• Food Science and Biotechnology
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.1022-1026
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• 2009

Cross contamination of foodborne virus via food utensils can be an important route of virus propagation. Bacteriophage MS2 was used as a surrogate for norovirus. The viability loss of bacteriophage MS2 attached to 4 kinds of metal surfaces was investigated at different temperatures and relative humidities (RH). The rate of viability loss was higher at $22^{\circ}C$ than at $10^{\circ}C$ and was higher at 75% RH than at 40% RH. The viability loss of the virus attached to copper or bronze surface was faster than on stainless steel or tin surface. Also the beef juice applied with the virus inoculum on the metal surfaces lowered the rate of viability loss. Although bronze was not as effective as copper in resulting the viability loss, it has been extensively used as a traditional Korean kitchen utensil and could be used more widely to decrease the viral poisoning at food processing environment and hospitals.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.40 no.5
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• pp.288-292
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• 2007

Seafood, if eaten raw, carries the risk of food poisoning. Seafood poisoning is often caused by pathogenic microorganisms originating from fecal contamination, such as Salmonella sp. and norovirus. Fecal coliforms are an important indicator of fecal contamination. Therefore, data on fecal coliforms are very important for evaluating the safety of fisheries in coastal areas. In this study, 2,226 sea water samples were collected from the southeast coast of Korea, and total and fecal coliforms were compared and analyzed. Total coliforms were detected in 76.5% of the samples and 71.4% of the total coliforms were fecal coliforms. At sea water temperatures above $20.0^{\circ}C$, total coliforms were found in 78.8% of the samples and fecal coliforms constituted 72.0% of the total coliforms. In sea water below $19.9^{\circ}C$, the respective values were 74.6% and 70.9%. These results suggest that temperature does not have a significant effect on the detection of fecal coliforms. When the salinity exceeded 30.0%o, total coliforms were found in 72.1% of the samples and fecal coliforms constituted 66.0% of these. At salinities below 29.9%o, the respective values for total and fecal coliforms were 90.4% and 85.2%. These results strongly suggest that the detection of fecal coliforms is proportional to the amount of precipitation.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.556-562
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• 2014

The occurrence of human norovirus (NoV) genogroup I (GI) and genogroup II (GII) strains was investigated in Korea. Between 2007 and 2010, 265 samples were collected from 89 Korean water source locations. NoV GI was detected in 4.5% and NoV GII in 1.5%. Samples collected in winter had the highest occurrence; 9.4% for NoV GI and 6.3% for NoV GII. NoV GI detection was highest in groundwater, with the next highest in river water and the lowest in lake water (5.9%, 5.4%, and 1.6%, respectively), and NoV GII was found only in river water. When three representative Korean basin systems (Han (H)-, Geum/Seom (G/S)-, and Nakdong (N)-river basins) were compared, both NoV genogroups were high in the G/S-, but absent in the H- river basin. The most prevalent genotypes within the GI and GII groups were GI.5 and GII.4, respectively. The NoVs found in surface water were identical to those found in patients and those found in groundwater. The NoVs appeared to be transmitted from the patient to the surface water, and then to the groundwater, suggesting a fecal-oral route of transmission. This is the first nationwide surveillance of NoV in major Korean water sources.

• 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.

• Food Industry And Nutrition
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• v.11 no.3
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• pp.6-11
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• 2006

바이러스성 식중독은 장염을 일으키는 원인 병원체 중 노로바이러스에 의해 흔히 발생하며 이외에도 아스트로바이러스나 로타바이러스에 의한 집단 설사 사례가 국내에서 보고된 바 있다. 노로바이러스는 식중독과 관련하여 특히 오염된 식수와 굴 등 어패류의 생식을 통한 감염 사례가 많이 보고되어 있으나 사람 간 전파도 흔히 일어나는 전염력이 매우 높은 바이러스이다. 국내에서는 1999년 이후 보고가 되고 있으며 최근 집단 급식과 관련된 대형 식중독 사례들이 보고되면서 학교급식이 사회적인 이슈로 대두되고 있다. 2000년 이후 질병관리본부는 바이러스성 설사의 국내 발생현황을 파악하기 위하여 전국의 17개 시도보건환경 연구원과 노로바이러스를 포함한 4종의 바이러스성 장염원인 병원체에 대한 전국적인 실험실 감시체계를 운영한 결과 바이러스성 병원체가 확인된 사례의 약 18%에서 노로바이러스가 검출되었고, 집단설사 사례에서는 대부분 노로바이러스가 원인병원체로 확인되었다. 또한 노로바이러스의 조기 검출을 위해 질병관리본부는 2004년 중 노로바이러스 유전자 검출 kit를 자체적으로 제작하여 이를 전국의 시도 보건환경연구원을 연계한 감시체계에서 적극 활용함으로써 노로바이러스 집단설사사례의 조기 검출이 가능하게 되었고 지역내 노로바이러스 검출율을 높이는데 기여하였다. 국립보건연구원은 2003년과 2006년에 발생한 대규모 노로바이러스 식중독 사례 이외에도 산발적으로 지속적으로 발생하는 사례들을 조기에 탐지하고 국내에서 검출되는 설사바이러스 유전형 분포양상과 새로운 유전자형이나 변이주를 조기에 검출하고자 전국적인 노로바이러스 실험실 감시망을 강화하여 운영하고 있으며, 집단설사 발생시 각 사례의 연관성을 신속하게 분석할 수 있는 실시간 분자역학적 유전자 분석체계를 단계적으로 도입하고 있다. 실험실 감시체계 운영과 함께 집단 식중독 유발 병원체의 효율적인 관리를 위해 질병관리본부는 노로바이러스를 포함한 설사 유발 병원체를 신고대상 병원체로 지정(2006.06.12)하여 병원체 검출시 보고하도록 하고 관련 지침을 마련하였다. 노로바이러스가 지정전염병 병원체로 추가로 지정됨에 따라 집단 사례 및 실험실 감시사업을 통해 검출되는 병원체에 대한 보고가 강화되고 전파 방지와 2차 감염 사례 감소에도 기여할 수 있을 것으로 사료되며 전국의 실험실 감시망을 연결하는 국가 차원의 노로바이러스 실시간 분자역학적 분석체계 도입을 통해 노로바이러스 2차 감염을 줄이고 대규모 집단발병 및 유행의 조기 차단 효과를 가져올 수 있을 것이다.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.115-123
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• 2013

Food safety management should be based on scientific evidences. FAO and WHO presented risk analysis as one of four principles in food safety management. WTO also admits the self safety regulation only when it is made on the basis of risk assessment. Without scientific analysis, tracing and eliminating the cause of food poisoning is impossible. Research and development plays a key role to produce scientific evidences. The Korean government ran over 40 programs in 11 agencies from 2008 to 2010. However, there is no statistics on food safety R&D at present. In this research, food safety projects conducted from 2008 to 2010 are listed up by means of analysing National Science and Technology Information Service (NTIS). The analytical criteria are the name of programs, national standard classification of science and technology, and keywords. As result, Korea Food and Drug Administration, Ministry for Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, and Rural Development Administration play major role in the food safety R&D. The portion of more than one year projects should rise up in order to achieve the data for risk assessment, which is strongly required to improve. Besides, the research should be deeper so as to publish more SCI papers. The R&D portfolio should be changed in direction to raise up the portion of biological hazards such as norovirus. In order to do so, a large number of food safety programs should be emerged. The categories of food safety management and the hygiene/quality management of the agricultural and livestock products in the national standard classification of science and technology should be emerged because they are set up reflecting agencies' interests in spite of few differences between them.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.367-375
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• 2010

The bacteriological and physiochemical analysis of sea water and sediments in Tongyeong harbor was conducted to evaluate sanitary conditions. The samples were collected at 8 stations established once a month from June, 2008 to May, 2009. During the study period, the range of temperature was from 6.7 to $25.2^{\circ}C$, transparency ranged from 1.2 to 2.6 m, chemical oxygen demand ranged from 1.90 to 2.92 mg/L, dissolved oxygen ranged from 6.2 to 10.5 mg/L, dissolved nitrogen ranged from 0.052 to 0.098 mg/L, phosphate ranged from 0.044 to 0.065 mg/L, respectively. Seafood, if eaten raw, carries the risk of food poisoning. Seafood poisoning is often cause by pathogenic microorganism originating from fecal contamination, such as Salmonella sp., Shigella sp. and norovirus. Fecal coliforms are an important indicator of fecal contamination. Therefore, data on fecal coliform are very important for evaluating the safety of fisheries in coastal areas. So, we investigated the sanitary indicate bacteria. The coliform group and fecal coliform MPN's of sea water in Tongyeong harbor were ranged from < 1.8~22,000/100 mL (GM 164.9 MPN/100 mL) and < 1.8~7,900 MPN/100 mL (GM 33.7 MPN/100 mL), respectively. Total coliform were detected 97.0% in 96 of samples and 68.9% of total coliforms were fecal coliforms. These results similar to another seawater detection ratio of total coloforms and fecal coliforms. The Vibrios was isolated and identified with VITEK system. Four hundred eighty strains that were obtained from sea water samples in Tongyeong harbor Detection ratio Vibrio alginolyticus, 34.2%, Vibrio parahaemolyticus, 13.8%, Vibrio vulnificus 10.0%, and V. mimicus 12.5% respectively. Vibrio cholerae O1, was not detected. During the study period, the ranges of water content, ignition loss, COD, and acid volatile sulfates in sediments in Tongyeoung harbor were 41.0~57.4%, 7.8~10.5%, 6.51~9.30 mg/g, 0.04~0.09 mg/g, respectively. Heavy metals in sediment of Tongyeoung harbor were Cd, $0.10{\pm}0.05$; Cu, $4.79{\pm}8.20$; As, $1.95{\pm}0.17$; Hg, $0.10{\pm}0.07$; $Cr^{6+}$, $0.34{\pm}0.12$; Zn, $125.33{\pm}16.40$; Ni, $16.43{\pm}1.93$ mg/kg.

• Journal of agriculture & life science
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• v.44 no.2
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• pp.7-15
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• 2010

This study was conducted to investigate the bacteriological and physiological quality of seawater and surface sediments in Sacheon Bay of Korea from January to September in 2009. During the study period, the means of temperature was range from 5.3 to $24.9^{\circ}C$ (mean $17.7{\pm}0.4^{\circ}C$), transparency range from 1.4 to 2.5 m (mean $1.8{\pm}0.5m$), suspended solid ranged from 16.2 to 35.8 mg/L (mean $24.2{\pm}2.2mg/L$), chemical oxygen demand ranged from 1.42 to $3.29mgO_2/L$ (mean $2.06{\pm}0.55mgO_2/L$), dissolved oxygen ranged from 6.7 to 9.5mg/L (mean $7.9{\pm}0.6mg/L$), respectively. Seafood, if eaten raw, carries the risk of food poisoning. Seafood poisoning is often cause by pathogenic microorganism originating from fecal contamination, such as Salmonella sp., Shigella sp. and norovirus. Fecal coliforms are an important indicator of fecal contamination. Therefor, data on fecal coliform are very important for evaluating the safety of fisheries in coastal areas. So, we investigated the sanitary indicate bacteria. In this study, 56 sea water samples were collected from the Sacheon Bay, and total and fecal coliforms were compared and analyzed. The coliform group and fecal coliform MPN's of sea water in Sacehon Bay were ranged from <1.8~7,900 MPN/100mL (GM 214.7 MPN/100mL) and <1.8~330 MPN/100mL (GM 9.7 MPN/ 100mL), respectively. Total coliforms were detected in 75.0% of the samples and 76.2% of the total coliforms were fecal coliforms. During the study period, the means of water content, ignition loss, COD, and acid volatile sulfates in sediments in Sacheon Bay were $53.28{\pm}2.58%$, $9.38{\pm}0.42%$, $14.23{\pm}3.36mgO_2/g$, $0.09{\pm}0.07mgS/g$, respectively.