• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.83-85
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• 2012

Vancomycin-resistant (VR)-E. faecium and VR-E. faecalis were isolated simultaneously from a rectal swab of a patient diagnosed with pneumonia in an intensive care unit (ICU). The patient was treated with various antibiotics including vancomycin. Only VR-E. faecium was continually isolated from the rectal swab at one and two weeks of the treatment. Identical vanA, IS1216V, and IS1542 genes were detected in both VR-E. faecium and VR-E. faecalis isolates which showed equal resistance against vancomycin and teicoplanin, but IS1251 was not detected. VR-E. faecium showed stronger multi-drug resistance than VE-E. faecalis. This result supports the reason why VR-E. faecium is one of the major pathogens in nosocomial infections.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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• v.45 no.1
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• pp.16-20
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• 2013

Outbreaks of vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) are being reported more frequently in many countries. While seven glycopeptide resistance genotypes have been described in Enterococci, vanA and vanB are the most common resistance genotypes. The aim of this study was to detect antibiotic susceptibilities of 23 Enterococcus faecium strains, which caused an outbreak in a University hospital by a disk diffusion test to investigate the presence of the species specific gene, and the resistant genotypes, vanA and vanB by duplex PCR. PCR for vanA and vanB was performed on 23 enterococci. Twenty three were identified as E. faecium and were tested positive for the vanA genotype. This study will report on the validation of a simple and accurate VRE detection method that can be easily incorporated into the daily routine of a clinical laboratory. Early detection of VRE strains, including those with susceptibility to vancomycin, is of paramount clinical importance as it allows rapid initiation of strict infection control practices, as well as the therapeutic guidance for confirmed infections. The PCR method developed in the present study is simple and reliable for the rapid characterization of VRE.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.41 no.3
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• pp.502-507
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• 2020

This study aimed to investigate the effect of Hwanglyeonhaedok-tang on the clearance of vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus (VRE) colonization in a patient with traumatic subarachnoid hemorrhage and subdural hematoma. A 73-year-old man who was diagnosed with traumatic subarachnoid hemorrhage and subdural hematoma with isolation of VRE colonization was administered Hwanglyeonhaedok-tang and followed up with a rectal swab VRE culture every week. After treatment with Hwanglyeonhaedok-tang, VRE colonization was no longer detected. This case report proved that Hwanglyeonhaedok-tang could be an effective treatment for clearance of VRE colonization in a patient with traumatic subarachnoid hemorrhage and subdural hematoma.

• YAKHAK HOEJI
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• v.51 no.4
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• pp.253-258
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• 2007

Bombycis corpus, a batryticated silkworm and white-stiff silkworm, is an oriental drug consisting of the dried larva of silkworm, dead and stiffened due to the infection of Beauveria. An peptidyl antimicrobial molecule was purified from B. corpus by reverse phase-column chromatography and HPLC. Its molecular weight was determined to be 2295.45 by using matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry. Its antimicrobial activity was diminished by trypsin digestion. It exhibited a broad antimicrobial spectrum against not only Gram-negative, but also Gram- positive bacteria. Furthermore, it was found to have an antimicrobial activity against vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE), methicillin-resistant S. arureus (MRSA), and vancomycin-intermediate resistant S. arureus (VISA). It may be a useful molecule for a new antibiotic development, especially against antibiotic resistant microbe. This substance may play a role in the defense system of this animal against Beauveria bassiana. This is the first report of a peptidyl antimicrobial substance from B. corpus.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.28 no.6
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• pp.660-666
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• 2005

The intestinal microbiota are important to the host with regard to resistance they impart against bacterial infections and their involvement in mediating metabolic functions. Lactic acid producing bacteria such as Lactobacillus play an important physiological role in these matters. The aim of the present study was to isolate Lactobacillus sp. that inhibits enteric pathogens. Initially, 17 isolates from healthy Koreans were collected on Lactobacillus selective medium. Resistance of the isolates to antibiotics including rifampicin, streptomycin, clindamycin and vancomycin was measured. One of the isolate was identified as Lactobacillus ruminus on the basis of bacterial cell morphology, cultural characteristic and biochemical characteristics, 16S rRNA sequence analysis and PCR-RAPD. Antimicrobial activity of the bacterium against Vancomycin Intermediate Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (VISA) and Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococci (VRE) was measured. About $10^4$ cells of VISA or VRE were mixed with 1, 5, and 9 mL of L. ruminus SPM 0211 and the final volume was adjusted to 10 mL with brain heart infusion (BHI) broth. The cell suspension was incubated for 3, 6, 9, and 24 h, serially diluted and then plated on BHI agar plates. As numbers of L. ruminus SPM 0211 were increased, viable cell count of VISA and VRE decreased. The strongest antimicrobial activity of SPM 0211 was observed after 9 h incubation in any mixture, almost completely inhibiting the growth of these two bacteria. The results suggest that the freshly isolated L. ruminus SPM 0211 may be used as a pro-biotic microbe that prevents the colonization of enteric pathogens and can thereby promote good gastrointestinal health.

• Food Science and Biotechnology
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.470-476
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• 2007

To evaluate the vancomycin resistance of Enterococcus spp. (VRE) from Saengsik and Sunsik, Enterococcus were isolated and identified from 25 Saengsik and 35 Sunsik samples, and resistance of Enterococcus to other antibiotics was also assessed. Thirty nine Enterococcus, 16 strains from Saengsik, and 23 strains from Sunsik, were ultimately isolated. The most frequently collected Enterococcus isolates in Saengsik were E. casseliflavus and E. hirae, and were E. casseliflavus and E. faecium in Sunsik. However, E. faecalis was not detected in those foods. Minimum inhibitory concentrations of vancomycin against the isolates were below $4\;{\mu}g/mL$ and no strains evidenced profound levels of resistance. The isolates were found to be susceptible to vancomycin with the exception of eight E. casseliflavus and three E. gallinarum. All Enterococcus isolates proved resistant to streptomycin and chloramphenicol. 23% of the isolates were resistant to penicillin; however, all of the isolates were sensitive to tetracycline. Six and 48%, respectively, of the strains from the Saengsik and Sunsik proved resistant to erythromycin. All of E. mundtii and E. hirae isolates from Saengsik, and 20% of E. gallinarum and E. casseliflavus isolates from Sunsik were found to be ampicillin-resistant. All of E. gallinarum, E. casseliflavus, and E. faecium were rifampin-resistant. The antibiotic resistances of Enterococcus were relatively low, and this low vancomycin resistance was similar to that evidenced by Enterococcus isolates obtained from the other foods. However, there may be a need for some review of the accepted antibiotics criteria for Enterococcus and VRE in ready-to-eat foods.

• The Korean Journal of Health Service Management
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• v.8 no.4
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• pp.163-173
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• 2014

This study was performed to investigate the current status of isolation precautions of multidrug resistant organisms(MDROs) in general hospitals with more than 200bed. The questionnaires were mailed from 3rd, April 2013 to 30th, April 2013. Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus:(MRSA), vancomycin resistant Staphylococcus aureus:(VRSA), vancomycin resistant Enterococcus(VRE), multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii, carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae multidrug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa were enrolled. MRSA(100.0%) and VRE(98.7%) were isolated respectively. VRE(97.3%) and MRSA(64.0%) were regulated strictly respectively. VRE(91.5%) and VRSA(50.7%) were isolated in a single room respectively. Hospital being located in Seoul(p<0.001), and beds(${\geq}600$)(p=0.008) were different significantly. The isolation space limitation(71.1%) was the highest difficulty. The development of refunding the costs of the extra supplies and other hygienic materials for infection control was discovered as the most urgent strategy.

• Quality Improvement in Health Care
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.26-35
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• 1997

Background : Glycopeptide antibiotics are the only drugs for treatment of infections due to beta-lactam-resistant Gram-positive bacteria. As the incidence of infection and colonization with vancomycin-resistant enterococci(VRE) rapidly increases, the hospital infection control practices advisory committee(HICPAC) recommends prudent vancomycin use to detect, prevent and control infection and colonization with VRE. Methods : The inpatients admitted from September to December, 1996 in Pusan National University Hospital, with Gram-positive bacterial infections were evaluated retrospectively to see whether the administrations of glycopeptide antibiotics were appropriate or not, upon comparison with the recommendations for preventing the spread of vancomycin resistance by HICPAC. Results : Teicoplanin has been chosen more frequently than vancomycin of the glycopeptide antibiotics. The indications of administration of glycopeptides in patients with pneumonia, wound infections, sepsis, and in febrile or neutropenic patients with malignancies were appropriate, but the use of glycopeptides for elimination of merely colonized bacteria in the oral cavity could not be excluded. Inappropriate use of glycopeptides was 10.6%, and inappropriately long-term use without positive culture for beta-lactam-resistant Gram-positive organisms was about 40% of total days of drug use. Conclusion : It seems essential for the quality assurance committee to make a plan in teaching the HICPAC recommendations to the medical practitioners who prescribed the glycopeptides inappropriately or used for irrelevantly long to his patient, monitor and survey their use of glycopeptides prospectively and periodically, and if there are repeated inappropriate prescriptions, a certain penalty would be given to the practitioners.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.39 no.2
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• pp.343-352
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• 1999

Vancomycin resistant enterococci (VRE) have emerged as an important nosocomial pathogen. Since 1989 the Center for Disease Control, United States, has reported a rapid increase in the incidence of enterococcal bacteremia and endocarditis infection by VRE. It was suggested that the use of avoparcin was associated with the appearance of VRE in animal husbandry. To date, several detection methods have been used based on conventional methods of culture and gene detection. However, these methods have some limitations such as time-consuming, laborious and additional differential needs. Therefore, In this study a multiplex PCR method was established to detect and differentiate resistance types of enterococci which specifically amplify the four van genes encoding vancomycin resistance elements. Using the method, we investigated the incidence rates and types of VRE from farms using or not using avoparcin. A total of 1091 animal fecal samples were collected from 70 pig and 32 poultry farms. A total of 425 of enterococci were isolated from samples. Of the 425 isolates, 11 of the them showed a pattern of high-level vancomycin resistance (MIC : $64{\sim}256{\mu}g/ml$) which was associated with the presence of the vanA or vanB gene. Fifty-seven isolates showed a pattern of low-level vancomycin resistance (MIC : $3{\sim}8{\mu}g/ml$) associated with the vanC-1 or vanC-2 gene. Interestingly, all isolates with high-level vancomycin resistance were from farms that have never used avoparcin. Moreover, the high-level VRE isolation rate in Korea (2.58%) was much lower than that of other countries (50% in England, 7% in Belgium) where avoparcin have been used. In conclusion, the multiplex PCR method established in this study could be applied for detection of VRE.

• Intestinal research
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.80-84
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• 2015

The rates and severity of Clostridium difficile infections, including pseudomembranous colitis, have increased markedly. However, there are few effective treatments for refractory or recurrent C. difficile infections and the outcomes are poor. Fecal microbiota transplantation is becoming increasingly accepted as an effective and safe intervention in patients with recurrent disease, likely due to the restoration of a disrupted microbiome. Cure rates of >90% are being consistently reported from multiple centers. We cured a case of severe refractory C. difficile infection with fecal microbiota transplantation in a patient colonized by vancomycin-resistant enterococcus.