Brief communication Young Ah Kim Department of Laboratory Medicine, National Health Insurance Service Ilsan Hospital, Goyang, Korea Corresponding to Young Ah Kim, E-mail: yakim@nhimc.or.kr Ann Clin Microbiol 2024;27(4):267-270. https://doi.org/10.5145/ACM.2024.27.4.6Received on 25 August 2024, Revised on 24 October 2024, Accepted on 10 November 2024, Published on 20 December 2024.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 Enterobacter species were isolated from the sputum of an 84-year-old female patient with fever, chills, cellulitis in the right elbow, and pyogenic arthritis in the left shoulder. The bacteria were identified using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) and whole-genome sequencing (WGS). This strain was defined as a carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales (CRE) by the MicroScan NG MIC 44 panel without applying the revised guidelines of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency properly. MALDI-TOF

Mini review Young Ah Kim Department of Laboratory Medicine, National Health Insurance Service Ilsan Hospital, Goyang, Korea Corresponding to Young Ah Kim, E-mail: yakim@nhimc.or.kr Ann Clin Microbiol 2024;27(3):171-177. https://doi.org/10.5145/ACM.2024.27.3.3Received on 28 August 2024, Revised on 28 August 2024, Accepted on 29 August 2024, Published on 12 September 2024.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 Purpose: This narrative review examines the pivotal role of clinical microbiology in environmental cleaning and disinfection within healthcare facilities. With an increasing focus on infection control, particularly regarding multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs), the review explores disinfection strategies, monitoring methods, and best practices, including recent recommendations from the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency. Current content: MDROs such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, vancomycinresistant enterococci, and carbapenem-resistant gram-negative bacteria are significant contributors to healthcare-associated infections (HAIs). These organisms

Original article Kang Ju Son1,2, Young Ah Kim3, Yoon Soo Park4 1Department of Research and Analysis, National Health Insurance Service Ilsan Hospital, Goyang, 2Department of Biostatistics and Computing, Yonsei University Graduate School, Seoul, 3Department of Laboratory Medicine, National Health Insurance Service Ilsan Hospital, Goyang, 4Department of Internal Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea Corresponding to Young Ah Kim, E-mail: yakim@nhimc.or.kr Ann Clin Microbiol 2020;23(4):181-189. https://doi.org/10.5145/ACM.2020.23.4.3Received on 9 April 2020, Revised on 23 June 2020, Accepted on 23 June 2020, Published on 20 December 2020.Copyright © Korean Society of Clinical Microbiology. Abstract Background: Clostridioides (Clostridium) difficile is an important pathogen that causes diarrhea in people who take antibiotics. The recent status of C. difficile infection is not well-known in Korea. Methods: The long-term trend of C. difficile infection in Korean hospitals was analyzed using a nationwide sample cohort. The data also included sociodemographic characteristics, disease severity, and healthcare facilities.

Book review Young Ah Kim1,2, Hyunsoo Kim1,3, Chulhun L. Chang1,4 1Korean Society of Clinical Microbiology, 2Department of Laboratory Medicine, National Health Insurance Service Ilsan Hospital, Goyang, 3Department of Laboratory Medicine, National Police Hospital, Seoul, 4Department of Laboratory Medicine, Pusan National University Yangsan Hospital, Yangsan, Korea Corresponding to Chulhun L. Chang, E-mail: cchl@pusan.ac.kr Ann Clin Microbiol 2020;23(3):159-163. https://doi.org/10.5145/ACM.2020.23.3.6Received on 27 April 2020, Revised on 19 August 2020, Accepted on 21 August 2020, Published on 20 September 2020.Copyright © Korean Society of Clinical Microbiology. Abstract The Coronavirus Disease 19 (COVID-19), which emerged as pneumonia from an unknown agent for the first time at the end of 2019, has dramatically transformed our world into one that is highly unrecognizable today. Newly emerging infectious diseases have been occurring more frequently than ever. Opportunities of such deadly microorganisms to adapt to humans—as well as spread between people on a massive scale—are growing because of active

Original article Young-Suk Sohn1, Jung-Hyun Byun2, Young Ah Kim3, Dong-Chun Shin4, Kyungwon Lee1 1Department of Laboratory Medicine, Research Institute of Bacterial Resistance, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, 2Department of Laboratory Medicine, Gyeongsang National University Hospital, Gyeongsang National University College of Medicine, Jinju, 3Department of Laboratory Medicine, National Health Insurance Service Ilsan Hospital, Goyang, 4Department of Environmental Health Graduate School of Public Health, Yonsei University, Seoul, Korea Corresponding to Young Ah Kim, E-mail: yakim@nhimc.or.kr Ann Clin Microbiol 2020;23(1):33-43. https://doi.org/10.5145/ACM.2020.23.1.33Received on 8 July 2019, Revised on 23 August 2019, Accepted on 23 August 2019, Published on 20 March 2019.Copyright © Korean Society of Clinical Microbiology. Abstract Background: The weather has well-documented effects on infectious disease and reports suggest that summer peaks in the incidences of gram-negative bacterial infections among hospitalized patients. We evaluated how season and temperature changes affect bloodstream infection (BSI) incidences of major pathogens to understand BSI trends with

Original article PDF Jae Lim Chung, M.D., Young Ah Kim, M.D., Hee Bong Shin, M.D., Jeong Won Shin, M.D., Kyungwon Lee, M.D., Yunsop Chong, Ph.D., Jang Hyeon Park, Ph.D.* and Won Bae Kim, Ph.D.* Department of Clinical Pathology and Research Institute of Bacterial Resistance, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Research Laboratories, Dong-A Pharm. Co., Ltd., Yongin, Kyunggi-do, Korea* Corresponding to Kyungwon Lee Ann Clin Microbiol 1999;2(2):182-193.Copyright © Korean Society of Clinical Microbiology. Abstract Background: β-lactam antibiotics are one of the most frequently used antimicrobial agents. However, with the increase of β-lactamase-producing bacteria, penicillins and 1st generation cephalosporins have become less useful. Cefatrizine and clavulanic acid combination (CTCA) was developed to restore the activity. The aim of this study was to determine the activities of CTCA against major recent clinical isolates. Methods: Aerobic and anaerobic bacteria tested were isolated from clinical specimens in Severance Hospital during 1996 to 1999. Antimicrobial

Original article PDF Hyukmin Lee, M.D., Young Ah Kim, M.D., Kwang Il Park, M.D., Kyungwon Lee, M.D. and Yunsop Chong, Ph.D. Department of Clinical Pathology and Research Institute of Bacterial Resistance, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea Corresponding to Kyungwon Lee Ann Clin Microbiol 1999;2(1):77-81.Copyright © Korean Society of Clinical Microbiology. Abstract Background：Clostridium difficile causes antibiotic-associated diarrhea or pseudomembranous colitis by producing of toxins in patients treated with antimicrobial agents. Stool cultures for C. difficile and tests for the presence of its toxin are the most widely used methods for the diagnosis of infection. The aim of this study was to determine the usefulness of polymerase chain reaction for the detection of toxin B gene from C. difficile isolates. Methods：In this study, 85 strains of C. difficile were used, which were isolated from stool specimens of patients with suspected antibiotic-associated diarrhea or pseudomembranous colitis from 1987 to 1994 using cefoxitin-cycloserine-fructose agar. DNA of the C. difficile isolates was