• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.44 no.4
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• pp.326-332
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• 2008

Various bacteria were isolated from Korean soil samples based on their capability inhibiting the growth of MRSA strains. Among them, strain YK5 with the highest activity was a Gram positive sporulative bacillus with motility. It did not produce indole and no acid was formed from mannitol by the bacterium. The 16S rRNA sequence of the strain showed $95{\sim}98%$ homology with those of Paenibacillus spp.. The bacterial isolate shared the highest homology with that of P. elgii (98%), but was named as Paenibacillus incheonensis YK5 due to differences in physiological properties. Butanol extract of the P. incheonensis YK5 culture grown in SST medium at $37^{\circ}C$ for 96 hr showed a broad antimicrobial activity against Gram-positive (MRSA and Streptococcus pneumoniae) and negative (Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Salmonella spp., Shigella spp., Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae) pathogenic bacteria and fungi (Cryptococcus neoformans and Trichophyton). The antimicrobial activity in the crude extract was stable in a broad range of temperature and pH, $20{\sim}100^{\circ}C$ and $3.0{\sim}6.0$, respectively. Therefore, the antimicrobial activity of P. incheonesis YK5 had potential as a novel antibiotics for pathogens including MRSA.

• Journal of Veterinary Clinics
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.115-118
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• 2013

An 8-year-old spayed female domestic shorthair cat was presented with a chief complaint of chronic nasal discharge and dyspnea. Physical examination revealed pyohemorrhagic nasal discharge, inspiratory dyspnea and stertor, and an enlarged right mandibular lymph node. Abnormalities of blood works and serum chemistry included mildly increased hematocrit, and globulin concentration. Serologic tests for FeLV and FIV, and a panel of polymerase chain reaction tests for Chlamydophila felis, Feline Calicivirus, Herpesvirus, Bordetella, Mycoplasma felis, and H1N1 influenza was all negative. Only radiographic finding showed increasing soft tissue density in the right nasal cavity and computed tomography disclosed soft tissue/fluid opacification in the right nasal cavity, paranasal sinus, and pharyinx along with slight deviation to the right of the osseous nasal septum. Focal lysis of ventral nasal septum was also suspected in CT scan. Cytological evaluation of fine needle aspirate smears of the enlarged mandibular lymph nodes revealed numerous fungal yeasts having variably thick capsule both extracellularly and intracellularly with low numbers of macrophages. Some yeasts showed narrow based budding, which was a consistent finding with Cryptococcus organisms. Serum protein electrophoresis was a polyclonal consistent with chronic infection and serum was submitted for a fungal serology panel test. In serologic tests Cryptococcus antigen titer was 1 : 32,768. In vitro culture was unsuccessful. Treatment was initiated with administration of fluconazole, clindamycin, and tocopherol. Clinical signs resolved within 3 days after the initial treatment. The cat was discharged and scheduled for periodic evaluation and continued therapy, but was lost to follow-up thereafter.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.497-502
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• 2008

The essential oil from the cones of Pinus koraiensis was prepared after removing the seeds, and its chemical composition analyzed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Hydrodistillation of the P. koraiensis cones yielded 1.07% (v/w) of essential oil, which was almost three times the amount of essential oil extracted from the needles of the same plant. Moreover, the antimicrobial activities of the oil against the growth of Gram-positive bacteria, Gram-negative bacteria, and fungi were evaluated using the agar disc diffusion method and broth microdilution method. Eighty-seven components, comprising about 96.8% of the total oil, were identified. The most abundant oil components were limonene (27.90%), ${\alpha}$-pinene (23.89%), ${\beta}$-pinene (12.02%), 3-carene(4.95%), ${\beta}$-myrcene (4.53%), isolongifolene (3.35%), (-)-bornyl acetate (2.02%), caryophyllene (1.71%), and camphene (1.54%). The essential oil was confirmed to have significant antimicrobial activities, especially against pathogenic fungal strains such as Candida glabrata YFCC 062 and Cryptococcus neoformans B 42419. Therefore, the present results indicate that the essential oil from the cones of Pinus koraiensis can be used in various ways as a nontoxic and environmentally friendly disinfectant.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.37 no.3
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• pp.292-296
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• 2004

Cryptococcus neoformans is a ubiquitous fungus found worldwide, particularly in soil contaminated by pigeon drop- pings. Pulmonary cryptococcosis occurs rarely in immunocompetent individuals. The risk of cryptococcal infection increases with the degree of immunal compromise, in human immunodeficiency virus infection especially. Pulmonary cryptococcosis is most frequently encountered as asymptomatic single or multiple pulmonary nodules found by routine chest x-ray examination. The diagnosis is most often made in these situations by the histology of the resected lesion. Acute progressive pneumonia may occur, with symptoms of cough, sputum production, fever, and weakness. The clinical picture is not pathognomonic. The yeasts are stained well by any of the special stains for fungi. Treatment is now indicated for all cases given a diagnosis of cryptococcosis, even if the diagnosis has been made by resecton of a solitary, asymptomatic pulmonary nodule.

• 한국균학회소식:학술대회논문집
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• 2015.05a
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• pp.60-60
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• 2015

Hybrid histidine kinase is a part of two-component system that is required for various stress responses and pathogenesis of pathogenic fungi. In the present study, Tco1, a homologue of human pathogen Cryptococcus neoformans Tco1 encoding a hybrid histidine kinase, was identified in corn smut pathogen Ustilago maydis by bioinformatic analysis. To explore the role of Tco1 in the virulence of U. maydis, mutants in which the tco1 gene was partially deleted were constructed by allelic exchange. The U. maydis tco1 mutants did show unaltered growth rate on axenic medium but were unable to produce conjugation tubes and develop fuzzy filaments, resulting in impaired mating of compatible strains. The expression levels of prf1, pra1, and mfa1 which are involved in the pheromone pathway significantly decreased in the tco1 mutants. In inoculation tests to host, the tco1 mutants showed significantly reduced ability in the production of anthocyanin pigments and tumor development on maize leaves. Overall, the combined results indicated that Tco1 plays important roles in sexual development and virulence of U. maydis by regulating the expression of the genes involved in the pheromone pathway.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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• v.45 no.4
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• pp.144-148
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• 2013

Candida spp. are yeast form fungi, which cause an opportunistic infections in a immune suppressed patients however it is a normal flora of the respiratory system, the gastrointestinal system, and the urogenital system of healthy person. It is investigated that the distribution of Candida spp. cause an oral disease from oral cavity of healthy people and also identified Candia dubliniensis. Distribution and identification of the yeast form fungi in oral cavities of healthy people was investigated by an automatic identifier, VITEK2 system. We found 21 strains of Candida albicans, 3 strains of Candida famata, one strain of Candida tropicalis, Candida haemulonii, Candida krusei, and Candida dubliniensis. In addition, one strain of Cryptococcus spp., Saccharomyces spp., and two unknown strains were isolated. Candida dubliniensis which forms a mass by more than 2 chlamydospores was isolated from a healthy person for the first time. Candida dubliniensis was not grown at $42^{\circ}C$ whereas Candida albicans was grown well. It is known that Candida dubliniencis was isolated in AIDS while it is found in healthy people from this study, which will be helpful to investigate the distribution of Candida spp.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.23 no.5
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• pp.506-512
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• 1995

A cell aggregation factor produced by Aspergillus sp. LAM 94-142 was purified and partially characterized. The factor was purified about 15 folds from culture broth by IRA 420 and IRC 120 treatment, 1% NaCl added acetone precipitation, and Sepharose 4B column chromatography with overall yield of 48%. It was heteropolysaccharide consisted of mannose, arabinose, and glucose with a molar ratio, 31:17:2, and its molecular weight was estimated to be about 900,000 daltons by Sepharodse 4B gel filtration method. The optimum pH and temperature was 8 and 40$\circ$C, respectively. The factor was stable in pH range of 3-9 and at 100$\circ$C for 90 min. The cell aggregation activity of the factor was inhibited by the addition of Hg$^{2+}$, Fe$^{2+}$, Cu$^{2+}$, and some polypeptides such as milk casein or hemoglobin. The factor aggregated Bacillus subtilis, B. macerans, B. turingiensis, E. coli, Peudomonas aeruginosa, P. fluorescens, P. malophilia, and weakly aggregated Staphylococcus sp., Sarcina lutea, P. putida and Cryptococcus neoformnans, but it didn't aggregate various strains of Candida sp. and Saccharomyces sp.

• The Korean Journal of Mycology
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• v.25 no.4 s.83
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• pp.348-353
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• 1997

Ether extract of Cinnamomi Cortex showing antifungal activity was purified and characterized. The active component from the extract was identified to be trans-cinnamaldehyde, which was effective in inhibiting the growth of the representative fungi of dermatomycosis with minimum inhibitory concentration of $39{\sim}78\;{\mu}g/ml$. The antifungal spectrum of trans-cinnamaldehyde was broader than that of commercial antifungal agent, Ketoconazole.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.38 no.3
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• pp.287-296
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• 1991

Colonial morphology of the various yeasts often encountered in sputum or other clinical specimens was investigated on the corn meal-potato-yeast extract agar medium (GJCPY) containing orange-yellow pigments extracted from Gardenia jasminoides fruits in hopes of differential identification on primary cultures. The results obtained are as follows. 1) Cryptococcus neoformans which is a medically important yeast and whose colony showed brown to purple brown on GJCPY medium was distinguishable not only from buff colored Cr. laurentii after one week incubation but also from Candida spp. 2) Colony color of Candida albicans, a most common species in sputum specimens and of Ca. parapsilosis, a rare isolate, remained unchanged even after 15 days incubation. 3) Ca. tropicalis, second common isolate from sputums and Ca. krusei, a rare isolate, formed a characteristic rough and wrinkled colonies that permit to differentiate them from others. 4) Rare isolates, Ca. guilliermondii and Ca. lusitaniae, turned to prussian blue within three days of incubation. 5) Torulopsis sp. and Saccharomyces cerevisiae showed glossy grayish blue or light blue after one week incubation. The findings clearly showed that Ga. jasminoides pigments medium was useful to the morphological differentiation of medically important yeasts that were often encountered in sputum or other clinical specimens.

• Korean journal of food and cookery science
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.41-46
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• 1988

Omija tea with a pH range of 2.8~3.0 was stored at $25^{\circ}C$ to study its spoilage due to microbial growth. Titratable acidity was increasing during the storage period in the tea stored with the Omija fruits but not in removed of the fruits after extraction. Microbial cells began to show up earlier in the tea without the fruits than that with the fruits. Four strains of yeasts and a strain of mold were isolated from spoiled Omija tea. Morphological, cultural and physiological characteristics of yeasts were investigated and the yeasts were identified as Rhodotorula rubra, Saccharomyces kluyveri, Cryptococcus hungaricus and Candida humicola. Morphological characteristics of the isolated mold was observed and the mold was identified as Mucor circinelloides f. janssenii.