Original article PDF Heungsup Sung1, Jung-Oak Kang2, Mi Ae Lee3, Jongwook Lee4, Hae Kyung Lee5, Mi-Kyung Lee6, Ji-Hun Lim1, Mi-Na Kim1, Helicobacter Study Group Department of Laboratory Medicine, 1University of Ulsan College of Medicine and Asan Medical Center, 2Hanyan/g University Medical College, 3Ewha Womans University College of Medicine, 4Konyang University College of Medicine, 5 The Catholic University of Korea College of Medicine, 6Chung-Ang University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea Corresponding to Mi-Na Kim, E-mail: mnkim@amc.seoul.kr Ann Clin Microbiol 2009;12(1):30-36.Copyright © Korean Society of Clinical Microbiology. Abstract Background: CLSI provides a guideline only for a agar dilution method of testing clarithromycin susceptibility for Helicobacter pylori. This study was to evaluate a disk diffusion method for clarithromycin and amoxicillin. Methods: One hundred and forty clinical isolates of H. pylori isolated from May 2005 to May 2007 were tested by the CLSI agar dilution method and a disk diffusion method using 2μg (2CLR) and 15μg (15CLR) clarithromycin disks and 2μg (2AMX) and 10μg (10AMX) amoxicillin disks.

Original article PDF Yun Ha Jang, Jaewoo Chung, Seungmi Baek, Sookja Park, Heungsup Sung, Mi-Na Kim Department of Laboratory Medicine, University of Ulsan College of Medicine and Asan Medical Center, Seoul, Korea Corresponding to Mi-Na Kim, E-mail: mnkim@amc.seoul.kr  Ann Clin Microbiol 2009;12(1):11-16.Copyright © Korean Society of Clinical Microbiology. Abstract Background: We evaluated multiplex PCR for species identification and toxin typing to improve the sensitivity and turnaround time of toxigenic Clostridium difficile culture (TCDC).  Methods: We performed multiplex PCR using primers targeting the species-specific gene, tpi, and the toxin genes, tcdA and tcdB. From January to March 2008, 528 stool specimens were tested with direct toxin assay (DT) using C. difficile Tox A/B II (Techlab, Blacksburg, USA) and TCDC. For 288 specimens from early study period, toxin production by C. difficile isolates of TCDC was measured by enzyme immunoassay with culture supernatants using VIDAS C. difficile Toxin A&B (CDAB; bioMérieux, Marcy-l’Etoile, France) and multiplex PCR with isolated colonies. For

Review article PDF Chang-Ki Kim1, Heungsup Sung2, Yeon-Joon Park3, Chulhun L . Chang4 1Department of Laboratory Medicine, Korean Institute of Tuberculosis, Osong, Department of Laboratory Medicine, 2Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, 3College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, 4Pusan National University School of Medicine, Yangsan, Korea Corresponding to Chulhun L. Chang, E-mail: cchl@pusan.ac.kr Ann Clin Microbiol 2013;16(2):61-68. https://doi.org/10.5145/ACM.2013.16.2.61Copyright © Korean Society of Clinical Microbiology. Abstract There are several problems in mycobacterial detection and drug susceptibility testing. One problem is that some test results are unnecessarily delayed because the tests are postponed until patients revisit clinics and pay the cost of the tests. Another problem is that critical and important tests are not requested because patients do not agree with their necessity. These inefficient practices may be due to the fee-for-service policy that the Korean medical insurance system is adopting and because many test

Original article PDF Heungsup Sung1, Jung Oak Kang2, Nam Yong Lee3, Chang Kyu Lee4, Han-Sung Kim5, Kyu Man Lee5, Eui Chong Kim6 Department of Laboratory Medicine, 1Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, 2Hanyang University College of Medicine, 3</sup/>Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, 4Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul, 5Hallym University College of Medicine, Chuncheon, 6Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea Corresponding to Jung Oak Kang, E-mail: jokang@hanyang,ac.kr Ann Clin Microbiol 2015;18(4):119-125. https://doi.org/10.5145/ACM.2015.18.4.119Copyright © Korean Society of Clinical Microbiology. Abstract Background: Nasopharyngeal aspirate (NPA) is known as the best specimen for accurate diagnosis of viral respiratory infections in pediatric patients, but the procedure is very annoying. Recently introduced flocked swabs have been reported to be easy to obtain a good quality specimen and comfortable to patients. The purpose of this study was to compare the sensitivities between NPA and nasopharyngeal flocked swabs (NPFS)

Original article PDF Sae Am Song1*, Si Hyun Kim1,6*, Chang-Ki Kim2, Heungsup Sung3, Sunjoo Kim4, Chulhun L Chang5, Jeong Hwan Shin1,6 1Department of Laboratory Medicine, Inje University College of Medicine, Busan, 2Department of Laboratory Medicine, Korean Institute of Tuberculosis, Osong, 3Department of Laboratory Medicine, Asan Medical Center and University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, 4Department of Laboratory Medicine, Gyeongsang National University School of Medicine, Jinju, 5Department of Laboratory Medicine, Pusan National University School of Medicine, Yangsan, 6Paik Institute for Clinical Research, Inje University College of Medicine, Busan, Korea Corresponding to Jeong Hwan Shin, E-mail: jhsmile@inje.ac.kr Ann Clin Microbiol 2015;18(3):69-75. https://doi.org/10.5145/ACM.2015.18.3.69Copyright © Korean Society of Clinical Microbiology. Abstract Background: There have been steady changes and improvements in diagnostic tests for Mycobacterium tuberculosis, so it is necessary to carry out periodic surveys to understand the current situation. The aims of this study were to investigate the changes in principal practices and

Case report PDF Chang Ahn Seol1, Young Jin Ko1, Sung-Han Kim2, Mi-Na Kim1, Heungsup Sung1, Je-Hwan Lee2 Departments of 1Laboratory Medicine and 2Internal Medicine, University of Ulsan College of Medicine and Asan Medical Center, Seoul, Korea Corresponding to Heungsup Sung, E-mail: sung@amc.seoul.kr Ann Clin Microbiol 2015;18(2):64-67. https://doi.org/10.5145/ACM.2015.18.2.64Copyright © Korean Society of Clinical Microbiology. Abstract Human cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection has been a major concern in hematopoietic stem cell transplant recipients. Ganciclovir (GCV) resistance results mostly from mutations within the protein kinase UL97 gene. The three hot spots for GCV resistance (codons 460, 520, and 590-607) were well known. We describe a case of GCV-resistant CMV colitis caused by a 597-600 deletion in UL97 after haplo-identical peripheral blood stem cell transplantation (h-PBSCT) in a 46 year-old man with myelodysplastic syndrome. On post-PBSCT day 28, CMV antigenemia turned positive. Treatment of GCV was started and continued for 12 weeks but CMV antigenemia did

Original article PDF Soo-Kyung Kim, Hyun-Ki Kim, Young Jin Ko, Heungsup Sung, Mi-Na Kim Department of Laboratory Medicine, University of Ulsan College of Medicine and Asan Medical Center, Seoul, Korea Corresponding to Mi-Na Kim, E-mail: mnkim@amc.seoul.kr Ann Clin Microbiol 2015;18(1):7-13. https://doi.org/10.5145/ACM.2015.18.1.7Copyright © Korean Society of Clinical Microbiology. Abstract Background: The diagnosis of catheter-related bloodstream infection (CRBSI) should demonstrate catheter colonization of the same organism as the isolate from peripheral blood cultures, by catheter tip culture or by differential time to positivity (DTP) of catheter- drawn blood cultures versus peripheral blood cultures. The purpose of this study was to compare the sonication and the roll-plate methods of catheter tip culture. Methods: One hundred and sixty-one catheter tips from 122 patients were submitted for catheter tip culture. Distal segments of the catheter were first inoculated using a roll-plate, and then inoculated by sonication. Sonication was performed using a BactoSonic device (Bandelin GmbH,

Original article PDF Mi-Kyung Lee1, Heungsup Sung2, Ah Ra Cho3, Hyun Young Chi4 1Department of Laboratory Medicine, Chung-Ang University College of Medicine, 2Department of Laboratory Medicine, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, 3Seoul Clinical Laboratories (SCL), Yongin, 4Samkwang Medical Laboratories, Seoul, Korea Corresponding to Mi-Kyung Lee, E-mail: cpworld@cau.ac.kr Ann Clin Microbiol 2017;20(4):97-102. https://doi.org/10.5145/ACM.2017.20.4.97Copyright © Korean Society of Clinical Microbiology. Abstract Background: Infection by the intracellular bacteria Mycoplasma pneumoniae, Chamydophila pneumoniae, and Legionella pneumophila are common causes of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). This study describes the evaluation of a new multiplex real-time PCR test, EuDxTM-PN MLC Detection Kit (EUDIPIA), which allows the simultaneous detection of M. pneumoniae, C. pneumoniae, and L. pneumophila in respiratory samples. Methods: A total of 353 samples were tested using three PCR kits: multiplex PCR (Seeplex PneumoBacter ACE Detection Kit) and two multiplex real-time PCR (EuDxTM-PN MLC Detection Kit and AnyplexTM II RB5 Detection Kit). The results were considered true positives (expanded standard) for M. pneumoniae, C. pneumoniae,