• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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• v.48 no.2
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• pp.124-129
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• 2016

Endotoxin, also known as lipopolysaccharide (LPS) produced by the cell wall of gram negative bacteria can be present in any liquid or on any biomaterial. Endotoxin in blood can cause fever and inflammation. In this study, we compared bacterial endotoxin using Escherichia coli O157:H7, Klebsiella oxytoca, Salmonella Typhi, Shigella sonnei and Morganella morganii. Bacteria were cultured for use in the experiment, and diluted to $1.5{\times}10^8CFU/mL$. A check marked sensitivity confirmatory test of the Limulus amebocyte lysate (LAL) reagent was performed to examine the validity. The end point reaction to each bacteria sample was confirmed with 10 fold dilution and then the final reaction end point was confirmed by 2 fold dilution between the dilution step and the upper dilution step. According to the results, in detection of endotoxins in more than 0.015 EU/mL, E. coli O157 was 75~37.5 CFU/mL, K. oxytoca 37.5~18.75 CFU/mL, M. morganii and S. Typhi 3.75~1.875 CFU/mL, and S. sonnei 7.5~3.75 CFU/mL. The resulting value was finally ensured by a confirmation test for the inhibitory factor. Based on this study, conduct of further research on bacterial endotoxin is encouraged.

• The Journal of the Korean Society for Microbiology
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.435-439
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• 1986

The viability of tubercle bacilli in the sputum specimens has been investigated after different periods of storage at diffeent temperatures and in the presence of different preservatives. No loss of culture positives was observed for one week storage at $4^{\circ}C$, but 9.8% 19.5%C, and 26.8% of sputums failed to yield positives on 2, 3, and 4 weeks of storage respectively. At $25^{\circ}C$ even one week storage made 19.5% of sputums fail to yield positive culture and 2, 3, and 4 weeks of storage made 36.6% 70.7%, and 90.2% of sputums fail to yield positive culture respectively. And contamination was unacceptably high beyond one week of storage at $25^{\circ}C$. Contamination of sputum specimens could be protected fairly well by 0.5% boric acid, by 5% trisodium phosphate or by 0.5% cetylpyridium chloride, but, except CP, the former two had no advantage at all to protect viability of tubercle bacilli over the specimens without preservative. The CP was much less harmful to the viability of tubercle bacilli than BA, yielding 61.0% and 31.7% of culture positives on 3 and 4 weeks of storage in the presence of CP, while BA yielded 34.1% and 4.9% of positives on the same respective periods of storage. Therefore CP may be useful to preserve sputums if it takes more than 2 weeks to transport them at the temperature of over $25^{\circ}C$.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.191-200
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• 1999

In recent years continuously increasing number of tuberculosis (TB) cases due to the emergence of strains with multidrug resistance and AIDS is a significant global health problem. Therefore, more rapid and reliable diagnosis of TB may be one of the most urgent needs in efforts to eradicate the disease. The present study was designed to compare and assess the diagnostic values and efficiencies between the conventional methods (X-ray, AFB stain and culture) and PCR for pulmonary TB on 171 cases. Chest X-ray finding and clinical features revealed that 39 (22.8%) of 171 sputum specimens were pulmonary TB cases. The statistical data were taken on the basis of the definitive diagnosis: In X-ray, overall sensitivity, specificity, efficiency and false positive and false negative incidence was respectively 69.2%, 87.1％, 83.0%, 12.9%, and 30.8％； 79.5%, 95.5%, 91.8%,4.6％ and 20.5％ in AFB-stain; 56.4%, 99.2%,89.5%, 0.8% and 43.6% in culture; 82.1%, 96.2%, 93.0%, 3.8% and 17.9% in PCR. PCR got a highest sensitivity and efficiency as well as a lowest false negative incidence. Culture had a highest specificity with a lowest false positive incidence. These results imply that PCR assay is fast, sensitive and efficient method for diagnosis of pulmonary TB. However, combined use of the conventional methods with thorough quality control may offer more opportunities for detecting Mycobacterium tuberculosis and diagnosting TB although they have some limits.

• Pediatric Infection and Vaccine
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.74-78
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• 2002

Purpose : Proper diagnosis of group A streptococcal pharyngitis that may cause chronic diseases in childhood is not easy because its signs and symptoms would be nonspecific. Because results of classical throat culture delays for one to two days, we'd like to determine whether early antibiotics would be introduced with according to the clinical score system. This study was undertaken to evaluate of clinical usefulness of scoring system based on the clinical and laboratory findings. Methods : From Jan. 1998 to Dec. 2000, 10 clinical items based on modified 9 items by Breese in 1977 were checked in patients with pharyngitis who visited on outpatients clinic of pediatrics, Kyunghee University Hospital. We compared the results of throat culture with the points of clinical score system. Results : Out of 45 cases, the positive culture for Group A Streptococcus was 20 and negative culture was 25. When we applied more than 30 points of score, which correspond to 70 percentile of study population, the sensitivity and specificity were 35.0% and 96.0%, respectively. Conclusion : Although sensitivity was relatively low this scoring system, but the high specificity may be useful diagnostic tool in the areas where the rate of isolation of Group A Streptococcus is low.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Inherited Metabolic disease
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.28-36
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• 2022

Purpose: Detection of abnormal metabolites in plasma amino acid (PAA) and urine organic acid (UOA) analyses has been used to diagnose clinical mitochondrial diseases, such as Leigh syndrome. In this study, the diagnostic values and effectiveness of PAA and UOA analyses were reviewed. Methods: This was a retrospective study of patients with Leigh syndrome who were diagnosed between 2003 and 2018 in a single tertiary care center. Through a whole mitochondrial sequencing and nuclear DNA associated mitochondrial gene panel analysis, 19 patients were found to be positive for mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) mutation-associated Leigh syndrome, and 57 patients were negative. Their PAA and UOA analyses results were then compared. Results: In the comparison of the PAA and UOA analyses results between the two groups, no abnormal metabolites showed obvious differences between the mtDNA mutation-positive Leigh syndrome and mtDNA mutation-negative Leigh syndrome groups. Conclusion: PAA and UOA analyses are inappropriate test methods for diagnosing Leigh syndrome or screening of mtDNA mutation-associated Leigh syndrome. However, UOA analysis might still be a suitable screening test for Leigh syndrome.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.39 no.1
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• pp.36-39
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• 2003

The rapid and reliable 16S rDNA multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay was established to characterize bacterial etiologies of middle ear effusion. These etiologies included Haemophilus influenzae, Moraxella catarrhalis and Streptococcus pneumonia, which were detected in middle-ear effusion (MEE) samples taken from patient with otitis media. A total of 39 MEE samples were aspirated from 26 patients. DNA was extracted from MEE samples, and PCR was done with DNA extracts by using the common primers, which is localized at C4 region in the 16S rDNA gene of all bacterial species, and species-specific primers: (i) Haemophilus-specific primer, (ii) Moraxella- specific primer, and (iii) Streptococcus-specific primer. Among 39 samples tested, 24 (61.5%) were positive for H. influenzae, 10 (25.6%) were positive for M. catarrhalis, 3(7.7%) were positive for S. pneumonia, and 11 (28%) were negative for 165 rDNA multiplex PCR reaction. Nine samples (28.6%) exhibited a mixed infection and were positive for both H. infuenzae and M. catarrhalis. We suggested that 16S rDNA multiplex PCR is a useful method to identify rapidly for rapid identification of the pathogenic bacteria and characterization of bacterial etiologies of middle ear effusion.

• Research in Plant Disease
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.326-330
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• 2013

During the 2012 growing season, 154 leaf samples were collected from sweet cherry trees in Hwaseong, Pyeongtaek, Gyeongju, Kimcheon, Daegu, Yeongju and Eumseong and tested for the presence of Cherry green ring mottle virus (CGRMV). PCR products of the expected size (807 bp) were obtained from 6 samples. The PCR products were cloned and sequenced. The nucleotide sequences of the clones showed over 88% identities to published coat protein sequences of CGRMV isolates in the GenBank database. The sequences of CGRMV isolates, CGR-KO 1-6 shared 98.8 to 99.8% nucleotide and 99.6 to 100% amino acid similarities. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that the Korean CGRMV isolates belong to the group II of CGRMV coat protein genes. The CGRMV infected sweet cherry trees were also tested for Apple chlorotic leaf spot virus (ACLSV), Apple mosaic virus (ApMV), Cherry necrotic rusty mottle virus (CNRMV), Cherry mottle leaf virus (CMLV), Cherry rasp leaf virus (CRLV), Cherry leafroll virus (CLRV), Cherry virus A (CVA), Little cherry virus 1 (LChV1), Prune dwarf virus (PDV) and Prunus necrotic ringspot virus (PNRSV) by RT-PCR. All of the tested trees were also infected with ACLSV.

• Food Science and Preservation
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.46-52
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• 2011

Wild grape juice was fermented by Gluconacetobacter hansenii TF-2 isolated from tea fungus, to develop a new acidic beverage (fermented wild grape beverage, WGB). Broth was prepared by fermentation of 11~17% (v/v) juice, and sweetened with sucrose (initial sucrose level: $10^{\circ}$ Brix). Fermentation was initiated by addition of 5% (w/v) seed gel (the pellicle of the tea fungus) which had been previously cultured in the same medium (freshjuice broth), and fermentation proceeded in the dark at $29{\pm}1^{\circ}C$ for about 15 days. The major acids produced were succinic acid, malic acid, and acetic acid. After 15 days of fermentation, the organic acid content (principally succinic acid) was 49.6 ppm in WGB 11 and 77.4 ppm in WGB 17. The free sugar content of WGB was 1063.6-1082.5 mg/mL, composed of unfermented fructose, glucose, and sucrose, in that order. The microbial inhibitory effects of the fermented beverage were most apparent when Gram-negative bacteria (Escherichia coli and Salmonella typhimurium) were tested; the inhibition rate was 34.46-88.00%. The new fermented beverage thus displays effective antimicrobial activity against some species of bacteria.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.37 no.8
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• pp.1037-1043
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• 2008

In this experiment, citrus juice was fermented by Gluconacetobacter hansenii TF-2, an isolate from tea fungus to develop a new type of acidic beverage. The juice broth is made by fermenting of $11{\sim}17%$ (v/v) juice and sweetened with sucrose (initial sucrose $10^{\circ}Brix$). The fermentation by G. hansenii TF-2 was initiated by adding 5% (w/v) of seed gel (pellicle, tea fungus) which was previously cultured in the same medium (fresh juice broth) and the fermentation was carried out in a dark incubator at $28{\sim}30^{\circ}C$ for about 15 days. During the fermentation a pellicle grew on the surface of the fermenting fluid and acids were produced. Fermented fluid (beverage) was centrifuged at 7,000 rpm for 15 min for further analyses. The highest amount of the other metabolites including organic acids were observed in 5 to 10 days. Major acids were acetic acid (fermented citrus beverage, CB). After 15 days of fermentation, organic acid content such as acetic acid in fermented beverage was measured to be $183.5{\sim}186.6\;ppm$. Free sugars content in CB were 56.8%, 35.1%, 40.7% and 63.2% of unfermented sucrose, glucose, fructose and sorbitol, respectively. When the growth rate of inhibitory effect of the fermented beverage was measured by using several species of food-related bacteria, the beverage fermented with CB exhibited the strongest inhibition against gram-negative (E. coli and Sal. Typhimurium). Its inhibition rate was between $71.9{\sim}94.0%$ at CB. Fermented beverage has shown effectiveness for antimicrobial activity against some species of food-related bacteria.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.30 no.6
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• pp.1362-1366
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• 1998

The sterilizing effect of electron beam was compared with that of gamma irradiation for commercial ginseng powders. White and red ginseng powders were contaminated by about $10^5\;CFU/g$ of total bacteria and by $10^3\;CFU$ of coliforms only in white ginseng powder. Data of microbial population for the sterilizing effect of electron beam irradiation showed that no microorganisms were detected in the samples irradiated up to 7.5 kGy for total aerobic bacteria and 2.5 kGy for molds and coliforms. Such doses were effective for controlling the microbial growth in the samples during 4 months of storage at room temperature. Decimal reduction doses $(D_{10}$ value) on the initial bacterial populations were $2.85{\sim}3.75\;kGy$ in electron beam and $2.33{\sim}2.44\;kGy$ in gamma irradiation, which were influenced by the initial microbial loads and the energy applied. Compared with gamma irradiation, electron beam showed a similar result in its sterilizing effect on ginseng powders, suggesting its potential utilization in due time.