a key component of the antituberculous short-course chemotherapy. Usually the RFP resistant M.tuberculosis is also resistant to isoniazid (INH), so the RFP resistance is the marker of multi-drug resistant (MDR) tuberculosis. But unusual cases of mono-RFP-resistant tuberculosis have been recently reported with increasing frequency, especially associated with HIV infection in western countries. Therefore, we conducted a retrospective study to investigate the frequency, causes, and the clinical characteristics of mono-RFP-resistant tuberculosis in Korea. Methods : Of the bacteriologically confirmed and susceptibility-proven 699 pulmonary tuberculosis patients (921 isolates) who visited Asan Medical Center from January 1990 to August 1997, eighteen patients with INH-susceptible and RFP-resistant tuberculosis were evaluated. Previous history of tuberculosis, antituberculous drug compliances, associated systemic illness, drug susceptibility patterns, and clinical outcomes were analysed. And rpoB gene sequencing was done in 6 clinical isolates of M. tuberculosis. Results : The mean age of 18 patients was $43{\pm}14$ years, and the sex ratio is 12:6 (M : F). Sixteen (89%) patients had previous history of tuberculosis. None had diagnosed gastrointestinal disorders, and 2 HIV tests that were performed came out negative. Susceptibility tests were done repeatedly in eleven patients, and six (55%) were mono-RFP resistant repeatedly while five (45%) evolved to MDR tuberculosis. Eight (44%) patients were cured, six (33%) failed, three (17%) were lost to follow-up, and the other one is now on treatment. rpoB gene sequencing showed 5 mutations, codon 531 TCG to TIG mutation in 4 isolates and 526 CAC to TAC in 1 isolate. Conclusion : The clinical characteristics of mono-RFP resistant tuberculosis were similar to that of MDR tuberculosis in Korea where the HIV infection rate is lower than western countries. But some patients with mono-RFP-resistant tuberculous could be cured by primary drug regimens including RFP, suggesting that mono-RFP-resistant tuberculous is a different entity from MDR tuberculosis.

• Research in Plant Disease
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.158-167
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• 2016

A pathogen that causes a new disease on green pumpkin in the nursery and the field was characterized and identified. Symptoms of the disease on green pumpkin were water soaking lesions and spots with strong yellow halo on leaf, brown lesion on flower, and yellow spot on fruit. The bacterial isolates from the leaf spot were pathogenic on the 8 curcubitaceae crop plants, green pumpkin, figleaf gourd, wax gourd, young pumpkin, zucchini, cucumber, melon, and oriental melon, whereas they did not cause the disease on sweet pumpkin and watermelon. They were Gram-negative, rod shape with polar flagella, fluorescent on King's B agar and LOPAT group 1a by LOPAT test. Their Biolog substrate utilization patterns were similar to Pseudomonas syringae pv. syringae's in Biolog database. Phylogenetic trees with 16S rRNA gene sequences and multilocus sequence typing (MLST) with nucleotide sequences of 4 housekeeping genes, gapA, gltA, gyrB, rpoD and those of P. syringae complex strains in the Plant Associated and Environmental Microbes Database (PAMDB) showed that the green pumpkin isolates formed in the same clade with P. syringae pv. syringae strains. The clade in MLST tree was in the genomospecies 1 group. The phenotypic and genotypic characteristics suggested that the isolates from green pumpkin lesion were P. syringae pv. syringae.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.55 no.1
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• pp.41-58
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• 2003

Background : The resurgence of tuberculosis and the widespread emergence of multidrug-resistant M. tuberculosis have emphasized the importance of rapid and accurate diagnostic procedures. Recently, the oligonucleotide chip has proven to be a useful tool in the rapid diagnosis of infectious diseases. The purpose of this study was to rapidly and accurately detect specific mutations in the rpoB, katG and rpsL genes associated with rifampin, isoniazid and streptomycin resistance in M. tuberculosis, respectively, using a single oligonucleotide chip. Method : For detection of drug-resistance, 7 wild-type and 13 mutant-type probes for rifampin, 2 wild-type and 3 mutant-type probes for isoniazid, and 2 wild-type and 2 mutant-type probes for streptomycin were designed and spotted onto glass slides. Fifty-five cultured samples of M. tuberculosis were amplified by PCR, and then underwent hybridization and scanning. Direct sequencing was done to verify the results from the oligonucleotide chip and to analyze the types of mutations. Result : Thirty-five cases out of 40 rifampin-resistant strains(~88%) had mutations in the rpoB gene. One case had a new mutation(D516F, GAC R TTC) and another known mutation together. Twenty cases out of 42 isoniazid-resistant strains(~50%) had mutations in the katG gene, while 7 cases out of 9 streptomycin-resistant strains(~78%) had mutations in the rpsL gene. From these results, the oligonucleotide chip was confirmed to be able to detect the most frequent mutations from the genes associated with rifampin, isoniazid and streptomycin resistance. The results proved that the drug-resistance detection probes were specific. When the results from the oligonucleotide chip and DNA sequencing were compared, the types of mutations were exactly matched. Conclusion : The diagnostic oligonucleotide chip with mutation specific probes for drug resistance is a very reliable and useful tool for the rapid and accurate diagnosis of drug resistance against rifampin, isoniazid and streptomycin in M. tuberculosis infections.

• Research in Plant Disease
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.180-186
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• 2021

Typical bacterial symptoms, water-soaking brown and black leaf spots with yellow halo, were observed on watermelon seedlings in nursery and field of Gyeongnam and Jeonnam provinces. Bacterial isolates from the lesion showed strong pathogenicity on watermelon and zucchini. One of them was rod-shaped with 4 polar flagella by observation of transmission electron microscopy. They belonged to LOPAT group 1. The phylogenical trees with nucleotide sequences of 16S rRNA and multi-locus sequencing typing with the 4 house-keeping genes (gapA, gltA, gyrB, and rpoD) of the isolates showed they were highly homologous to Pseudomonas syringae pv. syringae and grouped together with them, indicating that they were appeared as P. syringae genomospecies group 1. Morphological, physiological, and genetical characteristics of the isolates suggested they are P. syringae pv. syringae. We believe this is the first report that P. syringae pv. syringae caused leaf spot disease on watermelon in the Republic of Korea.