Editorial Hae-Sun Chung Department of Laboratory Medicine, Ewha Womans University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea Correspondence to Hae-Sun Chung, E-mail: sunny0521.chung@ewha.ac.kr Ann Clin Microbiol 2025;28(4):27. https://doi.org/10.5145/ACM.2025.28.4.8Received on 16 December 2025, Revised on 18 December 2025, Accepted on 18 December 2025, Published on 20 December 2025.Copyright © Korean Society of Clinical Microbiology.This is an Open Access article which is freely available under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-ND) (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). The expanding role of whole-genome sequencing in clinical microbiology: A specially invited review Infectious diseases remain a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide, and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) continues to erode the effectiveness of standard treatment pathways. Against this backdrop, whole-genome sequencing (WGS) has shifted from being a specialized research capability to a practical engine for clinical decision support, outbreak investigation, and pathogen surveillance. The review by the distinguished Japanese scholar Professor Takashi Takahashi [1], “Whole-genome sequencing applications for

Editorial Hae-Sun Chung Department of Laboratory Medicine, Ewha Womans University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea Correspondence to Hae-Sun Chung, E-mail: sunny0521.chung@ewha.ac.kr Ann Clin Microbiol 2025;28(3):19. https://doi.org/10.5145/ACM.2025.28.3.8Received on 12 September 2025, Revised on 15 September 2025, Accepted on 16 September 2025, Published on 20 September 2025.Copyright © Korean Society of Clinical Microbiology.This is an Open Access article which is freely available under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-ND) (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). Tuberculosis (TB) and other mycobacterial diseases are major public health concerns. Globally, Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) causes > 10 million new TB cases and ~1.5 million deaths each year; the incidence of TB has declined by 8.7% from 2015 to 2022, yet the burden remains high [1]. In Korea, the incidence of TB has fallen steadily, on average by 7.2% annually since 2011, reflecting sustained control efforts [2]. In addition to active TB, latent TB infection—along with its intermediate stages, such

Editorial Hae-Sun Chung Department of Laboratory Medicine, Ewha Womans University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea Correspondence to Hae-Sun Chung, E-mail: sunny0521.chung@ewha.ac.kr Ann Clin Microbiol 2025;28(2):11. https://doi.org/10.5145/ACM.2025.28.2.5Received on 13 June 2025, Revised on 16 June 2025, Accepted on 16 June 2025, Published on 27 June 2025.Copyright © Korean Society of Clinical Microbiology.This is an Open Access article which is freely available under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-ND) (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). In February 2024, the government announced a marked increase in medical school admissions by 2,000 seats, a 65.4% increase from the existing quota of 3,058, sparking a protracted conflict between the government and medical associations [1]. This conflict remains unresolved, leading to nationwide disruptions in the healthcare sector. One of the most profound consequences of this policy announcement was the nationwide mass resignation of resident physicians, a crisis that deeply disrupted the functionality of university hospitals. Their absence has

Editorial Hae-Sun Chung Department of Laboratory Medicine, Ewha Womans University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea Correspondence to Hae-Sun Chung, E-mail: sunny0521.chung@ewha.ac.kr Ann Clin Microbiol 2025;28(1):6. https://doi.org/10.5145/ACM.2025.28.1.6Received on 14 March 2024, Revised on 16 March 2025, Accepted on 16 March 2025, Published on 20 March 2025.Copyright © Korean Society of Clinical Microbiology.This is an Open Access article which is freely available under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-ND) (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). The year 2024 marked a notable milestone for the Annals of Clinical Microbiology (Ann Clin Microbiol, ACM) with a transition to an English-language journal and taking the first steps toward becoming an internationally recognized academic publication. ACM achieved remarkable progress in strengthening its academic value and global presence throughout this transformative year. The major accomplishments of 2024 included the successful publication of two highly specialized and impactful Special Issues: “Current Epidemiology and Diagnostics of Parasitic Infections in Korea” and

Original article PDF Hae-Sun Chung, Chang-Seok Ki, Jang Ho Lee, Nam Yong Lee Department of Laboratory Medicine and Genetics, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea Corresponding to Nam Yong Lee, E-mail: micro.lee@samsung.com Ann Clin Microbiol 2009;12(1):37-42.Copyright © Korean Society of Clinical Microbiology. Abstract Background: We evaluated BacT/ALERT 3D liquid culture system (bioMerieux, USA) and PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) for recovery and direct identification of mycobacteria, and the results were compared with a conventional culture system using an egg-based solid medium.  Methods: A total of 3,037 bronchial specimens (2,309 bronchial washing fluids and 728 bronchoalveolar lavages) were collected. Decontaminated specimens were inoculated to both BacT/ALERT MP liquid media and Ogawa solid media (3%, Shinyang, Korea). Recovery rate and detection time were compared between the two systems. Liquid media from positive cultures were centrifuged and the pellets were tested for direct identification of mycobacteria by PCR-RFLP using

Case report PDF Hae-Sun Chung1, Jang Ho Lee1, Hyo Yeol Kim2, Nam Yong Lee1 Departments of 1Laboratory Medicine and Genetics, and 2Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea Corresponding to Nam Yong Lee, E-mail: micro.lee@samsung.com Ann Clin Microbiol 2010;13(2):98-101. https://doi.org/10.5145/KJCM.2010.13.2.98Copyright © Korean Society of Clinical Microbiology. Abstract Allergic fungal sinusitis (AFS) is a noninvasive form of fungal rhinosinusitis resulting from an IgE-mediated hypersensitivity reaction. The diagnosis of AFS can be established by demonstrating type I hypersensitivity, presence of fungus in mucus, eosinophilic mucin, nasal polyposis, and characteristic CT scans. Although AFS is not unusual and its incidence may be increasing, few cases have been reported in Korea. Here, we report the first case of typical AFS in which Curvularia species was isolated by culture. (Korean J Clin Microbiol 2010;13:98-101) Keywords Allergic fungal sinusitis, Curvularia species

Original article PDF Ji-Sook Yim, Seock-Mi Hwang, Myungsook Kim, Hee-Joung Lim, Saeam Shin, Hae-Sun Chung, Heejung Kim, Kyungwon Lee Department of Laboratory Medicine and Research Institute of Bacterial Resistance, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea Corresponding to Heejung Kim, E-mail: hjkim12@yuhs.ac Ann Clin Microbiol 2012;15(3):88-91. https://doi.org/10.5145/KJCM.2012.15.3.88Copyright © Korean Society of Clinical Microbiology. Abstract Background: Clostridium difficile is the main etiologic agent of antibiotic-associated diarrhea and the most common cause of hospital-acquired diarrhea. Recently, the incidence of C. difficile infections (CDI) has increased and new highly virulent C. difficile strains have emerged. Therefore, accurate and rapid diagnosis is needed. We compared the results of using chromID C. difficile (chromID CD, bioMeriéux, France) with the conventional C. difficile Selective Agar (CDSA; BD, USA) for the isolation of C. difficile. Methods: A total of 738 stool specimens of suspected CDI patients at the Severance Hospital from July to August 2011 were inoculated

Original article PDF Myungsook Kim, Mi Jung Kwon, Hae-Sun Chung, Yangsoon Lee, Dongeun Yong, Seok Hoon Jeong, Kyungwon Lee, Yunsop Chong Department of Laboratory Medicine and Research Institute of Bacterial Resistance, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea Corresponding to Dongeun Yong, E-mail: deyong@yuhs.ac Ann Clin Microbiol 2012;15(2):60-66. https://doi.org/10.5145/KJCM.2012.15.2.60Copyright © Korean Society of Clinical Microbiology. Abstract Background: Matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) has been used for the identification of bacteria worldwide. To our knowledge, the evaluation of MALDI-TOF MS for the identification of bacteria in Korea has not been studied. In this paper we compared the identification results of aerobic bacteria using MALDI-TOF MS to those results using conventional biochemical methods. Methods: We evaluated the performance of a MALDI- TOF MS system (Bruker Daltonics, Leipzig, Germany) on consecutive aerobic isolates collected from January to February of 2011 which were identified using conventional methods (biochemical testing