Original article PDF Yong-Kyun Kim1, Jae-Seok Kim1,3, Hyoung-Sun Lee2, Hyun-Sook Koo3, Han-Sung Kim1, Wonkeun Song1, Ji Young Park1, Hae-Ran Lee4, Hyoun Chan Cho1, Kyu Man Lee1 Departments of 1Laboratory Medicine and 4Pediatrics, Hallym University College of Medicine, Departments of 2Laboratory Medicine and 3Infection Control Unit, Kangdong Sacred Heart Hospital, Seoul, Korea Corresponding to Jae-Seok Kim, E-mail: jaeseok@hallym.or.kr Ann Clin Microbiol 2009;12(1):43-47.Copyright © Korean Society of Clinical Microbiology. Abstract Background: Doctors’ white coats and neckties can become contaminated with potentially pathogenic bacteria and have a possibility of causing cross infections. Our objective was to determine the level of bacterial contamination and detect methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) and Clostridium difficile present on the white coats and neckties of residents.  Methods: We sampled 28 long-sleeved white coats and 14 neckties worn by residents. The tested sites for white coats were the cuffs and lower front surfaces, and for neckties, the lower surfaces. Impressions of these sites were taken

Original article PDF Hei Kyung Jin1, Jae Yun Jang1, Young Uh1, Ohgun Kwon1, Kap Jun Yoon1, Hyo Youl Kim2, Young Keun Kim2 Departments of 1Laboratory Medicine and 2Infectious Diseases, Yonsei University Wonju College of Medicine, Wonju, Korea Corresponding to Young Uh, E-mail: u931018@yonsei.ac.kr Ann Clin Microbiol 2011;14(1):7-12. https://doi.org/10.5145/KJCM.2011.14.1.7Copyright © Korean Society of Clinical Microbiology. Abstract Background: Bacteremia is a life-threatening infection, and prognosis is highly dependent on early recognition and treatment with appropriate antimicrobial agents. We investigated the diagnostic performance of serum procalcitonin (PCT) for differentiation between contaminants and true pathogens in blood cultures.  Methods: Serum PCT, C-reactive protein (CRP) and blood culture were performed for 473 patients between February 2008 and October 2008. We retrospectively reviewed the patients’ clinical characteristics and laboratory results based on medical records.  Results: The mean concentration of PCT was significantly different between the two negative and positive blood culture groups (6.45 ng/mL vs 28.77

Case report PDF Hee Jae Huh1, Hyun-Young Kim1, Young Eun Ha2, Chang-Seok Ki1, Nam Yong Lee1 1Department of Laboratory Medicine & Genetics, 2Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea Corresponding to Nam Yong Lee, E-mail: micro.lee@samsung.com Ann Clin Microbiol 2014;17(4):132-135. https://doi.org/10.5145/ACM.2014.17.4.132Copyright © Korean Society of Clinical Microbiology. Abstract Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae is a Gram-positive bacillus that causes infections primarily in animals. In humans, the bacteria usually cause localized or generalized cutaneous infections. A 75-year-old man with chronic alcoholism presented with abdominal pain. Abdominal computed tomography and laboratory findings suggested an intra-abdominal abscess in the periaortic soft tissue. While no definitive infectious source was identified, E. rhusiopathiae was identified by 16S rRNA-based gene sequencing from culture-negative, periaortic necrotic tissue, subsequent to empiric antibiotic treatment. It is suggested that E. rhusiopathiae has the potential to cause intra-abdominal abscesses. This case report highlights the

Case report Jae-Seok Kim, Sung Hee Chung, Jung-Min Kim, Hyun Soo Kim, Han-Sung Kim, Wonkeun Song Department of Laboratory Medicine, Hallym University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea Corresponding to Jae-Seok Kim, E-mail:  jaeseok@hallym.ac.kr Ann Clin Microbiol 2021;24(4):135-140. https://doi.org/10.5145/ACM.2021.24.4.4Received on 28 June 2021, Revised on 27 September 2021, Accepted on 11 November 2021, Published on 20 December 2021.Copyright © Korean Society of Clinical Microbiology. Abstract The application of whole genome sequencing on SARS-CoV-2 viral genome is essential for our understanding of the molecular epidemiology and spread of viruses in the community. The portable whole genome sequencer MinION (Oxford Nanopore Technologies, ONT, UK) could be feasibly used in a clinical microbiology laboratory without the need of vast resources or stringent operating conditions. We used the MinION sequencer to analyze the viral genome sequence of one SARS-CoV-2 strain. In June 2020, nasopharyngeal specimen from one patient was subjected to whole-genome analysis using the

Original article Sangsoo Jung1,2, Eunsang Suh1*, Jun-Ki Lee1, Byung Woo Jhun3, Tae Yeul Kim1, Hee Jae Huh1,2, Nam Yong Lee1 1Department of Laboratory Medicine and Genetics, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea2Department of Medical Device Management and Research, Samsung Advanced Institute for Health Sciences & Technology, Sungkyunkwan University, Seoul, Korea3Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Medicine, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea*Current affiliation: Department of Laboratory Medicine, Gimpo Woori Hospital, Gimpo, Korea Correspondence to Hee Jae Huh, E-mail: pmhhj77@gmail.com; Tae Yeul Kim, E-mail: voltaire0925@gmail.com Ann Clin Microbiol 2025;28(4):21. https://doi.org/10.5145/ACM.2025.28.4.2Received on 13 August 2025, Revised on 14 September 2025, Accepted on 12 October 2025, Published on 01 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/). Abstract Background: The growing burden of