Original article PDF Sollip Kim1, Heungsup Sung1, Hong Sun Jeon1, Suk Ja Park1, Sang-Hyuk Park2, Mi-Na Kim1 1Department of Laboratory Medicine, Univertisy of Ulsan College of Medicine and Asan Medical Center, 2University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea Corresponding to Mi-Na Kim, E-mail: mnkim@amc.seoul.kr Ann Clin Microbiol 2007;10(1):44-48.Copyright © Korean Society of Clinical Microbiology. Abstract Background: Rapid and accurate surveillance is crucial in controlling vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE). Culture-based surveillance takes more than 4 days and direct polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is rapid but compromised by a low sensitivity. In this study, we evaluated the performance of an enrichment-PCR method for vanA VRE surveillance. Methods: In July 2006, 100 fecal specimens were inoculated to Enterococcosel agar (EA) and Enterococcosel broth (EB) containing 6μg/mL vancomycin. After 1 or 2 day-incubation bacterial pellets were obtained from 1 mL of blackened EB and VanA PCR were performed with DNA extract of the pellets (EB+PCR). Blackened EB were also

Original article PDF Hae Kyung Lee1, Hiun Suk Chae2, Jung Oak Kang3, Mi-Kyung Lee4, Heungsup Sung5, Mi-Na Kim5, Jongwook Lee6, Miae Lee7, Ki-Nam Shim8 Departments of 1Laboratory Medicine, 2Internal Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea College of Medicine, 3Department of Laboratory Medicine, Hanyang University College of Medicine, 4Department of Laboratory Medicine, Chung-Ang University College of Medicine, 5Department of Laboratory Medicine, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, 6Hanaro Medical Foundation, Departments of 7Laboratory Medicine, 8Internal Medicine, Ewha Womans University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea Corresponding to Miae Lee, E-mail: miae@ewha.ac.kr Ann Clin Microbiol 2008;11(2):84-89.Copyright © Korean Society of Clinical Microbiology. Abstract Background: Clarithromycin resistance in Helicobacter pylori is a major cause of eradication therapy failure. The objective of this study was to determine the frequency and type of mutations in the 23S rRNA gene in Korea, which are associated with clarithromycin resistance.  Methods: From January 2008 to March 2008, 353 gastric biopsy specimens were collected from five university

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

Original article PDF Min-Chul Cho1, Sin-Ae Noh1, Mi-Na Kim1, Kyoung-Mo Kim2 Departments of 1Laboratory Medicine and 2Pediatrics, Asan Medical Center and University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea Corresponding to Mi-Na Kim, E-mail: mnkim@amc.seoul.kr Ann Clin Microbiol 2010;13(4):162-168. https://doi.org/10.5145/KJCM.2010.13.4.162Copyright © Korean Society of Clinical Microbiology. Abstract Background: Causative bacterial agents of infectious diarrheal disease were traditionally diagnosed by stool cultures. Stool culture, however, has a problem because of relatively low sensitivity and long turnaround time. In this study, we evaluated multiplex PCR applied on stool specimens directly to diagnose enteropathogenic bacteria.  Methods: From June to September 2009, 173 diarrheal stools submitted for stool cultures were tested by SeeplexⓇ Diarrhea ACE Detection kit (Seegene, Korea) to detect 10 enteropathogenic bacteria. Specimens were cultured for Salmonella, Shigella, Vibrio, and Yersinia. Late 50 specimens were also cultured for Campylobacter. The specimens positive for verotoxin-producing Escherichia coli (VTEC) were further subcultured for detecting

Case report PDF Hae-Sun Cho1, Min-Chul Cho1, Shinae Noh1, Mi-Na Kim1, Kyoung-Mo Kim2 Departments of 1Laboratory Medicine and 2Pediatrics, 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 2010;13(2):85-89. https://doi.org/10.5145/KJCM.2010.13.2.85Copyright © Korean Society of Clinical Microbiology. Abstract Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) is an important cause of bloody diarrhea in children, but is considered to be rare in infants. Herein, a case of infant hemorrhagic colitis of verotoxin-producing E. coli O157:H7 diagnosed by multiplex PCR is reported. A nine-month-old boy was admitted to our hospital with bloody diarrhea for the previous two days. Multiplex PCR using SeeplexⓇ Diarrhea ACE Detection Kit (Seegene, Seoul, Korea) was directly applied to the stool specimens. Amplified bands specific for verotoxin, O157, and H7 indicated the presence of O157:H7 EHEC. The stool specimens were inoculated on sorbitol-MacConkey agar (SMA) and tryptic soy broth containing

Case report PDF Mi Hyun Bae1, Seung Namgoong1, Dongheui An1, Mi-Na Kim1, Sung-Han Kim2, Ki-Ho Park2, Sung-Gyu Lee3 1Department of Laboratory Medicine, 2Division of Infectious Diseases, and 3Department of Surgery, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Asan Medical Center, Seoul, Korea Corresponding to Mi-Na Kim, E-mail: mnkim@amc.seoul.kr Ann Clin Microbiol 2011;14(4):148-152. https://doi.org/10.5145/KJCM.2011.14.4.148Copyright © Korean Society of Clinical Microbiology. Abstract Cryptococcus is an opportunistic pathogen that mainly affects immunocompromised hosts and, less frequently, immunocompetent hosts. It causes serious morbidity and mortality due to systemic infections such as meningoencephalitis and pulmonary infection. Urinary involvement of Cryptococcus is sometimes reported among cases of disseminated cryptococcosis in AIDS patients, but no such reports have been published in Korea. We report two cases of cryptococcuria that developed in a 71-year old female with diabetes and liver cirrhosis and in a 50-year old male who received a liver transplant due to HBV-associated hepatic failure. The female