• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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• v.49 no.4
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• pp.413-419
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• 2017

Four imipenem-resistant bacteria were isolated from the clinical specimens of a patient with pneumonia. To identify the isolates, we used the GN card of Vitek II system and performed a phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequence. The isolates were identified as P. aeruginosa (2 strains), P. monteilii (1 strain), and P. putida (1 strain), and were tested for antibiotic resistance after determining the MIC of imipenem to be $${\geq_-}8{\mu}g/mL$$ using the AST-N225 card of Vitek II system. The imipenem-resistant genotypes were determined using PCR products amplified using specific ${\beta}-Lactamase$ gene primers. The MBL gene was identified in all four isolates. One strain of P. aeruginosa exhibited the VIM and SHV-1 type genes, while the other strain exhibited both VIM and OXA group II genes. According to the antimicrobial susceptibility test, the bacteria were more susceptible to amikacin than other antibiotics. DNA fingerprint analysis using ERIC-PCR to analyze the epidemiological relationship between strains estimated that both the P. aeruginosa isolates were similar, but exhibited different DNA band types. It is uncommon to find four strains of imipenem-resistant bacteria with different DNA band types in a single patient.

• Journal of Microbiology
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• v.44 no.4
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• pp.423-431
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• 2006

Among 53 Acinetobacter baumannii isolates collected in 2004, nine imipenem-resistant isolates were obtained from clinical specimens taken from patients hospitalized in Busan, Korea. Nine carbapenemase-producing isolates were further investigated in order to determine the mechanisms underlying resistance. These isolates were then analyzed via antibiotic susceptibility testing, microbiological tests of carbapenemase activity, pI determination, transconjugation test, enterobacterial repetitive consensus (ERIC)-PCR, and DNA sequencing. One outbreak involved seven cases of infection by A. baumannii producing OXA-23 ${\beta}-lactamase$, and was found to have been caused by a single ERIC-PCR clone. During the study period, the other outbreak involved two cases of infection by A. baumannii producing IMP-1 ${\beta}-lactamase$. The two clones, one from each of the outbreaks, were characterized via a modified cloverleaf synergy test and an EDTA-disk synergy test. The isoelectric focusing of the crude bacterial extracts detected nitrocefin-positive bands with pI values of 6.65 (OXA-23) and 9.0 (IMP-1). The PCR amplification and characterization of the amplicons via direct sequencing showed that the clonal isolates harbored $bla_{IMP-1}$ or $bla_{oxA-23}$ determinants. The two clones were characterized by a multidrug resistance phenotype that remained unaltered throughout the outbreak. This resistance encompassed penicillins, extended-spectrum cephalosporins, carbapenems, monobactams, and aminoglycosides. These results appear to show that the imipenem resistance observed among nine Korean A. baumannii isolates could be attributed to the spread of an IMP-lor OXA-23-producing clone. Our microbiological test of carbapenemase activity is a simple method for the screening of clinical isolates producing class D carbapenemase and/or class B $metallo-{\beta}-lactamase$, in order both to determine their clinical impact and to prevent further spread.

• YAKHAK HOEJI
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• v.47 no.5
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• pp.288-292
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• 2003

The synthesis of new 6-exomethylene penams with substituted triazole ring was described. The 6,6-dibromopenam 5 was reacted with $CH_3$MgBr and substituted triazole 4 to afford the 6-bromo penicillanate 6, which was treated with acetic anhydride to give acetoxy compound 7. The deacetobromination of acetoxy compound 7 with zinc and acetic acid gave 6-exomethylene penams 8, which was oxidized to sulfones 9 by m-CPBA. The p-methoxybenzyl compounds 6∼9 were deprotected by AlCl$_3$ and neutralized to give the sodium salts 10∼13.

• YAKHAK HOEJI
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• v.44 no.2
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• pp.128-134
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• 2000

The synthesis of new 6-exomethylene penams with triazole ring was described. The 6,6-dibromopenam 5 was treated with $CH_3$MgBr and carbaldehyde 4 to afford the 6-bromo-6-(1-hydroxy-1-methyl)penicillanate 6, which was reacted with acetic anhydride to give acetoxy compound 7. The deacetobromination of 7 with zinc and acetic acid gave 6-exomethylenpenams, Z-isomer 8 and E-isomer 9, which were oxidized to sulfones 10 and 11 by m-CPBA. The p-methoxybenzyl compounds 6~11 were deprotected by AlCl$_3$ and neutralized to give the sodium salts 12~17.

• YAKHAK HOEJI
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• v.48 no.5
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• pp.303-308
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• 2004

The synthesis of new 6-triazole exomethylenepenams was described. The 6,6-dibromopenam 5 was reacted with $CH_3$MgBr and substituted triazole 4 to afford the 6-bromo penicillanate 6, which was treated with acetic anhydride to give acetoxy compound 7. The deacetobromination of acetoxy compound 7 with zinc and acetic acid gave 6-exomethylene penams 8 and 9, which were oxidized to sulfones 10 and 11 by m-CPBA. The p-methoxybenzyl compounds 6-11 were deprotected by AlCl$_3$ and neutralized to give the sodium salts 12-17.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.299-306
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• 2012

Recently, the prevalence of 16S rRNA methylase conferring high-level resistance to aminoglycosides has been increasing in Gram-negative bacilli globally. We determined the prevalence and genotype of these methylase-producing bacteria, and characterized the co-resistance to ${\beta}$-lactam antibiotics and quinolone in Gram-negative clinical isolates collected in 2010 at a hospital in Korea. Among 65 amikacin-resistant isolates screened from 864 Gram-negative bacilli (GNB), 16S rRNA methylase genes were detected from 49 isolates, including Acinetobacter baumannii (43), Klebsiella pneumoniae (2), Proteus mirabilis (2) and Serratia marcescens (1), Empedobacter brevis (1). All of the 16S rRNA methylase genotype was armA and no variant sequences of amplified PCR products for armA were noted. The 16S rRNA methylase producing bacteria showed much higher resistance to aminoglycoside for Enterobacteriaceae and glucose non-fermenting (NF)-GNB and to imipenem for glucose NF-GNB, than the non-producing isolates. All of the 16S rRNA methylase producing Enterobacteriaceae had the extended-spectrum-${\beta}$-lactamase. In addition, two K. pneumoniae concurrently produced both plasmid-mediated AmpC ${\beta}$-lactamase and qnrB gene. All of the amikacin-resistant A. baumannii (43) co-harbored armA 16S rRNA methylase and $bla_{OXA-23}$ carbapenemase. In conclusion, 16S rRNA methylase producing bacteria were very prevalent among GNB in South Korea, and were commonly associated with co-resistance, including carbapenem and quinolone.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.26-34
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• 1992

The effect of induction temperature on fermentation parameters has been investigated extensively using Escherichia coli M5248[pNKM21], a producer of recombinant human interleukin-2 (rhIL-2). In this recombinant microorganism, the gene expression of rhIL-2 is regulated by the cI857 repressor and $P_L$ promoter system. The recombinant fermentation parameters studied in this work include the cell growth, protein synthesis, cell viability, plasmid stability, $\beta$-lactamase activity, and rhIL-2 productivity. Interrelationships of such fermentation parameters have been analyzed through a quantitative assessment of the experimental data set obtained at eight different culture conditions. While the expression of rhIL-2 gene was repressed at culture temperatures below $34^\circ{C}$ with little effect on other fermentation parameters, under the conditions of rhIL-2 production $>(36~44^\circ{C})$ the cell growth, plasmid stability, and $\beta$-lactamase activity were, as induction temperature was increased, more profoundly reduced. Although the rhIL-2 content in the insoluble protein fraction was maximum at $40^\circ{C}$, total rhIL-2 production in the culture volume was found to be highest at the induction temperature of $36^\circ{C}$. This was in contrast to the previously known optimum induction temperature of the P$_{L}$ promoter system $>(40~42^\circ{C})$.Explanations for such a discrepancy have been proposed based on a product formation kinetics, and their implications have been discussed in detail.l.

• Childhood Kidney Diseases
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.182-191
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• 2006

Purpose : We studied the degree of changes in antibiotic sensitivity toward causative organisms, prevalence and clinical manifestations of extended-spectrum $\beta$-lactamase(ESBL)-producers of urinary tract infection(UTI) for a period of three years. This serves to provide useful information in selecting adequate drugs for the treatment of UTI. Methods : We recruited 137 patients who grew more than $10^5$ CFU/mL in their urine culture among 250 patients who visited and were admitted to Handong University's Sunlin Hospital for UTI treatment from January 2003 to December 2005. We retrospectively analyzed the data from the medical records. Results : The common pathogenic organisms were Escherichia coli(65.0%), Klepsiella pneumoniae(14.0%), Enterococcus faecalis(5.8%) and Proteus vulgaris(2.9%) in consecutive order. The prevalence of ESBL-producers among isolated E. coli and K. pneumoniae was 4.5%(4 cases) and 14.3%(2 cases), respectively. The antibiotic sensitivity rates of E. coli were relatively high to amikacin(100%), imipenem(100%), ceftriaxone(95.5%) and tobramycin(91.4%) while relatively low to TMP/SMZ(55.4%), ampicillin/sulbactam(29.4%) and ampicillin(24.2%). Conclusion : The use of ampicillin, ampicillin/sulbactam and TMP/SMZ, which have been the first choices in the treatment of UTI, should be reconsidered due to the low sensitivity rates towards these antibiotics. Due to the high incidence and antibiotic tolerance of ESBL that might have risen from the development of new antibiotics and increased antibiotic use, it is necessary to consider changing the standard antibiotics that have been used in the treatment of UTI.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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• v.42 no.2
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• pp.71-80
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• 2010

Pseudomonas aeruginosa are important nosocomial pathogens. Their resistance to carbapenem is increasing and causing concerns in Korea. An increasing prevalence of carbapenem resistance mediated by acquired carbapenemase is being reported. Over a 10 month-period from July 2007 to April 2008, 32 strains of imipenem-nonsusceptible P. auruginosa were isolated from Kangwon National University Hospital. To determine the prevalence and genotypes of the carbapenemase-producing clinical isolates, the antibiotic susceptibility was determined by Microscan Walkaway 96 SI System and the carbapenem activity was detected by the modified Hodge test and the imipenem-EDTA-SMA double-disk synergy test. The metallo-${\beta}$-lactamase gene and OXA-type ${\beta}$-lactamase gene reported in Korea were detected by PCR. As for the result of PCR, 30 isolates of P. aeruginosa were found to have $bla_{IMP-1}$-like and 1 isolate was found to have $bla_{IMP-1}$-like and $bla_{IMP-2}$. No clinical isolates were found to have $bla_{SIM-1}$, $bla_{OXA-23}$-like and $bla_{OXA-24}$-like. Random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD)-PCR and dendrogram for genetical similarity to band patterns of each clinical isolates were examined. P. aeruginosa were grouped into 7 clusters of up to 50% of similarity index. In the P. aeruginosa group, PS3 was resistant to the most antibiotics, PS1 was susceptible to the most antibiotics. PS7 was resistant to aztreonam unlike other groups. This is the first report of prevalence of carbapenemase in Chuncheon.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.24 no.9
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• pp.1260-1268
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• 2014

Screening of a gene library from Paenibacillus sp. PBS-2 generated in Escherichia coli led to the identification of a clone with lipolytic activity. Sequence analysis showed an open reading frame encoding a polypeptide of 378 amino acid residues with a predicted molecular mass of 42 kDa. The esterase displayed 69% and 42% identity with the putative ${\beta}$-lactamases from Paenibacillus sp. JDR-2 and Clostridium sp. BNL1100, respectively. The esterase contained a Ser-x-x-Lys motif that is conserved among all ${\beta}$-lactamases found to date. The protein PBS-2 was produced in both soluble and insoluble forms when E. coli cells harboring the gene were cultured at $18^{\circ}C$. The enzyme is a serine protein and was active against p-nitrophenyl esters of $C_2$, $C_4$, $C_8$, and $C_{10}$. The optimum pH and temperature for enzyme activity were pH 9.0 and $30^{\circ}C$, respectively. Relative activity of 55% remained at up to $5^{\circ}C$ with an activation energy of 5.84 kcal/mol, which indicates that the enzyme is cold-adapted. Enzyme activity was inhibited by $Cd^{2+}$, $Cu^{2+}$, and $Hg^{2+}$ ions. As expected for a serine esterase, activity was inhibited by phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride. The enzyme was remarkably active and stable in the presence of commercial detergents and organic solvents. This cold-adapted esterase has potential as a biocatalyst and detergent additive for use at low temperatures.