• Journal of Korean society of Dental Hygiene
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.81-91
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• 2012

Objectives : By investigating antimicrobial activity of natural extracts, identifying its usefulness as antibiotic material to oral bacteria. Methods : Antimicrobial activity tests of 25 natural extracts were implemented on 6 type strains alleged to cause dental caries and 10 clinical strains isolated and identified from dental caries. Results : Among medicinal plants, Coptis japonica, Scutellaria baicalensis, Dictamnus dasycarpus showed antimicrobial activity. Among lichens, 3 methanol extracts and 6 acetone extracts showed antimicrobial activity. Minimum Inhibitory Concentration(MIC) test of Usnea aurantiacoatra KoLRI 004184, an acetone extract of lichen with the highest antimicrobial activity, on 6 type strains involved in dental caries and 10 strains isolated from dental caries resulted as follows; Actinomyces oris 1041 $12{\mu}g/ml$, for Corynebacterium durum 3151 $13{\mu}g/ml$, for Rothia dentocariosa KCTC $3204^T$ $14{\mu}g/ml$, for R. dentocariosa 911 $15{\mu}g/ml$, for R. dentocariosa 1822 $12{\mu}g/ml$, for Lacto-bacillus casei KACC $12413^T$ $12{\mu}g/ml$, for L. acidophilus KACC $12419^T$ $16{\mu}g/ml$, for L. rhamnosus 2421 $15{\mu}g/ml$, for Streptococcus mutans KCTC $3065^T$ $15{\mu}g/ml$, for S. mutans 121 $13{\mu}g/ml$, for Streptococcus oralis 2221 $18{\mu}g/ml$, for S. salivarius KCTC 5512 $14{\mu}g/ml$, for S. salivarius 122 $12{\mu}g/ml$, for S. sanguinis KCTC $3284^T$ $14{\mu}g/ml$, for S. sanguinis 912 $14{\mu}g/ml$, for Neisseria sp. KEM232 $12{\mu}g/ml$. Conclusions : Even a small amount of extract from lichen Usnea aurantiacoatra KoLRI 004184 showed very high level of antimicrobial activation against all 16 bacterial strains involved in dental caries.

• Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.154-160
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• 1990

A bacterial strain which was capable of producing extracellular soymilk-clotting enzyme was isolated from soil samples during the course of screening test. The characteristics of the isolated strain K-324-7, indicated that the strain belonged to species of Bacillus cereus. The crude purification of this enzyme was precipitated by salting out with ammonium sulfate of 0.8 saturation. The optimal pH for the enzyme activity was at $6.1{\sim}7.0$ and below $50^{\circ}C$. The optimal culture medium for the production of soymilk-clotting enzyme were consisted of 0.2% glucose, 0.2% peptone, and 0.5% $KH_2PO_4$ with initial pH value of 6.5. The activity of enzyme was maximum when the microbe was cultured for 3 days at $35^{\circ}C$.

• Journal of Pharmacopuncture
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.18-22
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• 2017

Objectives: The current investigation was carried out to determine the cytotoxic and the antimicrobial activities of methanolic extracts of Plumbago zeylanica. Methods: The stems, leaves, and whole plants were air dried and extracted with methanol by using a Soxhlet extractor for 72 hours at $55-60^{\circ}C$. The antimicrobial activities were determined from the zones of inhibition, which were measured by using the agar well diffusion method, and the cytotoxicity assays were performed using the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay method. Results: The methanolic extracts of the stem and the leaves of Plumbago zeylanica were tested against six bacterial species and nine fungal species, and both extracts showed antimicrobial activity in a dose-dependent manner. The leaf extract of Plumbago zeylanica showed maximum antimicrobial activity against both Staphylococcus aureus sub sp aureus and Fusarium oxysporum. The stem extract was found to be more antimicrobial against the Pseudomonas aeruginosa and the Penicillium expansum species. MTT assays were used to test the cytotoxicity of the whole plant extract in the HCT-116 and the K-562 cell lines, and that extract was shown to have weak cytotoxicity in both cell lines. Conclusion: In the present study, the methanolic stem extracts of Plumbago zeylanica were found to possess remarkable antibacterial activities against many human and agricultural pathogens. The extracts were also found to possess significant antifungal activities, but the antifungal activities were less than the antibacterial activities. Finally, the extracts were found to have weak cytotoxicities in the HCT-116 and the K-562 cell lines.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.24-28
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• 1977

For the production of microbial cells from cellulosie materials by cellulore-assimilating bacteria, Cellulomonas flavigena GFB 24-1, isolated by authors, utilization of this organism on some microbiological properties was investigated. The results of these studies were summarized at follows; 1. When the organism was incubated in the growth medium at pH 7.0 for 50 hours, its growth was the most effective and the level of excreted total protein in the menstruum increased continuously during the stationary phase of cell growth. 2. The optimal enzyme activity was observed in the pH region of 5 to 7 and culture period of 40 to 50 hours. 3. The microbial degestibility of cellulosic wastes such as sawdust, rice hull, rice straw, peanut hull and used newspaper was less than 30％, whereas that of cellulose powder was 47.1％ and rice straw was digested 77％ by NaOH treatment. 4. Bacterial cells incubated in the growth medium were increased up to 8％ of sustrate concentration and showed a decrease on further concentration. 5. The production of microbial cells from NaOH treated rice straw was obtained 10.6mg/ml of culture medium.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.24 no.11
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• pp.1464-1472
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• 2014

The microbial community structures of two continuous stirred tank reactors digesting turkey manure with pine wood shavings as well as chicken and swine manure were investigated. The reactor fed with chicken/swine wastes displayed the highest organic acids concentration (up to 15.2 g/l) and ammonia concentration (up to 3.7 g/l ammonium nitrogen) and generated a higher biogas yield (up to $366ml/g_{VS}$) compared with the reactor supplied with turkey wastes (1.5-1.8 g/l of organic acids and 1.6-1.7 g/l of ammonium levels; biogas yield was up to $195ml/g_{VS}$). The microbial community diversity was assessed using both sequencing and profiling terminal restriction fragment length polymorphisms of 16S rRNA genes. Additionally, methanogens were analyzed using methyl coenzyme M reductase alpha subunit (mcrA) genes. The bacterial community was dominated by members of unclassified Clostridiales with the prevalence of specific clostridial phylotypes in each reactor, indicating the effect of the substrate type on the community structure. Of the methanogenic archaea, methanogens of the genus Methanosarcina were found in high proportions in both reactors with specific methanosarcinas in each reactor, whereas the strict hydrogenotrophic methanogens of Methanoculleus sp. were found at significant levels only in the reactor fed with chicken/swine manure (based on the analyses of 16S rRNA gene). This suggests that among methanogenic archaea, Methanosarcina species which have different metabolic capabilities, including aceticlastic and hydrogenotrophic methanogenesis, were mainly involved in anaerobic digestion of turkey wastes.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.87-96
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• 2014

In the present study, a yeast species isolated from CETP, Vellore, Tamilnadu was identified as Cryptococcus sp. VITGBN2 based on molecular techniques and was found to be a potent producer of acidic diacetate sophorolipid in mineral salt media containing vegetable oil as additional carbon source. The chemical structure of the purified biosurfactant was identified as acidic diacetate sophorolipid through GC-MS analysis. This sophorolipid was used as a stabilizer for synthesis of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZON). The formation of biofunctionalized ZON was characterized using UV-visible spectroscopy, XRD, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The antimicrobial activities of naked ZON and sophorolipid functionalized ZON were tested based on the diameter of inhibition zone in agar well diffusion assay, microbial growth rate determination, protein leakage analysis, and lactate dehydrogenase assay. Bacterial pathogen Salmonella enterica and fungal pathogen Candida albicans showed more sensitivity to sophorolipid biofunctionalized ZON compared with naked ZON. Among the two pathogens, S. enterica showed higher sensitivity towards sophorolipid biofunctionalized ZON. SEM analysis showed that cell damage occurred through cell elongation in the case of S. enterica, whereas cell rupture was found to occur predominantly in the case of C. albicans. This is the first report on the dual role of yeast-mediated sophorolipid used as a biostabilizer for ZON synthesis as well as a novel functionalizing agent showing antimicrobial property.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.650-654
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• 1998

Three distinct phases were observed in acidity change during the Kakdugi fermentation; the first increasing phase, a stable phase, and the second increase phase. Enterobacter strains were the dominant bacteria (more than 90%) just after preparation of Kakdugi. Lactobacillus and Leuconostoc sp. were the mainly isolated from properly-ripened (53 and 43%, respectively) as well as from over-ripened Kakdugi (63 and 37%, respectively). Leuconostoc mesenteroides subsp. paramesenteroides was the dominant one among the lactic cocci from Kakdugi. The isolates from properly-ripened Kakdugi required more amino acids for growth compared to those from over-ripened one while no difference was observed with vitamins. Their physiological characteristics such as amino acid and vitamin requirement were different from those of 9 type strains of various Leuconostoc species.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.41-46
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• 1990

A bacterial isolate of DJ-12 capable of degrading 4-chlorobenzoic acid (4CBA) as well as 4-chlorobiphenyl (4CB) was used in this study. Its biodegradability of 4CBA was tested and the location of the genes coding for degradation of 4CBA was investigated by the nethod of in vivo cloning. The genes were found to be existed in the plasmid of pDJ121 which is about 65kb in size and which has 9, 11, 10, and 19 restriction sites for EcoRI, HindIII, SalI, and PstI, respectively. The hybrid plasmid of pDK450 was constructed by ligation of the EcoRI fragments of pDJ121 with pKT230 as a vector. In the recombinant cells selected through transformation of the hybrid vector into Pseudomonas putida KT2440, the 4CBA-degrading genes of DJ-12 were proved to be cloned and expressed in the Pseudomonas sp.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.42 no.5
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• pp.777-780
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• 1995

Salmonellosis is one of communicable disease and still occur in sporadic in Korea frequently. They are four main clinical manifestations in salmonellosis. They are gastrocnteritis, typhoidal or septisemia syndrome, focal manifestation and carrier state. Among them, focal manifestation is rarely seen. Saphra, et al. reported that localized salmonella infection is about 5%. Localized salmonella infection frequently occur during salmonella bacteremia, but may also occur with enteric fever or gastroenteritis. Gray, et al reported 3390 cases of minor gunshot wound infection that bacterial isolates from infected wounds consisted of Staphylococcus aureus(90%), Streptococcus sp.(6%), and mixed organisms(4%). Incresed host susceptibility to infection secondary to lowered resistance due to debilitating disease is an important determinant of Salmonella infection. Since salmonella is seldom suspected as a cause of soft tissue infections, there is usually a dangerous delay in the institution of appropriate antimicrobial therapy and isolation procedure. We experienced one case of subcutaneous salmonella abscess developed on gunshot wound area in lung cancer patient, which was confirmed by pus culture.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.79-90
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• 2019

Lichens are generally known as self-sufficient, symbiotic life-forms between fungi and algae/cyanobacteria, and they also provide shelter for a wide range of beneficial bacteria. Currently, bacterial-derived biodegradable polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) is grabbing the attention of many researchers as a promising alternative to non-degradable plastics. This study was conducted to develop a new method of PHA production using unexplored lichen-associated bacteria, which can simultaneously degrade two ubiquitous industrial toxins, anthracene and naphthalene. Here, 49 lichen-associated bacteria were isolated and tested for PHA synthesis. During the GC-MS analysis, a potential strain of EL19 was found to be a 3-hydroxyhexanoate (3-HHx) accumulator and identified as Pseudomonas sp. based on the 16S rRNA sequencing. GC analysis revealed that EL19 was capable of accumulating 30.62% and 19.63% of 3-HHx from naphthalene and anthracene, respectively, resulting in significant degradation of 98% and 96% of naphthalene and anthracene, respectively, within seven days. Moreover, the highly expressed phaC gene verified the genetic basis of $PHA_{mcl}$ production under nitrogen starvation conditions. Thus, this study strongly supports the hypothesis that lichen-associated bacteria can detoxify naphthalene and anthracene, store energy for extreme conditions, and probably help the associated lichen to live in extreme conditions. So far, this is the first investigation of lichen-associated bacteria that might utilize harmful toxins as feasible supplements and convert anthracene and naphthalene into eco-friendly 3-HHx. Implementation of the developed method would reduce the production cost of $PHA_{mcl}$ while removing harmful waste products from the environment.