• Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.24 no.8
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• pp.277-283
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• 2021

Kudoa septempunctata has been reported as a new parasite in aquacultured olive flounder Paralichthys olivaceus, and also as a causative agent of food poisoning in humans. This paper investigated the infection of K. septempunctata in 216 sashimi and 20 sushi made of olive flounders in Busan, Korea. Among 236 samples, K. septempunctata was detected in eleven sashimi with 6-7 polar capsules by the microscopy. Among eleven sashimi, five sashimi were positive in Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) assay with the targets of 18S rDNA and 28S rDNA. The genotype of all the five PCR results is identified as the genotype ST3 which is common in Korea. K. septempunctata was found in olive flounders sashimi from Samcheonpo and Wando outside of Jeju Island. These findings would contribute to establish the standard of K. septempunctata for preventing food-borne outbreaks in advance and providing further preventive management for the seafood safety.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.50 no.4
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• pp.285-295
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• 2014

This study was conducted to survey the epidemiological characteristics and the isolated strains for pathogenic E. coli which was the major causative organisms for food poisoning occurred at school food services in the Gyeonggi-do area during the past three years. We investigated 19 accidents of food-borne disease outbreaks by pathogenic E. coli at school food services from 2010 to 2012. Food-borne disease outbreaks by pathogenic E. coli were usually occurred at direct management type (18 accidents, 95%) and high schools. For the seasonal factors, 13 accidents (65%) were occurred in June to September, especially the end of August and September after the summer holidays. The first patients were occurred on Wednesday (7 accidents, 37%) and Thursday (7 accidents, 37%), and they were mainly reported on Thursday (7 accidents, 37%) and Friday (5 accidents, 26%). The exposure of risk was estimated in Monday (4 accidents, 21%), Tuesday (7 accidents, 37%) and Wednesday (4 accidents, 21%), and kimchi (5 accidents, 50%) was estimated as the food of the high risk responsible for the outbreaks. 98 isolates of pathogenic E. coli consisted of PEC (50%), ETEC (34%), EAEC (15%), and EHEC (1%). The antibiotic resistance of pathogenic E. coli showed in the descending order of ampicilline (40%), nalidixic acid (37%), trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole (24%), and tetracycline (19%). The antibiotics of second and third generation cephalosporins, cabarpenem, aminoglycosides, and second generation quinolones had antimicrobial susceptibilities and cefalotin, ampicillin/sulbactam and chloramphenicol showed medium resistance at 29%, 25%, and 6% respectively, and 70% of isolates were resistant to more than one antibiotic. By the PFGE analysis, they were classified into nine major groups and 31 profiles with 57% pattern similarity. It was very difficult to find the correlation of antimicrobial susceptibilities and genotype in the small scale-food poisoning, but the similarity of antimicrobial resistance and PFGE patterns in the large scale-food poisoning enabled the outbreaks to estimate the same pathotype of E. coli derived from identical origins.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.56-63
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• 2023

In this study, two cases of food poisoning caused by Salmonella that occurred in Gyeongsangnam-do in September 2021 are reported. One of the outbreaks occurred in a school and the other in a company. The molecular epidemiological characteristics of the isolated strains in the two outbreaks were analyzed. In the case of the school outbreak, 29 (4.9%) of 588 individuals experienced diarrhea and abdominal pain. As a result of a test of 36 individuals (patients, n=29; cook workers, n=7), Salmonella enterica serotype Enteritidis was detected in 17 (47.2%) patients, suggesting this serotype was the principal cause. Meanwhile, Salmonella spp. were not detected in 35 food and environmental samples. In the company outbreak, 87 (3.0%) of 2,900 individuals who had intaked from the same source experienced diarrhea, abdominal pain, and fever. In a test of 50 individuals (patients, n=40; cook workers, n=10), S. Enteritidis was detected in 28 patients (56.0%). Also, Vibrio cholerae (NAG) was detected in four patients with S. Enteritidis, and V. cholerae (NAG) only was detected in one patient. Salmonella spp. were not detected in 118 preserved foods, but S. Enteritidis was detected in one eaten food (toast) delivered in group by the company. Through PFGE genetic homology analysis of the isolated strains, all S. Enteritidis detected in patients and consumed foods were the same type. It seems that these S. Enteritidis isolates were the same type as detected in a previous school outbreak and in patients of group food poisoning in other regions, leading to an enhanced problem of food poisoning and epidemiology. Our analytic results can provide data for epidemiological management and food poisoning prevention based on molecular characteristics.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.47 no.5
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• pp.501-507
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• 2014

Norovirus (NoV) is a major cause of food poisoning outbreaks in Korea. Most NoV outbreaks originate from environmental contamination, but bivalves such as oysters are also important vectors. Oyster Crassostrea gigas contamination by NoV has been reported in Korea, but no quantitative analyses of NoV have been performed. We investigated the NoV concentration in 21 oyster samples from a Korean commercial oyster-growing area with confirmed fecal contamination from January to December 2012, using real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. Additionally, we assessed the NoV concentration after heating to investigate the effects of heat treatment on NoV-infected oysters. In NoV-positive samples, the cycle threshold (Ct) values were 37.43-39.41 and 36.77-39.30, while viral concentrations were $8.97{\times}10^2-2.24{\times}10^2$ and $3.05{\times}10^2-7.47{\times}10^1$ copies/g for genogroups I and II, respectively. After heat treatment, NoV genogroup I decreased by 83.4%, 88.0%, 89.4% and 100% at $60^{\circ}C$, $68^{\circ}C$, $70^{\circ}C$, and $100^{\circ}C$, respectively, for 15 min, while genogroup II respectively decreased by 67.3%, 76.3%, 80.1%, and 89.8% under the same conditions.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.366-374
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• 2012

Recently pathogenic E. coli is one of the main foodborne pathogens resulting in many patients in Korea. To understand the characteristics of pathogenic E. coli outbreaks in Korea, the epidemiological investigation reports of pathogenic E. coli outbreak in 2009 (41 reports) and in 2010 (27 reports) were collected in the web site of the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, reviewed and analysed in this study. The main places of the pathogenic E. coli outbreaks were food catering service area (64.8%) and restaurants (25.0%). The main type of the pathogens were EPEC (44.7%) and ETEC (34.2%). EAEC and EHEC was responsible for 10.5 and 9.2%, respectively. Eight of 68 outbreak cases were caused by more than 2 types of pathogenic E. coli which implicates the complicated contamination pathways of pathogenic E. coli. The incidence rate of pathogenic E. coli was $33.6{\pm}30.5%$ and the main symptoms were diarrhea, stomach ache, nausea, vomiting, and fever etc. The two identified food sources were identified as frozen hamburger pattie and squid-vegetable mixture. To improve the food source identification by epidemiological investigation, food poisoning notification to the agency should not be delayed, whole food items attributed the outbreak should be collected and detection method of the various pathogenic E. coli in food has to be improved. In conclusion, the characteristics between the EHEC outbreaks in the western countries and the EPEC or ETEC outbreaks in Korea needs to be distinguished to prepare food safety management plan. In addition, the development of the trace back system to find the contamination pathway with the improved detection method in food and systemic and cooperative support by the related agencies are necessary.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.54 no.1
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• pp.31-37
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• 2018

Campylobacter jejuni is an important food-borne pathogen causing gastroenteritis in human. We isolated 208 strains of Campylobacter jejuni from 430 diarrhea patients and food employees with 17 food-poisoning outbreaks between 2014 and 2016 in Gyeonggi area. The strains were tested for genetic relationship and the genotype distribution using PFGE and multiplex-PCR typing. Among the 47 Penner-serotypes known for C. jejuni, it was identified as a genotype consisting of 35 genotypes by multiplex-PCR typing and represented 7 genotypes (HS2, HS4A, HS8, HS15, HS29, HS41, and HS53) in the selected strain. From the PFGE analysis of 11 food-poisoning outbreaks, 5 group of PFGE profile were obtained, and genetic similarity in these clusters ranged from 61.8 to 66.6%. This study examines the genetic diversity of C. jejuni that have been separated in the Gyeonggi area through various genetic analysis methods and identifies the correlation between strains in patients who have been infected with the disease in the future.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.28 no.6
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• pp.1001-1008
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• 1996

Staphylococcal food poisoning is the major cause of bacterial food poisoning occurring in this country. Therefore government regulates commercial foods through Official Dictionary of Food that there should be free of enterotoxigenic Staphylococcus aureus in Korean rice cakes, bread, and a box lunch. Since at least 5 days are required to identify the S. aureus by the official method in the Dictionary it is difficult to prevent the food poisoning and the investigation of the outbreaks. In this report an improved determination method of the S. aureus has been developed using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique. Sense and antisense primers for specific amplification of genes encoding staphylococcal enterotoxins were designed and synthesized for the PCR. Rapid chromosomal DNA isolation method was also developed from S. aureus using lysostaphin. The PCR condition was developed as follows. Reaction solution $(50\;{\mu}l)$ consisted of target DNA $2\;{\mu}l$ (about 20ng), 10X buffer $5\;{\mu}l$, primer 100pmole, dNTP (10 mM) $4\;{\mu}l$ and Taq DNA polymerase 2.5 unit in a thin-wall tube. Operation condition of the PCR was 5 min pre-denaturation at $94^{\circ}C$, 15 sec denaturation at $94^{\circ}C$, 15 sec annealing at $50^{\circ}C$, 20 sec extension at $72^{\circ}C$, and 5 min post-extension at $72^{\circ}C$, and 30 cycles of denaturation-annealing- extension. Using the PCR with Perkin Elmer GeneAmp PCR system 2400, types of enterotoxigenic S. aureus could be identified from Ddok or bread in a day.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.99-106
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• 1992

To prevent food-poisoning outbreaks by Vibrio vulnificus the antimicrobial efficacy of grapefruit seed extract (GFSE) was examined. Minimal inhibitory concentration (in vitro) for the microorganism was found to be 50∼100 ppm. Transmission electron micrographs of Vibrio vulnificus showed the biocidal action of this natural antimicrobial agent would be related to specific respiratory effect coupled with the destruction of permeable function of microbial cell membrane. After Anguilla japonica GFSE-injected to the body was incubated in the seawater contaminated by Vibrio vulnifiucs the fish meats were taken up, mixed with control diet and used as a diet in the feeding experiment. In this experiment the effect of GFSE treated with fish muscle on body weight, protein efficiency ratio, serum enzymes and serum blood components of broiler chicks was investigated. It is proved from this study that there is neither Vibriosis nor toxicity associated with GFSE itself an fish meats treated with it when it is injected to the fish body at a level of 250 ppm or less.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.31-35
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• 2002

According to food poisoning statistic data of 2000, the food poisoning outbreaks have occurred mainly by meat (27.9%), shellfish and its processed products (26.0%), and ready-to eat meals (24.0%) such as Kimbap and packed lunch boxes. The major causative flood poisoning bacteria were Salmonella spp. (35.6%), Staphylococcus aureus(11.3%) and Vibrio parahaemolyticus (3.2%). In this study, we conducted the isolation and enumeration for S. aureus in Kimbap. This monitoring data will be applied to the following study, risk assessment. The Kimbap samples were collected from department stores, convenient stores and snack bars located in Seoul, Busan, Daejeon, and Gwangju. The overall isolation rate of S. aureus from 214 Kimbap samples was 34.1% and the average count was 623 cells. Enterotoxin typing test for isolates showed 42.5%, 4.1% and 2.7% for type, A, B and C, respectively. There was no significant seasonal difference in S. aureus isolation, but the average count in summer(793 cfu/g) was 1.8 times higher than that of winter(446 cfu/g).

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.31 no.12
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• pp.1709-1715
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• 2021

Outbreaks of food poisoning due to the consumption of norovirus-contaminated shellfish continue to occur. Male-specific (F+) coliphage has been suggested as an indicator of viral species due to the association with animal and human wastes. Here, we compared two methods, the double agar overlay and the quantitative real-time PCR (RT-PCR)-based method, for evaluating the applicability of F+ coliphage-based detection technique in microbial contamination tracking of shellfish samples. The RT-PCR-based method showed 1.6-39 times higher coliphage PFU values from spiked shellfish samples, in relation to the double agar overlay method. These differences indicated that the RT-PCR-based technique can detect both intact viruses and non-particle-protected viral DNA/RNA, suggesting that the RT-PCR based method could be a more efficient tool for tracking microbial contamination in shellfish. However, the virome information on F+ coliphage-contaminated oyster samples revealed that the high specificity of the RT-PCR- based method has a limitation in microbial contamination tracking due to the genomic diversity of F+ coliphages. Further research on the development of appropriate primer sets for microbial contamination tracking is therefore necessary. This study provides preliminary insight that should be examined in the search for suitable microbial contamination tracking methods to control the sanitation of shellfish and related seawater.