• The Journal of the Korean Society for Microbiology
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.131-137
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• 1987

The incidnce of enterotoxigenic Esherichia coli(ETEC) was investigated in E. coli strains isolated from Korean infants less than two years old. Over a period of 12 months, ETEC strains have been isolated from 45(45.0%) of 100 children with acute diarrhea and from 9(20.5%) of 44 children without diarrhea. In the group with diarrhea, 41(41.0%) strains produced heat-stable toxin, 3(3.1%) produced heat-labile toxin, and 1(1.0%) produced both heat-stable and heat-labile toxins. In the control group, 7(15.9%) released heat-stable toxin, 2(4.5%) released heat-labile toxin and none released both. A statistical association of strains releasing heat-stable toxin was significant(P<0.025).

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.37 no.4
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• pp.779-784
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• 1997

A comprehensive study of 132 Escherichia coli isolates from 150 piglets with colibacillosis included detection of heat-labile enterotoxin, heat-stable enterotoxin, and identification of K88 (F4), K99 (F5), 987P (F6), and F41. Four pili were examined by haemagglutination and slide agglutination test. Heat-labile(LT) and heat-stable(ST) enterotoxin was determined by reverse passive latex agglutination and precipitation test, respectively. Among 132 E coli isolates, 26 had K88 (19.7%), 16 had K99 (12.1%), 3 had 987P (2.3%), and 2 had F41 (1.5%). Three had K88 and K99 (2.3%), 3 had K88 and 987P (2.3%), 2 had K99 and 987P (1.5%), 5 had K99 and F41 (3.8%), and 8 E coli strains had K88, K99 and F41 (6.1%) simultaneously. Among 132 E coli isolates, 5 produced LT only (3.8%), 55 produced heat-stable toxin ST only (41.7%), and 4 produced both LT and ST (3.0%). Three major pathotypes accounted for 27.9% of E coli isolates: $K99^+$ (8.3%), $K88^+ST^+$ (9%) and $K88^+$ (10.6%). Results of this study indicated that piliated enterotoxin-producing E coli was prevalent and was associated with diarrhea in preweaning piglets.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.150-157
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• 2001

Intestinal absorption of dietary taurine is one of the regulatory component maintaining taurine homeostasis along with renal reabsorption, bile acid conjugation and secretion, and de nobo synthesis of taurine in mammals. Recent observations of decreased enterocytic levels of taurine in response to trauma, infection and surgical insults, postulate the possibility that intestinal taurine absorption might be impaired in such stressed conditions. The aim of the present study was to evaluate changes in enterocytic taurine transporter activity using the human intestinal colon carcinoma cell line, HT-29, in various stress-induced conditions. Pretreatment of the HT-29 cells with dexamethasone, a stress hormone(0.1,1,10 or 100$\mu$M) for 3 hrs, or with E coli heat-stable enterotoxin(10, 100, or 200nM) for 30 minutes in order to induce the condition of enterotoxigenic infection did not influence taurine uptake as compared to the value found in control cells. In contrast, pretreatment of the cells with cholera toxin(10, 100, 500, or 1000ng/ml)for 3hr or 24hr significantly decreased taurine uptake by HT-29 cells to 40~50% of the value found in untreated control cells. Kinetic studies of the taurine transporter activity were conducted in control and cholera toxin treated HT-29 cells with varying taurine concentrations(2~60$\mu$M) in the uptake medium. Pretreatment of the cells with cholera toxin(100ng/ml) for 3hr did not influence the Vmax, but resulted in a 55% increase in the Michaelis-Menten constant(Km) of the taurine transporter compared to those in control cells. These results suggest that cholera toxin-induced reduction in taurine transporter activity in HT-29 cells is associated with decreased affinity of the taurine transporter without altering the amount of transporter protein. Intestinal taurine absorption appears to be reduced in the condition of water-borne diseases caused by bacteria such as V. cholerae. This might influence the taurine status of infants and young children more readily, an age group in which the prevalence of intestinal infection is high and the role of intestinal absorption is crucial for maintaining the body taurine pool. (Korean J Nutrition 34(2) : 150-157, 2001)

• KSBB Journal
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• v.26 no.6
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• pp.491-504
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• 2011

This review article provides an overview of the evolution of diphtheria vaccine, its value and its future. Diphtheria is an infectious illness caused by diphtheria toxin produced by pathogenic strains of Corynebacterium diphtheriae. It is characterized by a sore throat with membrane formation due to local tissue necrosis, which can lead to fatal airway obstruction; neural and cardiac damage are other common complications. Diphtheria vaccine was first brought to market in the 1920s, following the discovery that diphtheria toxin can be detoxified using formalin. However, conventional formalin-inactivated toxoid vaccines have some fundamental limitations. Innovative technologies and approaches with the potential to overcome these limitations are discussed in this paper. These include genetic inactivation of diphtheria toxoid, innovative vaccine delivery systems, new adjuvants (both TLR-independent and TLR-dependent adjuvants), and heat- and freeze-stable agents, as well as novel platforms for producing improved conventional vaccine, DNA vaccine, transcutaneous (microneedle-mediated) vaccine, oral vaccine and edible vaccine expressed in transgenic plants. These innovations target improvements in vaccine quality (efficacy, safety, stability and consistency), ease of use and/or thermal stability. Their successful development and use should help to increase global diphtheria vaccine coverage.

• The Journal of the Korean Society for Microbiology
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.55-63
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• 1985

Phosphate, ammonia, glucosamine, glucose, pyruvate, succinate, fumarate, malate and acetate were examined for their ability to control the heat-stable enterotoxin (ST) production in succinate salts medium or in M9 medium. The results obtained were summerized as follows. 1. When the initial phosphate concentration was adjusted to 1.0mM, ST production was decreased to 80u/ml or less. But when the initial phosphate concentration was adjusted to 64mM or 100mM, enterotoxin production was 320u/ml. 2. When the initial ammonia concentration in the medium was adjusted to 1.0mM, no ST production and cell growth were observed. But when ammonia concentration was adjusted to 10mM, 19mM, 38mM or 76mM, enterotoxin production was 320u/ml. 3. Among carbon sources, glucosamine, glucose, pyruvate, succinate, fumarate, malate and acetate, acetate supported the highest specific production (928 unit/O.D.) of heat-stable enterotoxin. From this results, we could assume that heat-stable enterotoxin production is controlled by stringent control mechanism. 4. When the pH of the succinate salts medium was kept between 6.2 to 6.5, no heat-stable enterotoxin production was observed, but when the pH of the medium was kept between pH 6.2 to 6.5, 267 unit/O.D. of heat-stable enterotoxin was produced. 5. Glucose inhibited the heat-stable enterotoxin production and the mechanism was assumed due to its capacity to lower the pH of the medium during catabolysis and its high metabolic energy.

• The Journal of the Korean Society for Microbiology
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.377-392
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• 1987

Monoclonal antibody to the Escherichia coli heat-stable enterotoxin(ST) was produced to develop a rapid and convenient diagnostic method to the ST. The toxin was purified from culture supernatant of enterotoxigenic E. coli O148H28($ST^+/LT^+$) and conjugated to bovine serum albumin(BSA). The ST-BSA conjugate was used to immunize BALB/c mice and the immune spleen cells from these mice were fused with $P3{\times}63$ Ag8.V653 plasmacytoma cells. Hybridomas were screened by ELISA and positive hybridomas were cloned by limiting dilution. Finally, one stable clone (AS36) specific to ST was selected for further growth and characterization. Antibody titers of culture supernatant and ascitic fluid from BALB/c mice were 1:1,024 and 1:20,480 respectively in ELISA. The isotype and subclass of monoclonal antibody was IgG1 in sandwich ELISA. To test the neutralizing effect of monoclonal antibody on toxin activity of ST, mixture of ascitic fluid and ST was assayed by infant mouse assay and this monoclonel antibody was proved to be a neutralizing antibody. The titer of ascitic fluid which completely neutralized biological activity of 4 units of ST was 1:4. Purified ST was quantitatively measured by competitive ELISA and minimum amount of ST detectable by this assay was 250pg, which was an amount six-fold smaller than that detectable by infant mouse assay. Four reference strains of enterotoxigenic E. coli from WHO were detected by competitive ELISA and highly specific, sensitive and reproducible result was obtained.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Clinical Toxicology
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.66-69
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• 2016

Some carnivorous gastropods have heat stable tetramine toxins in their salivary glands. This toxin is an autonomic ganglionic blocking agent that enables them to catch the prey easily by paralyzing their targets. Acute tetramine toxin poisoning in humans from eating whelks has been well described based on numerous cases, but is rare in Korea. Symptoms of tetramine poisoning include eyeball pain, blurred vision, headache, dizziness, muscular twitching, tingling of hands and feet, weakness, paralysis and sometimes collapse. Gastrointestinal symptoms, such as abdominal pain, nausea, and vomiting can also occur. However, intoxication is self-limiting and patients will usually recover in about 24 hours. Herein, we report 2 cases of tetramine poisoning after ingestion of Buccinum striatissinum as meat and soup.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.143-148
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• 1998

The purpose of this study was to determine the kinetics of paralytic shellfish poison (PSP) destruction at various temperature. The toxic digestive gland homogenate of blue mussel (Mytilus edulis), PSP crude toxin, gonyautoxin group and saxitoxin group were heated at temperature ranging from 90 to $120^{\circ}C$, and then the toxicities were measured in samples heated for various time intervals. The rate constant (k) of the toxic digestive gland homogenate, PSP crude toxin, gonyautoxin group and saxitoxin group were $3.28{\times}10^{-2},\;1.20{\times}10^{-2},\;5.88{\times}10^{-2}\;and\;2.58{\times}10^{-2}\;at\;120^{\circ}C$, respectively. The decimal reduction time (D-value) of the toxic digestive gland homogenate, PSP crude toxin, gonyautoxin group and saxitoxin group were 70, 192, 39 and 89 at $120^{\circ}C$, respectively. These results indicate that PSP crude toxin is most heat-stable of 4 types of PSP toxins and PSP toxin are more heat-stable than food poisoning bacteria and spores. The retorting condition to reduce PSP toxicity below quarantine limit ($80\;\mu\textrm{g}/100\;g$ in Korea and America, 4 MU/g in Japan) could be calculated by rate constant. For example, the digestive gland homogenate having a initial toxicity of $200\;\mu\textrm{g}/100\;g$ could have toxicity below quarantine limit when heated at $90^{\circ}C$ for 129 min., $100^{\circ}C$ for 82 min., $110^{\circ}C$ for 48 min. and $120^{\circ}C$ for 28 min. These results suggest that commercial retorting condition ($115^{\circ}C$ for 70 min) in Korea is enough to reduce toxicity below quarantine limit from initial toxicity of $200\;\mu\textrm{g}/100\;g$. From these results, the quarantine limit of PSP-infested shellfish for canning can be level up to raw score of $200\;\mu\textrm{g}/100\;g$.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.40 no.4
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• pp.286-294
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• 2004

Between 1997 and 1998 in Korea, 56 isolates of Escherichia coli were obtained from pig suffering diarrhea. Among those, 38 isolates that showed the hemolytic activity, antimicrobial resistance, and toxin production were studied. Among 38 isolates, thirty-six isolates $(94.7\%)$ were resistant to tetracycline, 27 isolates $(71.0\%)$ were resistant to ampicillin, 26 isolates $(68.4\%)$ were resistant to chloramphenicol, and 21 isolates $(55.2\%)$ were resistant to trimethoprim, while none was resistant to aztreonam, amikacin, and norfloxacin. Among these iso­lates, 21 isolates $(55.3\%)$ were multiple drug resistant to at least four different class antimicrobial agents. Extended spectrum $\beta-lactamase$ producing isolates were not detected in the double disk synergy test. In these hemolytic Escherichia coli, heat-stable enterotoxin $(89.5\%)$ was the most prevalent toxin, followed by vero­toxins $(47.4\%),$ and then heat-labile enterotoxin $(31.6\%).$ Except 8 isolates $(21.0\%)$ which produced ST only, 12 isolates $(31.6\%)$ produced ST and LT, 13 isolates $(34.2\%)$ produced ST, VT, and VTe, and 5 isolates $(13.2\%)$ produced VT and VTe. However, none produced all 4 types of toxin, simultaneously. The predominant serotype could not be determined by the agglutination method. Sixteen isolates $(42.1\%)$ were strongly adhered to T-24 bladder cell and 17 isolates $(44.7\%)$ were to Caco-2 intestinal cell. Especially, 11 strains $(28.9\%)$ were evaluated as strongly adhesive to both T-24 cells and Caco-2 cells. Genes for toxin and the antimicrobial resistance were transferred to clinical isolates of Escherichia coli from human urine by the filter mating method. Results suggest the possibility that antimicrobial resistance and toxin can be transferred from animals to humans by direct con­tact of resistant bacteria as well as gene transfer, although there was no correlation between toxin production, adherent activity, and antimicrobial resistance among hemolytic E. coli isolated from pig suffering diarrhea.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.55-64
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• 1990

Cell volume and DNA contents of the fusants were similar to those of parents. Genetic stability of the fusants was increased when they were cultured on minimal medium (MM) rather than on complete medium (CM), and the fusants were stabilized by subculturing 7 generations each 7 day on MM agar. The finally selected fusants after being cultured for 6 months on CM were stable without segregation. The fusants could also form nuclein and ascospores, and show red and pink colors by the test of TTC colorization. Assimilability and fermentability of carbon sources of the fusants were similarto those of parents. The tolerance of KCl, NaCl, sodium propionate and cycloheximide showed the traits of one strain of parents. When the fusants were cultured for 72 hr and 60 hr in the medium containing 20% glucose and sucrose, respectively, the yield of ethanol for FWKS 260 was reached to 9.6 v/v% and 9.8v/v%, respectively. The sensitive strain Kyokai 7 was found to be killed entirely after cultivation of 48 hr by the killer toxin from the fusants. The recipient S 29 and Kyokai 7 were found to have neither L nor M dsRNA plasmid. However, K 52 and fusants had both L and M dsRNA plasmid of 4.7 kb and 2.5 kb, respectively. The curants treated by heat and cycloheximide did not contain M dsRNA plasmid, but had large amounts of L dsRNA plasmid of those of killer yeasts.