• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.39 no.4
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• pp.343-351
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• 2020

BACKGROUND: Irrigation water is known to be one of the major sources of bacterial contamination in agricultural products. In addition, anti-microbial resistance (AMR) bacteria in food products possess serious threat to humans. This study was aimed at investigating the prevalence of foodborne bacteria in irrigation water and evaluating their anti-microbial susceptibility. METHODS AND RESULTS: Surface water (n = 66 sites) and groundwater (n = 40 sites) samples were collected from the Gyeongi and Gangwon provinces of South Korea during April, July, and October 2019. To evaluate the safety of water, fecal indicators (Escherichia coli) and foodborne pathogens (E. coli O157:H7, Salmonella spp., and Listeria monocytogenes) were examined. E. coli isolates from water were further tested for antimicrobial susceptibility using VITEK2 system. Overall, detection rate of foodborne pathogens in July was highest among three months. The prevalence of pathogenic E. coli (24%), Salmonella (3%), and L. monocytogenes (3%) was higher in surface water, while only one ground water site was contained with pathogenic E. coli (2.5%). Of the 343 E. coli isolates, 22.7% isolates were resistant to one or more antimicrobials (ampicillin (18.7%), trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (7.0%), and ciprofloxacin (6.7%)). CONCLUSION: To enhance the safety of agricultural products, it is necessary to frequently monitor the microbial quality of water.

• Journal of Periodontal and Implant Science
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.1-8
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• 2005

Bacterial heat shock protein has been one of the components that are responsible to induce autoimmune disease mechanisms in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis due to high level of homology in sequence with human counterpart. This mechanism may explain how bacterial infectious disease, such as periodontal disease, might contribute to the acceleration of the disease process of atherosclerosis. Porphyromonas gingivalis which is a major periodontal pathogenic bacterial species, has been implicated as one of the pathogenic bacteria playing the role in this context. The present study has been performed to evaluate the anti-atherosclerotic effect of adoptive transfer of Porphyromonas gingivalis heat shock protein epitope-specific T cell lines into severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) mice. Peptide no. 15 with amino acid sequence VKEVASKTND-specific T cell line was selected for the transfer. When experimental atherosclerosis was induced in SCID mice adoptively transferred either by the T cell lines (experimental group) or by non-specific mouse T cells (control group), there was no significant difference in the severity and extent of the atherosclerosis induced by hypercholesterol diet.

• Journal of Biomedical and Translational Research
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.65-72
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• 2018

The purpose of this study was to investigate probiotic characteristics and immune enhancing effects of Bifidobacterium (B.) longum KBB1-26 and BIF-4, B. breve KBB5-22 isolated from human intestine for probiotic use in humans and animals. We measured acid, bile and heat tolerance, antimicrobial activity against pathogenic bacteria, Escherichia (E.) coli, Salmonella (S.) Enteritidis, Staphylococcus (S.) aureus, and Listeria (L.) monocytogenes. Immune enhancing effects of B. longum and B. breve were investigated by measuring nitric oxide (NO), nuclear factor ($NF-{\kappa}b$), $interleukin-1{\beta}$ ($IL-1{\beta}$), interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin-12 (IL-12) and tumor necrosis $factor-{\alpha}$ ($TNF-{\alpha}$) in RAW 264.7 cells or RAW BLUE cells. B. longum KBB1-26 was survived at pH 2.0. B. longum KBB1-26 and BIF-4, B. breve KBB5-22 also showed tolerance to 0.3% of oxgall bile salt. B. longum KBB1-26 was able to survive at $70^{\circ}C$ and $80^{\circ}C$ for 20 min. KBB1-26 showed the antimicrobial inhibition zone to pathogenic bacteria such as E. coli (12 mm), S. Enteritidis (14 mm), S. aureus (14 mm) and L. monocytogenes (41 mm). The production of NO ($4.5{\pm}0.00{\mu}M/mL$) and $IL-1{\beta}$ ($39.7{\pm}0.55pg/mL$) of KBB1-26 significantly higher than BIF-4 and KBB5-22, respectively. In addition, KBB1-26 and KBB5-22 induce the production of high level of $TNF-{\alpha}$ and IL-6 in macrophages. Collectively, B. longum KBB1-26 have acid, bile, heat tolerance, antimicrobial activity and immune enhancing effects. These results suggest that KBB1-26 can be used as probiotics for humans and animals.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.54 no.4
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• pp.354-361
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• 2018

This study was carried out to isolate soil bacteria with antimicrobial activity and evaluate antimicrobial substances produced by isolated bacteria. Among many isolates Bacillus subtilis DS660 and Paenibacillus polymyxa DS842 showed high antimicrobial activities against 6 species of microbial residents on human skin and 3 species of pathogenic bacteria. DS660 and DS842 showed 15.3~26.8 and 11.3~27.5 mm of inhibition zone diameter, respectively on nutrient agar medium against most target bacteria and fungi. DS660 and DS842 produced $57{\pm}8$ and $170{\pm}15{\mu}mol/ml$ of siderophore, respectively as an antimicrobial substance. Analysis of ethyl acetate extract of culture supernatants of DS660 and DS842 suggested production of glycolipid biosurfactant which reduced surface tension of culture supernatant of DS660 and DS842 from 60.0 to 40.3 and 30.3 mN/m, respectively. DS660 and DS842 also showed $169.2{\pm}9.9$ and $357.2{\pm}13.7nmol/min/mg$ protein of ${\beta}-1,3$-glucanase activity, respectively, and hydrolyzed cell wall components of 3 bacterial species. These results suggest that B. subtilis DS660 and P. polymyxa DS842 may be utilized as an environment-friendly biocontrol agent against some skin microbes and pathogenic bacteria.

• International Journal of Oral Biology
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• v.38 no.4
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• pp.141-147
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• 2013

It has been established that berberine has strong antimicrobial effects. Little is known however regarding the antimicrobial activity of berberine against endodontic pathogenic bacteria or its cytotoxicity in human oral tissue cells. The antibacterial properties of berberine were tested against 5 strains of Enterococcus faecalis and type strains of Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans, Prevotella nigrescens, Prevotella intermedia, and Tannerella forsythia, which are involved in endodontic infections. Antimicrobial activity was evaluated through minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) measurements. The viability of normal human gingival fibroblast (NHGF) cells after exposure to berberine was measured using a methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium (MTT) assay. The data showed that berberine has antimicrobial effects against A. actinomycetemcomitans with an MIC and MBC of $12.5{\mu}g/ml$ and $25{\mu}g/ml$, respectively. In the cytotoxicity studies, cell viability was maintained at 66.1% following exposure to $31.3{\mu}g/ml$ berberine. Overall, these findings suggest that berberine has antimicrobial activity against the tested bacteria. Nevertheless, lower concentrations in combination with other reagents will need to be tested before these in vitro results can be translated to clinical use.

• CELLMED
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.5.1-5.8
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• 2014

Healthcare-associated infection represents a frequent cause of mortality that increases hospital costs. Due to increasing microbial resistance to antibiotics, it is necessary to search for alternative therapies. Consequently, novel alternatives for the control of resistant microorganisms have been studied. Among them, plant antimicrobial protein presents enormous potential, with flowers being a new source of antimicrobial molecules. In this work, the antimicrobial activity of protein-rich fractions from flower tissues from 18 different species was evaluated against several human pathogenic bacteria. The results showed that protein-rich fractions of 12 species were able to control bacterial development. Due its broad inhibition spectrum and high antibacterial activity, the protein-rich fraction of Hibiscus rosa-sinensis was subjected to DEAE-Sepharose chromatography, yielding a retained fraction and a non-retained fraction. The retained fraction inhibits 29.5% of Klebsiella pneumoniae growth, and the non-retained fraction showed 31.5% of growth inhibition against the same bacteria. The protein profile of the chromatography fractions was analyzed by using SDS-PAGE, revealing the presence of two major protein bands in the retained fraction, of 20 and 15 kDa. The results indicate that medicinal plants have the biotechnological potential to increase knowledge about antimicrobial protein structure and action mechanisms, assisting in the rational design of antimicrobial compounds for the development of new antibiotic drugs.

• Food Science of Animal Resources
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• v.31 no.5
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• pp.631-640
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• 2011

Milk oligosaccharides are the complex mixture of six monosaccharides namely, D-glucose, D-galactose, N-acetyl-glucosamine, N-acetyl-galactosamine, L-fucose, and N-acetyl-neuraminic acid. The mixture is categorized as neutral and acidic classes. Previously, 25 oligosaccharides in bovine milk and 115 oligosaccharides in human milk have been characterized. Because human intestine lacks the enzyme to hydrolyze the oligosaccharide structures, these substances can reach the colon without degradation and are known to have many health beneficial functions. It has been shown that this fraction of carbohydrate can increase the bifidobacterial population in the intestine and colon, resulting in a significant reduction of pathogenic bacteria. The role of milk oligosaccharides as a barrier against pathogens binding to the cell surface has recently been demonstrated. Milk oligosaccharides have the potential to produce immuno-modulation effects. It is also well known that oligosaccharides in milk have a significant influence on intestinal mineral absorption and in the formation of the brain and central nervous system. Due to its structural resemblance, bovine milk is considered to be the most potential source of oligosaccharides to produce the same effect of oligosaccharides present in human milk. This review describes the characteristics and potential health benefits of milk oligosaccharides as well as the prospects of oligosaccharides in bovine milk for use in functional foods.

• Food Science and Biotechnology
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• v.15 no.5
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• pp.792-798
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• 2006

The probiotic characteristics of a total of 137 lactic acid bacterial strains isolated from soybean paste were investigated. Among those tested, the D37 strain was selected as a probiotic bacteria due to its acid and bile tolerance, and its strong anti-cancer and antibacterial activities. The D37 strain showed highly stable viability at acidic pH for 2 hr, and was very stable in 10% bovine bile. The viability of human colon cancer HT-29 cells was inhibited more than 60% at a $200\;{\mu}/mL$ concentration of D37 cell-free culture supernatant, and the degree of inhibition was concentration-dependent. The D37 strain showed a wide range of antibacterial activities against food-borne pathogenic bacteria such as Escherichia coli O157, Listeria spp., Vibrio spp., Salmonella spp., and Staphylococcus aureus. According to phenotypic characteristics and the utilization of various sugars, the D37 strain was identified as Lactobacillus cellobiosus.

• Journal of Dairy Science and Biotechnology
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• v.37 no.3
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• pp.155-166
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• 2019

Bacteria from the genus Lactobacillus are important for the production of fermented food and dairy products, and as symbionts in human and animals. Lactobacillus acidophilus has widely been used in the production of yogurt, health foods, and even medicines. The efficacy of L. acidophilus has been proven with regards to the reduction of cholesterol, prevention and treatment of diarrhea, modulation of the immune system, suppression of cancer, etc. Using molecular biology tools, Lactobacillus acidophilus has now been reclassified into six species: L. acidophilus, L. amylovorus, L. crispatus, L gallinarium, L. gasseri, and L. johnsonii. Thus, since L. acidophilus has now been marked as a newly defined species, caution is advised when reading future publications regarding this bacterium. In this article, the results of the reclassification of L. acidophilus are mentioned after an analysis of its field inheritance was performed by my research team. Especially, L. amylovorus KU4 (formerly named as L. acidophilus KU4; KCCM 10975P) is a novel probiotic strain that is isolated from humans; it has the ability to reduce cholesterol. It has also been reported as a microorganism that effectively inhibits the growth of pathogenic E. coli. However, this Korean patent (No 10-1541280) refers to a strain obtained from calves; the origin of this strain was incorrectly labeled. Furthermore, after the discovery of L. acidophilus in 1900, its role in intestinal microbiological research was described and its utilization as a probiotic was presented.

• Food Science of Animal Resources
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• v.39 no.5
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• pp.820-830
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• 2019

Most consumers consider yogurt to be a healthy food because it contains probiotic microorganisms. Although a plethora of commercially produced yogurts exists, nutritional and functional aspects of the commercial yogurts have not been well characterized. In this study, the microbiological and physicochemical properties of popular drinking yogurts in Korea were extensively characterized. The viability of lactic acid bacteria, including lactobacilli and bifidobacteria, varied between yogurt samples. These lactobacilli and bifidobacteria showed effective antimicrobial activities against foodborne pathogenic bacteria. Unlike the titratable acidity and pH, the soluble solids content varied between yogurt samples. All the yogurt samples contained high levels of potassium (average 143.53 mg/100 g) and calcium (average 133.92 mg/100 g), as well as phosphorus and sodium. Lactose, fructose, and glucose were the major sugar components in most yogurt samples, whereas the levels of sucrose and maltose were relatively low. Among several organic acids analyzed in the yogurt samples, lactic acid (average 767.67 mg/100 g) and citric acid (average 170.91 mg/100 g) were the most predominant. Taken together, this study provides preliminary information about the nutritional and functional characteristics of commercially available drinking yogurts.