• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.48 no.4
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• pp.501-503
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• 2008

An adult one-year-old male Eurasian beaver (Castor fiber) died of a traumatic injury to its right leg from a fall. At necropsy, fibrinopurulent exudates were observed in the thoracic cavity. Histopathologic examination showed that the pericardium, thoracic wall, pulmonary pleura and the lungs were markedly thickened due to mixtures of necrotic cellular debris, neutrophils, fibrin, red blood cells, and bacterial aggregates. Pure culture of Klebsiella (K.) pneumoniae was isolated from the thoracic exudates, pleura and heart tissues. Based on these findings, this is the first report describing pleuritis and pericarditis associated to K. pneumoniae in a beaver.

• Journal of Korean Society of Water and Wastewater
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.165-172
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• 2010

Treated sewage could enable growth by providing key nutrients or seeding the sediments with enterococci strains that can grow in the environment. This study is to test the hypothesis that the flux of bacteria into the water column is rate-limited by the transfer of bacteria across the sediment/water interface. Two conceptual models are derived for the transfer of bacteria to the water column from the sediment/water interface: convective diffusion of isolated bacteria and resuspension of particle-associated bacteria. The model predictions are directly tested together with field measurements of bacteria and sediment in an effluent-dominated stream where high concentrations of enterococci in this stream originate primarily from growth of the bacteria in stream sediments. The results reveal that high concentrations of enterococci in this stream are transported primarily by resuspension of particle-associated bacteria accumulated at the sediment/water interface, either in the form of bacterial aggregates or in the form of inorganic particles.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.40 no.2
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• pp.83-91
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• 2012

Quorum sensing (QS) is a cell-to-cell communication system, which is used by many bacteria to regulate diverse gene expression in response to changes in population density. Bacteria recognize the differences in cell density by sensing the concentration of signal molecules such as N-acyl-homoserine lactones (AHL) and autoinducer-2 (AI-2). In particular, QS plays a key role in biofilm formation, which is a specific bacterial group behavior. Biofilms are dense aggregates of packed microbial communities that grow on surfaces, and are embedded in a self-produced matrix of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS). QS regulates biofilm dispersal as well as the production of EPS. In some bacteria, biofilm formations are regulated by c-di-GMP-mediated signaling as well as QS, thus the two signaling systems are mutually connected. Biofilms are one of the major virulence factors in pathogenic bacteria. In addition, they cause numerous problems in industrial fields, such as the biofouling of pipes, tanks and membrane bioreactors (MBR). Therefore, the interference of QS, referred to as quorum quenching (QQ) has received a great deal of attention. To inhibit biofilm formation, several strategies to disrupt bacterial QS have been reported, and many enzymes which can degrade or modify the signal molecule AHL have been studied. QQ enzymes, such as AHL-lactonase, AHL-acylase, and oxidoreductases may offer great potential for the effective control of biofilm formation and membrane biofouling in the future. This review describes the process of bacterial QS, biofilm formation, and the close relationship between them. Finally, QQ enzymes and their applications for the reduction of biofouling are also discussed.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.226-233
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• 2007

Members of Methylobacterium, referred as pink-pigmented facultative methylotrophic bacteria, are frequently associated with terrestrial and aquatic plants, tending to form aggregates on the phyllosphere. We report here that the production of autoinducer molecules involved in the cell-to-cell signaling process, which is known as quorum sensing, is common among Methylobacterium species. Several strains of Methylobacterium were tested for their ability to produce N-acyl-homoserine lactone (AHL) signal molecules using different indicators. Most strains of Methylobacterium tested could elicit a positive response in Agrobacterium tumefaciens harboring lacZ fused to a gene that is regulated by autoinduction. The synthesis of these compounds was cell-density dependent, and the maximal activity was reached during the late exponential to stationary phases. The bacterial extracts were separated by thin-layer chromatography and bioassayed with A. tumefaciens NTI (traR, tra::lacZ749). They revealed the production of various patterns of the signal molecules, which are strain dependent. At least two signal molecules could be detected in most of the strains tested, and comparison of their relative mobilities suggested that they are homologs of N-octanoyl-$_{DL}$-homoserine lactone ($C_8-HSL$) and N-decanoyl-$_{DL}$-homoserine lactone ($C_{10}-HSL$).

• Journal of the Mineralogical Society of Korea
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.91-99
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• 2011

The turbidity in several wells of Samdong-myeon, Ulsan, exceeded potable groundwater standard (1 NTU). Mineralogical analysis showed that the fine suspended particles are ferrihydrite spheres with a size of less than $0.5\;{\mu}m$ and helical iron-oxidizing bacterial filaments, and their aggregates. Ferrihydrite was almost amorphous only showing two electron diffraction rings, and contained Si and P. Helical bacterial filaments were almost replaced by ferrihydrite. The helical bacteria have played an important role in the ferrihydrite formation by becoming the loci for ferrihydrite precipitation as well as oxidizing ferrous iron. The physicochemical conditions of low pH, low redox potential, high Ca concentration, and high alkalinity are consistent with the hydrogeochemical characteristics of carbonate groundwater, implicating that the inflow of deep ferriferous carbonate groundwater and its oxidation have caused the ferrihydrite turbidity in several wells of the study area.

• Journal of Microbiology
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• v.40 no.2
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• pp.91-97
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• 2002

Enteroaggregative E. coil (EAEC) is an important aethiological causal agent of diarrhea in people of developed and undeveloped countries. Different in vitro and in vivo models have been proposed to study the pathdgenic and immune mechanisms of EAEC infaction. The aim of this study was to analyze whether BALB/c mice could be used as an animal model to study EAEC pathogenesis Six-week-old BALB/c mice were inoculated with EAEC strain 042 (044:H88) nalidixic acid resistant, and re-inoc-ulated ten days after. Mice feces were monitored for the presence of the EAEC strain over a period of 20 days . Bacteria were enumerated on MacConkey agar containing 100$\mu$g of nalidixic acid per ml. Results showed that 35% of the animals were colonized for 3 days, 15% for 5 and 10% for more than 7 days . After re-inoculation only 16% of the animals remained colonized for more than 3 days. During the necropsy, the intestinal fluid of same of the infected animals presented mucus and blood. Six of these fluids showed the presence of IgA antibodies againset Pet toxin and IgG natibodies raised against the toxin were also detected in the animal serum. Histopathologic evidence confirms the stimulation of mucus hypersecretion, an increased amount of goblet cells and the presence of bacterial aggregates in the apical surfaces of intestinal epithelial cells. Edema was present in the submucosa. These results suggest that BALB/c mice could be used as an animal model for in vivo study of EAEC infection.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.38 no.2
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• pp.216-221
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• 2010

This study shows an application of microbiologically induced carbonate precipitate for strength improvement and crack remediation of cement-sand mortar. Seven calcium carbonate-forming bacteria (CFB) were isolated from Dok-do and partially identified by DNA sequence analysis of the 16s rRNA gene. Crystal aggregates were apparent around the bacterial colonies grown on an agar medium. These strains showed strain specific $CaCO_3$ precipitation on urea-$CaCl_2$ medium. Among 7 isolates, Arthrobacter nicotinovorans KNUC601, Microbacterium resistens KNUC602, Agrobacterium tumefaciens KNUC603, Exiguobacterium acetylicum KNUC604, and Bacillus thuringiensis KNUC606 showed a repairing of artificial forced cracks in cement-sand mortar. Compressive strength of cement-sand mortar consolidated with Stenotrophomonas maltophilia KNUC605 was increased around 14.07% compared with that of negative control.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.486-492
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• 2013

Recently, a new disease showing symptoms such as epidermal exfoliation and muscular necrosis occurred in cultured Korean catfish. Although the mortality of fishes was low but the economic damages owing to loss of commercial value were severe. The authors isolated the causative agent from diseased fish and observed pathological changes both in naturally and artificially infected fish. The causative bacteria was identified as Aeromonas veronii. Subsequently we observed the daily death and pathological symptoms of artificially infected fish with Aeromonas veronii. Symptoms of artificially infected fish were similar to those of naturally infected fish and all fish died within 7 days after infection. Histopathological changes on the naturally infected fish revealed severe congestion and necrotic degeneration in the liver, spleen and kidney. Some bacterial aggregates with inflammatory degeneration were observed in the heart, and congestion and fibrosis in the lamina propria of digestive tube were predominant. In artificially infected fish, skin erosion and necrotic degeneration of muscle tissue around injected region were particularly manifested. Degeneration of hepatocytes in liver and hyalic degeneration around ellipsoids in spleen were partially observed. However, there were no predominant signs in digestive tube in artificially infected fish.