• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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• v.51 no.3
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• pp.301-308
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• 2019

The emergence and spread of multidrug resistant (MDR) Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a critical problem worldwide. The pathogenesis of P. aeruginosa is due partly to the production of several cell-associated and extracellular virulence factors. This study examined the distribution of virulence factors and antimicrobial resistance patterns of carbapenem-resistant P. aeruginosa (CRPA) isolated from a tertiary hospital in Daejeon, Korea. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was performed using the disk diffusion method, and PCR and DNA sequencing were performed to determine for the presence of virulence genes. In addition, the sequence type (ST) of MDR P. aeruginosa was investigated by multilocus sequence typing (MLST). Among 32 CRPA isolates, 14 (43.8%) were MDR and the major ST was ST235 (10 isolates, 71.4%). All isolates were positive for the presence of virulence genes and the most prevalent virulence genes were toxA, plcN, and phzM (100%). All isolates carried at least eight or more different virulence genes and nine (28.1%) isolates had 15 virulence genes. The presence of the exoU gene was detected in 71.4% of the MDR P. aeruginosa isolates. These results indicate that the presence of the exoU gene can be a predictive marker for the persistence of MDR P. aeruginosa isolates.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.17 no.8
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• pp.1344-1352
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• 2007

An opportunistic human pathogen, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, contains the major catalase KatA, which is required to cope with oxidative and osmotic stresses. As an attempt to uncover the $H_2O_2$-dependent regulatory mechanism delineating katA gene expression, four prototrophic $H_2O_2$-sensitive mutants were isolated from about 1,500 TnphoA mutant clones of P. aeruginosa strain PA14. Arbitrary PCR and direct cloning of the transposon insertion sites revealed that one insertion is located within the katA coding region and two are within the coding region of oxyR, which is responsible for transcriptional activation of several antioxidant enzyme genes in response to oxidative challenges. The fourth insertion was within PA3815 (IscR), which encodes a homolog of the Escherichia coli iron-sulfur assembly regulator, IscR. The levels of catalase and SOD activities were significantly reduced in the iscR mutant, but not in the oxyR mutant, during the normal planktonic culture conditions. These results suggest that both IscR and OxyR are required for the optimal resistance to $H_2O_2$, which involves the expression of multiple antioxidant enzymes including KatA.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.21 no.6
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• pp.671-676
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• 1998

Five hundred and seventy clinical strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa were isolated from August 1993 to August 1994 in Korea and screened for their resistance to ciprofloxacin, norfloxacin, and ofloxacin. Among these, two P. aeruginosa strains (PA150 and PA300) were selected based on their strong resistance (MICs > 50mcg/ml) to all three quinolones. The susceptible strain as well as two resistant strains had proton gradient-dependent efflux system. Efflux system in PA300 showed different specificities to ofloxacin and ciprofloxacin while PA150 had less permeability for ofloxacin. Ofloxacin had a less inhibitory action on DNA synthesis in permeabilized cells of PA150 and PA300 than 1771M. When quinolone resistance determining region (QRDR) in gyrA was sequenced, PA300 had one missense mutation, Asn 116Tyr, which was newly reported in this work. The results showed that PA150 became ofloxacin resistant by reduced ofloxacin accumulation due to the existence of efflux system and low permeability, while resistance of PA300 was due to the efflux system and a mutation in QRDR of gyrA -the target site of quinolone.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.47 no.4
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• pp.651-661
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• 2019

Targeting the pathogen viability using drugs is associated with development of drug resistance due to selective pressure. Hence, there is an increased interest in developing agents that target bacterial virulence. In this study, the inhibitory effect of ciclopirox, an antifungal agent with iron chelation potential, on the microbial virulence factors was evaluated in 26 clinical MDR Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates collected from Alexandria Main University Hospital, a tertiary hospital in Egypt. Treatment with 9 ㎍/ml ciclopirox inhibited the hemolytic activity in 70% isolates, reduced pyocyanin production, decreased protease secretion in 46% isolates, lowered twitching and swarming motility, and decreased biofilm formation by 1.5- to 4.5-fold. The quantitative real-time PCR analysis revealed that treatment with ciclopirox downregulated the expression levels of alkaline protease (aprA) and pyocyanin (phzA1). Ciclopirox is used to treat hematological malignancies and the systemic administration of ciclopirox is reported to have adequate oral absorption with a satisfactory drug safety profile. It is important to calculate the appropriate clinical dose and therapeutic index to reposition ciclopirox from a topical antifungal agent to a promising virulence-modifying agent agent against P. aeruginosa, a problematic Gram-negative pathogen.

• Journal of fish pathology
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.1-6
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• 2000

The antibacterial activity of marine bacterium(Pseudomonas aeruginosa JYMB1-3) was assayed against Vibrio anguillarum with the aim of evaluating the possible use for biocontrolling fish disease as probiotic strain. Inhibition test on the solid medium showed that vibrios were especially sensitive to the JYMB1-3. Edwardsiella tarda, Streptococcus sp. and Staphylococcus epidermidis were also sensitive to that strain, however the antibacterial abilities were varied to the pathogens. The vibriostatic activity of antibacterial substance produced from $10^7$ cells of the strain for 24 hours was equivalent to $2.5{\mu}g$ of chloramphenicol.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.12-18
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• 1993

Pseudomonas aeruginosa strain B5 with antagonistic activity against Phytophthora capsici and Magnaporthe grisea, was isolated from pepper-growing soil. From the culture of P. aeruginosa strain B5 grown on King's medium B, antibiotic substances were purified using XAD-2 column chromatography. XAD-2 eluates inhibited not only the mycelial growth of P. capsid and M. grisea, but also the development of Phytophthora blight on pepper plants. The crude antibiotic substances were further purified by using silica gel column chromatography, Sephadex LH-20 column chromatography, thin layer chromatography on silica gel plates, and high performance liquid chromatography. Silica gel column chromatogrphy gave good separation of the four antibiotic substances. The pure antibiotics P1, P2, and P3 finally purified by preparative HPLC inhibited the mycelial growth of P. capsici, at concentrations from 7 to 10 $\mu g/ml$. Only P1 and P2 had antifungal activity against M. grisea at 8 $\mu g/ml$. P1 and P3 were highly inhibitory to the mycelial growth of Botryosphaeria dothidea and Botrytis cinerea at relatively low concentrations. However, the three antibiotics had no antifungal activity against Rhizoctonia solani. The chemical structures of these antibiotics are being identified.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.22 no.5
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• pp.674-683
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• 2012

A new strain, SD12, was isolated from tannery waste polluted soil and identified as Pseudomonas aeruginosa on the basis of phenotypic traits and by comparison of 16S rRNA sequences. This bacterium exhibited broad-spectrum antagonistic activity against phytopathogenic fungi. The strain produced phosphatases, cellulases, proteases, pectinases, and HCN and also retained its ability to produce hydroxamate-type siderophore. A bioactive metabolite was isolated from P. aeruginosa SD12 and was characterized as 1-hydroxyphenazine ((1-OH-PHZ) by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectral analysis. The strain was used as a biocontrol agent against root rot and wilt disease of pyrethrum caused by Rhizoctonia solani. The stain is also reported to increase the growth and biomass of Plantago ovata. The purified compound, 1-hydroxyphenazine, also showed broad-spectrum antagonistic activity towards a range of phytopathogenic fungi, which is the first report of its kind.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.173-178
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• 1995

Ciprofloxacin resistance mechanisms were studied by investigating the inhibitory effect of ciprofloxacin on the gyrase-mediated DNA supercoiling and the intracellular accumulation of ciprofloxacin in clinical isolates of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. A higher amount of ciprofloxacin was required to inhibit the gyrases purified from the ciprofloxacin-resistant strains than that from the sensitive strain. Reconstitution of heterologous gyrase subunits from different strains revealed alterations in the A and/or the B subunits of gyrase in these strains. In addition, the resistant strains accumulated approximately a half amount of ciprofloxacin inside the cells, compared to the sensitive strain. However, when the active efflux was blocked by carbonyl cyanide m-chlorophenyl hydrazone treatment, intracellular concentration of ciprofloxacin was elevated about 4-7 fold in these strains, while the sensitive strain was not significantly affected by this treatment, indicating that the ciprofloxacin-resistant strains developed a drug efflux system. Interestingly, these resistant strains expressed an envelope protein of approximately 51 kD. These studies suggest that alterations in the gyrase as well as the active drug-efflux system conferred dual ciprofloxacin resistance mechanisms to these clinical isolates of P. aeruginosa.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.18 no.7
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• pp.1227-1234
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• 2008

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an opportunistic human pathogen that produces and secretes exopolysaccharides (EPS), in which cells are embedded to form a highly organized community structure called biofilm. Here, we characterized the role of cyclic diguanylate (c-di-GMP) and EPS (PEL) overproduction in the wspF mutant phenotypes of P. aeruginosa PA14 (wrinkly appearance, hyperadherence, impaired motilities, and reduced virulence in acute infections). We confirmed that the elevated c-di-GMP level plays a key role in all the wspF mutant phenotypes listed above, as assessed by ectopic expression of a c-di-GMP-degrading phophodiesterase (PvrR) in the wspF mutant. In contrast, PEL EPS, which is overproduced in the wspF mutant, was necessary for wrinkly appearance and hyperadherence, but not for the impaired flagellar motilities and the attenuated virulence of the wspF mutant. These results suggest that c-di-GMP affects flagellar motility and virulence, independently of EPS production and surface adherence of this bacterium.

• Journal of Korean Ophthalmic Optics Society
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.57-63
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• 1996

The microbial contamination in contact lens care systems and conjunctivas of 40 asymptomatic cosmetic soft contact lens wearers was investigated. Patient ages ranged from 19 to 27(mean:22), most of them have used hydrogel contact lenses for less than 1 year, and the ages of lens cases were 1 weeks ~ 3 months (43 %) or 4~6 months (52%). Twenty-seven patients (67%) chemically disinfected their lenses and 8(20 %) used hydrogen peroxide, and 5 used heat to disinfect. Fourteen patients used commercial non-preserved saline, and 26(65%) were using commercial preserved saline. Sixty-two percent of the patients had bacterial contamination of lens case, and 17% had conjunctival contamination. The bacterial contamination rate was highest in lens cases, followed by unpreserved salines, disinfecting chemicals(non-hydrogen peroxide), and conjunctivas. The fungal contamination rate of cases and conjunctivas was 67% and 15%, respectively, and lens case, unpreserved saline, and conjunctiva seemed more susceptible to contamination. The use of hydrogen peroxide for disinfection rather than chemical disinfection was associated remarkabley with decreased contamination of solution itself, and there was no significant difference in contamination rates between hydrogen peroxide care system and other disinfecting systems. Five of lens cases(13%) and 2 conjunctivas(5%) were contaminated with Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Candida albicans were isolated from 11cases (27%) and 5 conjunctivas (12%). Of the organisms that were contaminated lens cases and conjunctivas, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, Candida albicans, and Aspergillus fumigatus were isolated from lens cases, whereas Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Candida albicans, and Aspergillus fumigatus were recorvered from conjunctivas. Fortunately all of the these tested samples showed 0% of Acanthamoeba in this investigation.