• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.45 no.2
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• pp.126-132
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• 2009

Legionella spp. is the causative agent of Legionellosis, which induces a potentially fatal form of pneumonia. With a concentrated performance during the summer of 2008, we secured 73 isolates from the water systems of 25 wards in Seoul. We analysed serotypes, pathogenic genes (Dot/Icm), and patterns of pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) in an attempt to confirm relationships among them. Different from the previous year's pattern (2007), among the isolates, 69 were Legionella pneumophila and 4 were Legionella spp. The serotype distribution of Legionella pneumophila was sg1 43, sg6 9, sg5 8, sg3 8, and sg2 1. The serotype for the 4 Legionella spp. was Legionella nautarum. Most of the Legionella pneumophila had several pathogenic genes. On the other hand, the 4 Legionella spp. were defective in pathogenicity in genomic terms. The PFGE patterns of the serotypes showed a tendency for diversity of Legionella pneumophila and a close correlation with genetic pathogenicity.

• Proceedings of the Korean Environmental Health Society Conference
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• 2004.06a
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• pp.197-201
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• 2004

This study was to determine the prevalence of Legionella species in public spas and to know that the presence of Legionella was correlated with other microbiological parameters. A total of 81 water samples were collected from 30 different public spas and sudatoriums so called zzimzilbang in Korea. Although Legionella was not detected in the influent water and the cold tub water, of the 38 samples of hot and warm water taken from public tubs, 11(28.8%) were found to be positive for Legionella spp. All of the isolates were identified as a species L. pneumophila serogroups 1 and 2-14 by latex agglutination. And HPC concentrations in all spas water isolated Legionella were above the level of $10^4\;cfu/ml$.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.49 no.4
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• pp.360-368
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• 2013

Recently interactive water fountains are gaining popularity in making public facilities in South Korea. The total number of interactive fountains is rapidly growing at the rate of >50% annually. In this study, we performed quantitative microbial risk assessment to estimate infection risks in children by Legionella spp. while playing in interactive fountains. The exposure dose for a given concentration of Legionella in water was calculated using water-aerosol partition rate of Legionella, exposure duration, inhalation rate, and deposit rate of aerosols in the lungs following inhalation. The dose was converted to infection risk by using the dose-response function developed for L. pneumophila. High weight and/or old children, i.e., 12-year children, running around in fountains were the highest risk group by showing >0.05 infection probability for fountain waters containing ${\geq}10^4$ CFU/L Legionella. The result supported the current guideline by Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which permits use of water with < $10^3$ CFU/L Legionella cells for all purposes. However, the results still warrant further evaluation of the guideline to accommodate risks for children because the dose-response relationship in the model was developed for healthy adults. Further risk assessment studies need to be conducted by employing dose-response model for children who generally carries weaker immune system than adults.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.23-32
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• 1988

A study was carried out to find distribution of Legionella spp. in hot water supplying systems of buildings in Seoul. Water samples were taken from the hot water taps in three research institute buildings during the period from the 2nd to 27th February, 1987. And all of the three buildings were supplied with hot water from the same central hot water tank. GVPC BCYEa and blood agar were used for the isolation of Legionella pneurnophila and slide agglutination test (SAT) was performed to identify their strain types. Main findings were as follows 1. 44 samples taken from hot tap-water revealed 20% of positive culture and 44 samples taken from hot water spouts revealed 11% of positive culture. 2. The 78% of positive samples taken from hot water was obtained from 25.1$\circ$C~45.0$\circ$C temperature range. 3. Only, Legionella pneumophila serogroup 3 was identified and most of them has been than 2$\mu$m in length. 4. The densities of the Legionella pneurnophila isolated from hot water samples were within the range of $1.0\times 10^2$ to $1.1\times 10^3$ CFU/l and their densities isolated from hot water spouts were either 1 CFU/plate or 2 CFU/plate.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.39-48
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• 2002

Cooling towers water has frequently been known as a source of infection in outbreaks of Legionnaires' disease and a source of indoor air pollution. However, there have been a few reports on the presence of Legionella in cooling towers water and aerosols of various public facilities. This study was carried out to investigate the indoor and outdoor dis-tribution of Legionella spp and microbe from 132 cooling towers water of public facilities detected 1. pneumophila in Seoul and Gyeonggi-Do areas. The results showed that the Lpneumophila among the selected 132 cooling towers was detected mostly in July (12.0%), followed by August (4.0%) and June, September no-detected. The 1. pneumophiia in public facilities was detected mostly in department store (27.3%), followed by hospital (8.7%), office building (5.9%), big market (5.0%) and hotel, subway no-detected. The pH values of cooling towers water with presence of 1. pneumophila showed mostly 8.0 or higher (9.5%), followed by 7.0～8.0 (6.8%), lower 7.0 no-detected. The tem-perature of cooling towers water with presence of L pnemophila showed mostly 30℃ or higher (9.8%), followed by 26～30℃ (6.9%), lower 25℃ no-detected. The turbidity of cooling towers water with presence of 1. pneumaphila showed mostly 1-2 M (8.8%), followed by above 2 NTU (5.9%), lower 1 NTU no-detected. The correlation coef-ficient between indoor and outdoor concentration of microbes in public facilities showed 0.67 in Legionella spy. (p>0.05), 0.93 in bacteria (p<0.01), 0.94 in fungus (p<0.01), 0.98 in coilform (p<0.01), respectively.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.59 no.1
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• pp.67-76
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• 2021

Legionella pneumophila is an opportunistic pathogen that survives and proliferates within protists such as Acanthamoeba spp. in environment. However, intracellular pathogenic endosymbiosis and its implications within Acanthamoeba spp. remain poorly understood. In this study, RNA sequencing analysis was used to investigate transcriptional changes in A. castellanii in response to L. pneumophila infection. Based on RNA sequencing data, we identified 1,211 upregulated genes and 1,131 downregulated genes in A. castellanii infected with L. pneumophila for 12 hr. After 24 hr, 1,321 upregulated genes and 1,379 downregulated genes were identified. Gene ontology (GO) analysis revealed that L. pneumophila endosymbiosis enhanced hydrolase activity, catalytic activity, and DNA binding while reducing oxidoreductase activity in the molecular function (MF) domain. In particular, multiple genes associated with the GO term 'integral component of membrane' were downregulated during endosymbiosis. The endosymbiont also induced differential expression of various methyltransferases and acetyltransferases in A. castellanii. Findings herein are may significantly contribute to understanding endosymbiosis of L. pneumophila within A. castellanii.

• Proceedings of the Korea Air Pollution Research Association Conference
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• 2002.11a
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• pp.209-211
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• 2002

실내공기오염을 일으키는 오염물질은 SO$_2$, NOx, 흡연, 먼지 등 여러 종류가 있고, 이것들에 대한 연구는 계속 연구가 진행되고 있으나, 호흡기성 감염을 일으키는 레지오넬라균(Legionella spp), 세균(Bacteria), 진균(Fungus) 등에 대해 실내공기오염 측면에서 다른 연구는 찾아보기 어려운 실정이다. (중략)

• Journal of environmental and Sanitary engineering
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.1-6
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• 2002

This study was carried out to investigate the distribution of Legionella spp and microbe from cooling towers water of Public establishments in Seoul and Gyeonggi-Do. As results of this study, the cooling tower 132 sites were detecting L. pneumophila in order to July(12%) > August (14%) > June, September no-detected. The public establishments were detecting L. pneumophila in order to Department store(27.3%) > Hospital(8.7%) > Office(5.9%) > Big Mart(5.0%) > Hotel, Subway no-detected. The correlation coefficient pH and L.pneumophila showed 0.62(p=0.05), 0.27(p=0.45) in temperature and L.pheumophila, 0.40(p=0.25) in turbidity and L.pneumophila.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.53 no.3
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• pp.156-162
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• 2017

Legionnaires' disease (LD) is a severe and potentially fatal pneumonia caused by colonization of human-made water system and subsequent aerosolization and inhalation of Legionella bacteria. A total of 147 Legionella strains was isolated from environmental water sources from public facilities in Gyeonggi-do, South Korea. The distribution of Legionella isolates was investigated according to facility type, and sample type. L. pneumophila was distributed broadly throughout Gyeonggi-do, accounting for 85.7% of the isolates, and L. pneumophila serogroup (sg) 1 predominated in all of the public facilities. L. wadsworthii predominated among non-L. pneumophila species. We performed comparative analyses of L. pneumophila sg 1 isolated from environment water of public facilities in Gyeonggi-do by pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and sequence-based typing (SBT). Thirty-two isolates were classified into 22 types by PFGE and 9 sequence types (STs) by SBT and categorized into 3 groups. ST1 was the most prevalent sequence type and two STs obtained in this study had unique allelic profiles. The use of SBT data from different countries for epidemiology study of LD constitutes a technically uncomplicated and relatively easy method for strain subtyping, especially compared to other contemporary techniques.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.17 no.10
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• pp.1374-1380
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• 2007

The development of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technology has the potential to solve for isolating pathogenic microorganisms from environmental samples than traditional plate counting methods. We have been detected pathogenic bacteria from raw water and water treatment process in Busan metropolitan city by PCR method. According to the result of survey from July 2004 to October 2005, 80 out of 92(87.0%) were positive for bacterial pathogens in raw water samples and positive rate of Shigella spp., Yersinia spp., Salmonella spp. and Legionella spp. were 46.2%, 40.7%, 17.6% and 9.9%, respectively. Pathogenic bacteria in raw water was mainly distributed through the lately Autumn to the winter and more highly detected Maeri than Mulgum region. During the period of survey in water treatment process, Shigella spp. was highly detected but all of bacterial pathogens were entirely removed after in post-ozonation step. These suggest that waters supplied in Busan metropolitan city may be safe against the pathogenic bacteria.