• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.47 no.3
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• pp.220-226
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• 2014

Sixty-seven Vibrio parahaemolyticus isolates from surface seawater from the Wando area, on the southern coast of Korea, were analyzed for their susceptibility to 15 different antimicrobials and the presence of virulence genes. According to the disk diffusion susceptibility test, all of the strains studied were resistant to ampicillin and oxacillin, while decreasing percentages were resistant to vancomycin (64.2%), streptomycin (56.7%), amikacin (31.3%), kanamycin (22.3%), cephalothin (20.9%), erythromycin (10.4%), ciprofloxacin (4.5%), and tetracycline (3.0%). All of the strains were susceptible to five antimicrobials: chloramphenicol, gentamycin, nalidixic acid, sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprim, and trimethoprim. Fifty-nine isolates (88.1%) were resistant to three or more classes of antimicrobial and defined as multidrug resistant, and two strains were resistant to seven antimicrobial agents. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of the 67 V. parahaemolyticus isolates to ampicillin and oxacillin ranged from 512-2,048 and $64-512{\mu}g/mL$, respectively. All 67 isolates were also examined for the presence of the tdh and trh virulence genes using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). However, no isolates possessed either tdh or trh. The VPA0477 (${\beta}$-lactamase) gene, present in all of the tested strains, was validated as a new specific marker gene in PCR assays for the accurate detection and identification of V. parahaemolyticus.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.60 no.7
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• pp.221-226
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• 2017

Purpose: Escherichia coli sequence type (ST) 131, a multidrug-resistant clone causing extraintestinal infections, has rapidly become prevalent worldwide. However, the epidemiological and clinical features of pediatric infections are poorly understood. We aimed to explore the characteristics of ST131 Escherichia coli isolated from Korean children with urinary tract infections. Methods: We examined 114 uropathogenic E. coli (UPEC) isolates from children hospitalized at Chung-Ang University Hospital between 2011 and 2014. Bacterial strains were classified into STs by partial sequencing of seven housekeeping genes (adk, fumC, gyrB, icd, mdh, purA, and recA). Clinical characteristics and antimicrobial susceptibility were compared between ST131 and non-ST131 UPEC isolates. Results: Sixteen UPEC isolates (14.0%) were extended-spectrum ${\beta}-lactamase$ (ESBL)-producers; 50.0% of ESBL-producers were ST131 isolates. Of all the isolates tested, 13.2% (15 of 114) were classified as ST131. There were no statistically significant associations between ST131 and age, sex, or clinical characteristics, including fever, white blood cell counts in urine and serum, C-reactive protein, radiologic abnormalities, and clinical outcome. However, ST131 isolates showed significantly lower rates of susceptibility to cefazolin (26.7%), cefotaxime (40.0%), cefepime (40.0%), and ciprofloxacin (53.3%) than non-ST131 isolates (65.7%, 91.9%, 92.9%, and 87.9%, respectively; P<0.001 for all). ESBL was more frequently produced in ST131 (53.3%) than in non-ST131 (8.1%) isolates (P<0.01). Conclusion: ST131 E. coli isolates were prevalent uropathogens in children at a single medical center in Korea between 2011 and 2014. Although ST131 isolates showed higher rates of antimicrobial resistance, clinical presentation and outcomes of patients were similar to those of patients infected with non-ST131 isolates.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.17 no.9
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• pp.1538-1545
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• 2007

Clavulanic acid (CA) is an inhibitor of ${\beta}$-lactamase that is produced from Streptomyces clavuligerus NRRL3585 and is used in combination with other antibiotics in clinical treatments. In order to increase the production of CA, the replicative and integrative expressions of ccaR (encoding for a specific regulator of the CA biosynthetic operon) and cas2 (encoding for the rate-limiting enzyme in the CA biosynthetic pathway) were applied. Six recombinant plasmids were designed for this study. The pIBRHL1, pIBRHL3, and pIBRHL13 were constructed for overexpression, whereas pNQ3, pNQ2, and pNQ1 were constructed for chromosomal integration with ccaR, cas2, and ccaR-cas2, respectively. All of these plasmids were transformed into S. clavuligerus NRRL3585. CA production in transformants resulted in a significantly enhanced amount greater than that of the wild type, a 2.25-fold increase with pIBRHLl, a 9.28-fold increase with pNQ3, a 5.06-fold increase with pIBRHL3, a 2.93-fold increase with pNQ2 integration, a 5.79-fold increase with pIBRHLl3, and a 23.8-fold increase with pNQ1. The integrative pNQl strain has been successfully applied to enhance production.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.28 no.7
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• pp.1178-1184
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• 2018

The spread of antibiotic-resistant Enterobacteriaceae in the community is one of the main challenges for antibiotic treatment of community-onset infections. We evaluated the microbiological and molecular characteristics of stool samples from adults with comprehensive health examinations. Of 109 fecal samples, bacterial growth was observed in 86 samples and 61 gram-negative bacterial isolates were identified, of which 45 were Escherichia coli isolates (73.8%). Two isolates of Raoultella showed imipenem resistance, and both E. coli and Citrobacter freundii showed intermediate resistance to imipenem. Colistin resistance was identified in isolates of Klebsiella variicola and Salmonella subterranean, but no isolates carried mcr-1. As for E. coli genotypes, 35 sequence types were identified. $bla_{TEM-1}$, $bla_{TEM-30}$, and $bla_{CTX-M}$ were identified in 15, 1, and 4 E. coli isolates, respectively. In addition, all four Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates carried $bla_{SHV}$. Many genotypes that have been identified in isolates causing human infections were found in isolates in this study. There is a need to control the rise and spread of antibiotic-resistant pathogens by fecal carriage.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.182-186
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• 2007

Cefixime is an orally absorbed cephalosporin with a broad spectrum of activity against Gram-negative bacteria and is highly resistant to beta-lactamase degradation. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the bioequivalence of two cefixime capsules, Suprax capsule (Dong-A Pharmaceutical Co., reference drug) and Alpha-Cefixime capsule (Alpha Pharmaceutical Co., test drug), according to the guidelines of Korea Food and Drug Administration (KFDA). Twenty-four normal subjects, $23.5{\pm}3.72$ years in age and $68.3{\pm}8.89$ kg in body weight, were divided into two groups and a randomized $2{\times}2$ cross-over study was employed. There was one week washout period between the doses. After one capsule containing 100 mg of cefixime was orally administered, plasma was taken at predetermined time intervals and the concentrations of cefixime in plasma were determined using HPLC with UV detector. The pharmacokinetic parameters such as $AUC_{t}$, $C_{max}$ and $T_{max}$ were calculated and ANOVA test was utilized for the statistical analysis of the parameters. The results showed that the differences in $AUC_{t}$, $C_{max}$ and $T_{max}$ between two products were -3.91%, -2.23% and -3.18%, respectively, when calculated against the reference drug. The 90% confidence intervals using logarithmically transformed data were within the acceptance range of $log0.8{\leq}{\delta}{\leq}log1.25$ (e.g., $log0.8786{\leq}{\delta}{\leq}log1.0523$ and $log0.8889{\leq}{\delta}{\leq}log1.0512$ for $AUC_{t}$ and $C_{max}$, respectively). The 90% confidence intervals using untransformed data was within ${\pm}20%$(e.g., $-10.37%{\leq}{\delta}{\leq}6.73%$ for $T_{max}$). All parameters met the criteria of KFDA for bioequivalence, indicating that Alpha-Cefixime capsule (Alpha Pharmaceutical Co.) is bioequivalent to Suprax capsule (Dong-A Pharmaceutical Co.).

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Service
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.1-8
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• 2012

To detect the virulence genes (invA and spvC) and antimicrobial resistance genes, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was carried out using total 67 strains of S. Schwarzengrund isolated from pigs. As results, invA was detected from all 67 strains of S. Schwarzengrund, however, spvC was not at all. All 12 strains with ampicillin resistance, 15 strains with chloramphenicol resistance, 9 strains with kanamycin resistance, 1 strain with sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprim resistance, and 66 (98.5%) of 67 strains with tetracycline resistance carried TEM (${\beta}$-lactamase $bla_{TEM}$), cmlA (nonenzymatic chloramphenicol resistance), aphA1-Iab (aminoglycoside phosphotransferase), sulII (dihydropteroate synthase), and tetA (class A tetracycline resistance), respectively. All 63 strains with streptomycin resistance carried 3 aminoglycoside resistance genes, including aadA (aminoglycoside adenyltransferase), strA, and strB (streptomycin phosphotransferase). With respect to prevalence of antibiotic resistance genes occurred in S. Schwarzengrund, genes for strB (46.0%); strA and strB (30.2%); aadA, strA, and strB (9.5%); strA (7.9%); aadA and strB (3.2%); and aadA (3.2%) were detected by PCR.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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• v.45 no.2
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• pp.43-47
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• 2013

This study was designed to evaluate the prevalence of ESBL genes and monitor antimicrobial resistance pattern in Escherichia coli, isolated from a hospital and a community. We tested 200 E. coli strains isolated in the hospitals and community in Chungcheong area from January to March 2012. Antimicrobial susceptibilities were tested by using the disk diffusion method. A search for ESBL genes was conducted by PCR amplification, and the genotypes were determined by direct nucleotide sequence analysis of the amplified products. An Epidemiologic study was performed by repetitive extragenic palindromic sequence-based PCR (REP-PCR). The percentage of ESBL-producing isolates was 17% for hospital associated E. coli and 11% for community associated E. coli. The ESBL gene sequencing results showed that the most common ESBL in E. coli was CTX-M-14 (19/28), followed by CTX-M-15 (9/28). The REP-PCR study also showed the genetic diversity, but there was no difference between the hospital and community associated E. coli. In this study, the most common types of class A ESBLs identified were CTX-M in the hospital and the community in Chungcheong area. ESBL-producing E. coli isolates showed diverse clonality.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.315-325
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• 2016

A novel esterase gene, est7K, was isolated from a compost metagenomic library. The gene encoded a protein of 411 amino acids and the molecular mass of the Est7K was estimated to be 44,969 Da with no signal peptide. Est7K showed the highest identity of 57% to EstA3, which is an esterase from a drinking water metagenome, when compared with the enzymes with reported properties. Est7K had three motifs, SMTK, YSV, and WGG, which correspond to the typical motifs of family VIII esterases, SxxK, Yxx, and WGG, respectively. Est7K did not have the GxSxG motif in most lipolytic enzymes. Three additional motifs, LxxxPGxxW, PLGMxDTxF, and GGxG, were found to be conserved in family VIII enzymes. The results of the phylogenetic analysis and the alignment study suggest that family VIII enzymes could be classified into two subfamilies, VIII.1 and VIII.2. The purified Est7K was optimally active at 40ºC and pH 10.0. It was activated to exhibit a 2.1-fold higher activity by the presence of 30% methanol. It preferred short-length p-nitrophenyl esters, particularly p-nitrophenyl butyrate, and efficiently hydrolyzed glyceryl tributyrate. It did not hydrolyze β-lactamase substrates, tertiary alcohol esters, glyceryl trioleate, fish oil, and olive oil. Est7K preferred an S-enantiomer, such as (S)-methyl-3-hydroxy-2-methylpropionate, as the substrate. The tolerance to methanol and the substrate specificity may provide potential advantage in the use of the enzyme in pharmaceutical and other biotechnological processes.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.394-401
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• 2016

Recently, the clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)-associated protein 9 (CRISPR/Cas9) system, a genome editing technology, was shown to be versatile in treating several antibiotic-resistant bacteria. In the present study, we applied the CRISPR/Cas9 technology to kill extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)-producing Escherichia coli. ESBL bacteria are mostly multidrug resistant (MDR), and have plasmid-mediated antibiotic resistance genes that can be easily transferred to other members of the bacterial community by horizontal gene transfer. To restore sensitivity to antibiotics in these bacteria, we searched for a CRISPR/Cas9 target sequence that was conserved among >1,000 ESBL mutants. There was only one target sequence for each TEM- and SHV-type ESBL, with each of these sequences found in ~200 ESBL strains of each type. Furthermore, we showed that these target sequences can be exploited to re-sensitize MDR cells in which resistance is mediated by genes that are not the target of the CRISPR/Cas9 system, but by genes that are present on the same plasmid as target genes. We believe our Re-Sensitization to Antibiotics from Resistance (ReSAFR) technology, which enhances the practical value of the CRISPR/Cas9 system, will be an effective method of treatment against plasmid-carrying MDR bacteria.

• YAKHAK HOEJI
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• v.46 no.4
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• pp.290-294
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• 2002

Cephradine is an orally absorbed cephalosporin with a broad spectrum of activity against gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria and is highly resistant to beta-lactamase degradation. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the bioequivalence of two cephradine capules, Cephradine capsule (Donggu Pharmaceutical Co., reference drug) and Cephradine capsule (Shinpoong Pharmaceutical Co., test drug), according to the guidelines of Korea Food and Drug Administration. Twenty-six normal volunteers, 24.6 $\pm$ 3.70 years in age and 62.4 $\pm$ 8.99 kg in body weight, were divided into two groups and a randomized 2 $\times$ 2 cross-over study was employed. After one capsule containing 250 mg of cephrdine was orally administered, blood was taken at predetermined time intervals and the concentrations of cephrdine in serum were determined using HPLC with UV detector. The pharmacokinetic parameters such as AU $C_{t}$ to $C_{max}$ and $T_{max}$ were calculated and ANOVA test was utilized for the statistical analysis of the parameters. The results showed that the differences in AUCt, $C_{max}$ and $T_{max}$ between two products were 2.89％, 1.05％ and 1.06％, respectively, when calculated against the reference drug. The 90％ confidence intervals were within log0.8 $\leq$ $\delta$ $\leq$ log1.25 (e.g., log0.9803 $\leq$ $\delta$ $\leq$ log1.0734 and log0.9674 $\leq$ $\delta$ $\leq$ log1.220 for AU $C_{t}$, and $C_{max}$, respectively). Two parameters met the criteria of KFDA for bioequivalence, indicating that Cephradine capsules (Shinpoong Pharmaceutical Co.) is bioequivalent to Cephradine capsules (Donggu Pharmaceutical Co.).o.).o.).).o.).