• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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• v.43 no.3
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• pp.124-132
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• 2011

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of the photosensitizer photogem with light-emitting diode (LED) on vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE). Two VRE strains isolated from the feces of patients. that was identificated Enterococcus faecium (vanA) and Enterococcus gallinarum (vanC1) using traditional biochemical tests and confirmed VRE genotyping from using polymerase chain reaction. In addition, three strains were used Enterococcus. faecalis CDC-286 (vanA), E. faecalis CDC-583 (vanB) and E. gallinarum CDC-42 (vanC1). To examine the antimicrobial effect of photogem mediated photodynamic therapy (PDT) against, CFU quantification and Disk diffusion antimicrobial susceptibility test were evaluated. The effects of Photodynamic therapy was not associated with genotype. Photogem mediated PDT perfectly inhibited the colony formation of E. faecalis CDC-286. The number of viable bacteria decreased greatly after PDT application with photogem $50{\mu}g/mL$ and energy density of $15J/cm^2$. The diameter of inhibition zone was increased to after PDT more than before PDT. The case of vancomycin disc on E. faecalis CDC-583 and E. galinanum-Patient were changed from resistant to intermediate resistant, from intermediate resistant to susceptable. These results demonstrate that lethal photosensitization of VRE can be achieved using photogem plus 630 nm LED irradiation.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.202-210
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• 2017

As an effort to find a potential biopreservative, we isolated bacterial strains producing bacteriocin from fermented foods. A strain was finally selected and characteristics of the bacteriocin were investigated. The selected strain was identified as Bacillus subtilis E9-1 based on the 16S rRNA gene analysis. The culture supernatant of B. subtilis E9-1 showed antimicrobial activity against Gram-positive bacteria. Subtilisin A, ${\alpha}$-chymotrypsin, trypsin and proteinase K inactivated the antimicrobial activity, which means its proteinaceous nature, a bacteriocin. The bacteriocin activity was fully retained at the pH range from 2.0 to 8.0 and stable at up to $100^{\circ}C$ for 60 min. Solvents such as ethanol, isopropanol and methanol had no effect on the antimicrobial activity at the concentration of 100% but acetone and acetonitrile reduced the activity at up to 100% concentration. Cell growth of four indicator strains was dramatically decreased in dose-dependent manner. Listeria monocytogenes was the most sensitive, but Enterococcus faecium was the most resistant. Bacillus cereus and Staphylococcus aureus showed the medium sensitivity. The bacteriocin showed its antimicrobial activity against B. cereus and L. monocytogenes via bactericidal action. The number of viable cells of L. monocytogenes started to reduce after addition of bacteriocin to the minced beef. The bacteriocin was purified through acetone concentration, gel filtration chromatography and RP-HPLC. The whole purification step led to a 6.82 fold increase in the specific activity and 6% yield of bacteriocin activity. The molecular weight of the purified bacteriocin was determined to be 3.3 kDa by MALDI-TOF/TOF mass spectrometry.

• Journal of Dairy Science and Biotechnology
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• v.38 no.2
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• pp.70-88
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• 2020

Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) form an essential part of the intestinal microbiota of the human body and possess the ability to stabilize the intestinal microbiota, strengthen immunity, and promote digestion as well as intestinal synthesis of vitamins, amino acids, and proteins. Hence, LAB are currently widely used in various products. However, due to the indiscriminate overuse of antibiotics in humans and livestock, bacterial resistance to antibiotics has been increasing rapidly, which has led to serious problems in the treatment of bacterial infections. Additionally, several reports have revealed that antibiotic-resistant LAB may infect people whose immune systems are not fully developed or whose immune systems are temporarily weakened. Therefore, it is imperative to consider the possibility of antibiotic-resistant LAB causing diseases in humans and animals, investigate the mechanism of action between antibiotics and LAB, and determine the relevant regulations for the safe use of LAB.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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• v.51 no.2
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• pp.155-163
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• 2019

During the time period from 2010 to 2017, out of 162,551 blood specimens, 11,233 (6.9%) specimens were positive for culture and 11,865 strains were cultured. Among the isolates, 47.8% were Gram positive cocci, 38.8% were Gram negative rods, 4.2% were Gram positive bacilli, 6.8% were fungi and 2.3% were anaerobes. When the culture results were compared according to gender, 55.0% (2,732/4,969) of the isolates were found in males and 45.0% (2,237/4,969) were isolated in females. In addition, when categorized according to age group, people in their 70s were the most separated by 28.7% (1,426/4,969) and this showed a great difference from 1.2% (62/4,969) of people in their teens. MRSA decreased significantly from 66.7% in 2016 to 46.8% in 2017. The vancomycin resistance rate of E. faecium was 35.0% (48/137). The ESBL positive rate of E. coli in intestinal bacteria was increased from 17.2% in 2010 to 28.8% in 2017, but the positive rate decreased for K. pneumoniae. 11.8% (14/119) of multidrug-resistant P. aeruginosa (MDRPA) of P. aeruginosa and 64.3% (161/252) of MDRAB of A. baumannii showed high resistance. Because the microbial susceptibility and antimicrobial susceptibility patterns of the blood specimens isolated from all the blood specimens differ according to the time period, region and patients, periodic analyses of different pathogens and understanding the changes in the degree of susceptibility to antimicrobial susceptibility have been conducted in hospitals.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.33 no.7
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• pp.964-972
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• 2023

Bacteriophage endolysins are peptidoglycan hydrolases composed of cell binding domain (CBD) and an enzymatically active domain. A phage endolysin CBD can be used for detecting bacteria owing to its high specificity and sensitivity toward the bacterial cell wall. We aimed to develop a method for detection of Enterococcus faecalis using an endolysin CBD. The gene encoding the CBD of ECP3 phage endolysin was cloned into the Escherichia coli expression vector pET21a. A recombinant protein with a C-terminal 6-His-tag (CBD) was expressed and purified using a His-trap column. CBD was adsorbed onto epoxy magnetic beads (eMBs). The bacterial species specificity and sensitivity of bacterial binding to CBD-eMB complexes were determined using the bacterial colony counting from the magnetic separations after the binding reaction between bacteria and CBD-eMB complexes. E. faecalis could bind to CBD-eMB complexes, but other bacteria (such as Enterococcus faecium, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Acinetobacter baumannii, Streptococcus mutans, and Porphyromonas gingivalis) could not. E. faecalis cells were fixed onto CBD-eMB complexes within 1 h, and >78% of viable E. faecalis cells were recovered. The E. faecalis recovery ratio was not affected by the other bacterial species. The detection limit of the CBD-eMB complex for E. faecalis was >17 CFU/ml. We developed a simple method for the specific detection of E. faecalis using bacteriophage endolysin CBD and MBs. This is the first study to determine that the C-terminal region of ECP3 phage endolysin is a highly specific binding site for E. faecalis among other bacterial species.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.1-5
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• 1985

File fish fillets collected from markets were analyzed for their microbial load and microflora, resulting in the level of aerobic mesophiles ranged from $3.5{\times}10^3$ to $1.1{\times}10^8CFU/g$, total coliforms from less than 2.3 to $4.6{\times}10^5MPN/g$, fecal coliforms from 1ess than 2.3 to $1.1{\times}10^5MPN/g$, Enterobacteriaceae from $3{\times}10$ to $4.4{\times}10^5CFU/g$ and fecal Streptococci from $1.6{\times}10^2$ to $7.6{\times}10^6CFU/g$ having Staphylococcus hominis, Staphylococcus hemolyticus, Micrococcus varians, Micrococcus luteus and Streptococcus cremoris as constituent microorganisms of aerobic mesophiles, Escherichia coli and Proteus rettgeri of Family Enterobacteriaceae, and Streptococcus faecium and Streptococcus avium of fecal Streptococci.

• BMB Reports
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• v.40 no.6
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• pp.881-887
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• 2007

It is a hot clinical issue whether newly approved antimicrobial agents such as daptomycin, linezolid, quinupristin/dalfopristin (synercid) and tigecycline are active enough to be used for infections caused by vancomycin resistant bacteria. We performed susceptibility tests for mupirocin, which is in widespread clinical use in Korea, and four new antimicrobials, daptomycin, linezolid, quinupristin/dalfopristin and tigecycline, against vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecalis and Enterococcus faecium isolated from Korean patients in 1998 and 2005 to evaluate and compare the in vitro activity of these antimicrobials. Among these agents, quinupristin/dalfopristin, which is rarely used in hospitals in Korea, showed relatively high resistance to several vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) isolated in 2005. Likewise, daptomycin, linezolid and tigecycline have not yet been in clinical use in Korea. However, our results showed that most of the 2005 VRE isolates were already resistant to linezolid and daptomycin (highest minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) value >$100{\mu}g$/ml). Compared with the other four antimicrobial agents tested in this study, tigecycline generally showed the greatest activity against VRE. However, four strains of 2005 isolates exhibited resistance against tigecycline (MIC >$12.5{\mu}g$/ml). Almost all VRE were resistant to mupirocin, whereas all E. faecium isolated in 1998 were inhibited at concentrations between $0.8\sim1.6{\mu}g$/ml. In conclusion, resistances to these new antimicrobial agents were exhibited in most of VRE strains even though these new antibiotics have been rarely used in Korean hospitals.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.22 no.7
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• pp.977-983
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• 2009

The survival and effect of three new probiotic inoculants (Lactobacillus plantarum CCM 4000, L. fermentum LF2, and Enterococcus faecium CCM 4231) on the nutritive value and fermentation parameters of corn silage was studied under laboratory conditions. Whole corn plants (288.3 g/kg DM) were cut and ensiled at $21^{\circ}C$ for 105 days. The inoculants were applied at a concentration of $1.0{\times}10^{9}$ cfu/ml. Uninoculated silage was used as the control. The chopped corn was ensiled in 40 plastic jars (1 L) divided into four groups (4${\times}$10 per treatment). All corn silages had a low pH (below 3.55) and 83-85% of total silage acids comprised lactic acid after 105 days of ensiling. The probiotic inoculants in the corn silages affected corn silage characteristics in terms of significantly (p<0.05-0.001) higher pH, numerically lower crude protein content and ratio of lactic to acetic acid compared to control silage. However, the inoculants did not affect the concentration of total silage acids (acetic, propionic, lactic acids) as well as dry matter digestibility (IVDMD) of corn silages in vitro. In the corn silages with three probiotic inoculants, significantly (CCM 4231, CCM 4000) lower n-6/n-3 ratio of fatty acids was detected than in control silage. Significant decrease in the concentration of $C_{18:1}$, and significant increase in the concentration of $C_{18:2}$ and $C_{18:3}$ was mainly found in the corn silages inoculated with the strains E. faecium CCM 4231 and L. plantarum CCM 4000. At the end of ensiling, the inoculants were found at counts of less than 1.0 log10 cfu/g in corn silages.

• Journal of Microbiology
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• v.45 no.5
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• pp.466-472
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• 2007

A total of 98 vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium (VREF) isolates (58 isolates from patients and 40 isolates from poultry) were compared based on their antimicrobial susceptibility, Tn1546 element organization, and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) patterns. This comparison aided in determining the relationships between the groups of isolates. All the VREF isolates harbored the vanA gene; however, 29 (29.6%) of the isolates exhibited the VanB phenotype-vanA genotype. Furthermore, the VREF isolates from humans and poultry exhibited distinct antimicrobial resistance patterns. The PCR mapping of the Tn1546 elements exhibited 12 different transposon types (A to L). The VREF isolates of poultry were classified into types A to D, whereas the human isolates were classified into types E to L. A PFGE analysis demonstrated a high degree of clonal heterogeneity in both groups of isolates; however, the distinct VREF clones appeared in each group of isolates. The deletion of the vanX-vanY genes or insertion of IS1216V in the intergenic region from the vanX-vanY genes is directly associated with the incongruence of the VanB phenotype-vanA genotype in human VREF isolates. These data suggest that the VREF isolates exhibit distinct phenotypic and genotypic traits according to their origins, which suggests that no evidence exists to substantiate the clonal spread or transfer of vancomycin resistance determinants between humans and poultry.

• The Journal of Advanced Prosthodontics
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• v.14 no.5
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• pp.273-284
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• 2022

PURPOSE. Computer-aided design and manufacturing (CAD-CAM) of implant abutments has been shown to result in surface contamination from site-specific milling and fabrication processes. If not removed, these contaminants can have a potentially adverse effect and may trigger inflammatory responses of the peri-implant tissues. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the bacterial disinfection and cleaning efficacy of ultrasonic reprocessing in approved disinfectants to reduce the microbial load of CAD-CAM abutments. MATERIALS AND METHODS. Four different types of custom implant abutments (total N = 32) with eight specimens in each test group (type I to IV) were CAD-CAM manufactured. In two separate contamination experiments, specimens were contaminated with heparinized sheep blood alone and with heparinized sheep blood and the test bacterium Enterococcus faecium. Abutments in the test group were processed according to a three-stage ultrasonic protocol and assessed qualitatively and quantitatively by determination of residual protein. Ultrasonicated specimens contaminated with sheep blood and E. faecium were additionally eluted and the dilutions were incubated on agar plates for seven days. The determined bacterial counts were expressed as colony-forming units (CFU). RESULTS. Ultrasonic reprocessing resulted in a substantial decrease in residual bacterial protein to less than 80 ㎍ and a reduction in microbiota of more than 7 log levels of CFU for all abutment types, exceeding the effect required for disinfection. CONCLUSION. A three-stage ultrasonic cleaning and disinfection protocol results in effective bacterial decontamination. The procedure is reproducible and complies with the standardized reprocessing and disinfection specifications for one- or two-piece CAD-CAM implant abutments.