Original article PDF Young Uh1, Seong Jin Choi2, In Ho Jang1, Kwan Soo Lee1, Hyun Mi Cho1, Ohgun Kwon1, Kap Jun Yoon1 Departments of 1Laboratory Medicine and 2Obstetrics & Gynecology, Yonsei University Wonju College of Medicine, Wonju, Korea Corresponding to Young Uh, E-mail: u931018@yonsei.ac.kr Ann Clin Microbiol 2009;12(4):174-179.Copyright © Korean Society of Clinical Microbiology. Abstract Background: The prevalence of neonatal group B streptococcal infection depends mainly on the colonization rate of pregnant women by group B streptococci (GBS). Although the colonization rate of Korean women by GBS is considered lower than in other countries, recent data on the maternal colonization rate of GBS are sparse. Methods: From August 2008 to June 2009, swab specimens from the anorectus, vagina, and urethral orifice of a sample of 234 pregnant Korean women were placed in new Granada medium (NGM-H), tube medium (NGM-T), commercial NGM (NGM-B), and selective Todd-Hewitt broth (S-THB) for 18∼24 hours in 5%

Case report PDF Soon Deok Park1, Young Uh1, Hyeun Gyeo Lee1, Ih Ho Jang1, Kap Jun Yoon1, Mee Kyung Namgoong2 Departments of 1Laboratory Medicine and 2Pediatrics, Yonsei University Wonju College of Medicine, Wonju, Korea Corresponding to Young Uh, E-mail: u931018@yonsei.ac.kr Ann Clin Microbiol 2009;12(3):133-137.Copyright © Korean Society of Clinical Microbiology. Abstract Rothia dentocariosa, a pleomorphic gram-positive branching bacillus, is a common inhabitant of the nose and throat. It is a well-known causative agent of dental plaques and periodontal diseases. Although generally regarded as having a low virulence to humans, R. dentocariosa has been recognized as causative agents of infective endocarditis and bacteremia with increasing frequency. Consequently, it can be a very serious pathogen when isolated from usually sterile sites such as blood or cerebrospinal fluid. We report a case of Rothia dentocariosa bacteremia without endocarditis in a 17-month-old male patient with fever, vomiting and diarrhea. (Korean J Clin Microbiol 2009;12:133-137) Keywords Bacteremia, Rothia dentocariosa, Blood culture

Case report PDF Ohgun Kwon1, Young Uh1, Ih Ho Jang1, Hyeun Gyeo Lee1, Kap Jun Yoon1, Hyo Youl Kim2, Yong Pyo Han3 Departments of 1Laboratory Medicine, 2Infectious Diseases and 3Neurosurgery, Yonsei University Wonju College of Medicine, Wonju, Korea Corresponding to Young Uh, E-mail: u931018@yonsei.ac.kr Ann Clin Microbiol 2009;12(3):129-132.Copyright © Korean Society of Clinical Microbiology. Abstract Parvimonas micra is a non-spore-forming anaerobic gram-positive coccus, widely distributed as normal flora in the skin, vagina and mucosa, and able to cause opportunistic infections, particularly endocarditis and brain abscess following dental manipulations. A 49-year-old woman was hospitalized due to fever and headache. She had been diagnosed with periodontitis at the beginning of fever. A brain abscess was noted in the right temporal lobe on the brain CT, and she was treated with ceftriaxone, isepamicin and metronidazole. In the next day, abscess was aspirated and drained by a surgical procedure. An organism was isolated from an anaerobic culture of

Original article PDF Sung Ju Kim1, Ohgun Kwon1, Young Uh1, Gyu Yul Hwang1, Ih Ho Jang1, Kap Jun Yoon1, Hyo Youl Kim2 Departments of 1 Laboratory Medicine and 2 Infectious Diseases, Yonsei University Wonju College of Medicine, Wonju, Korea Corresponding to Young Uh, E-mail: u931018@yonsei.ac.kr Ann Clin Microbiol 2009;12(2):62-66.Copyright © Korean Society of Clinical Microbiology. Abstract Background: Staphylococcus saprophyticus is the second most common cause of urinary tract infections (UTIs) in young women. As little is known about the incidence of UTIs caused by this organism in Korea, we examined its frequency and clinical characteristics. Methods: We analyzed the frequency of S. saprophyticus among organisms isolated from urine specimens in Wonju Christian Hospital from July 1996 to June 2008 and reviewed clinical characteristics retrospectively. Results: Of 24,277 strains isolated from urine specimens during the past 12 years, 21 (0.09%) were S. saprophyticus. Outpatients were more common in the S. saprophyticus group than in all patients group (12 of 21, 57% vs

Original article PDF Soon Deok Park1, Young Uh1, In Ho Jang1, Ohgun Kwon1, Kap Jun Yoon1, Hyo Youl Kim2 Departments of 1Laboratory Medicine and 2Infectious Diseases, Yonsei University Wonju College of Medicine, Wonju, Korea Corresponding to Soon Deok Park, E-mail: mizpark66@empal.com Ann Clin Microbiol 2009;12(1):24-29.Copyright © Korean Society of Clinical Microbiology. Abstract Background: Accurate detection of organisms producing extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL) and AmpC β-lactamase is very important for treatment of patients. However, unlike the ESBL confirmatory test, there are no guidelines for detection of organisms producing AmpC β-lactamase. We evaluated a detection method using boronic acid (BA) for ESBL and AmpC β-lactamase.  Methods: Clinical isolates of Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Klebsiella oxytoca, and Proteus mirabilis showing intermediate resistance or resistance to cefoxitin (FOX) or positive for ESBL were tested. A ≥5 mm increase in zone diameter of ceftazidime/clavulanic acid/BA (CAZ/CA/BA) and/or cefotaxime/clavulanic acid/BA (CTX/CA/BA) versus CAZ/BA and/or CTX /BA was considered positive for ESBL. Likewise, a

Original article PDF Soon Deok Park1, Young Uh1, In Ho Jang1, Kap Jun Yoon1, Jong Hee Shin2 Department of Laboratory Medicine, 1Yonsei University Wonju College of Medicine, Wonju, 2Chonnam National University Medical School, Gwangju, Korea Corresponding to Young Uh, E-mail: u931018@yonsei.ac.kr Ann Clin Microbiol 2010;13(3):114-120. https://doi.org/10.5145/KJCM.2010.13.3.114Copyright © Korean Society of Clinical Microbiology. Abstract Background: The VITEK-2 yeast susceptibility test (AST-YS01; bioMerieux, Hazelwood, MO, USA) has recently been introduced as a fully automated, commercial antifungal susceptibility test system that determines MIC endpoints spectrophotometrically, thereby eliminating subjective errors. We compared the ATB FUNGUS 2 (bioMerieux) and VITEK-2 (AST- YS01) systems to the CLSI M27 method for susceptibility testing of Candida isolates.  Methods: We tested 59 Candida species that were isolated from blood cultures at Wonju Christian Hospital between September 2008 and August 2009. We compared MIC results for amphotericin B, flucytosine, fluconazole and voriconazole using the ATB FUNGUS 2 and VITEK-2 (AST-YS01)

Original article PDF Sangsun Hwang1, Ki Jin Oh1, In Ho Jang1, Young Uh1, Kap Jun Yoon1, Hyo Youl Kim2, Young Keun Kim2 Departments of 1Laboratory Medicine, and 2Internal Medicine, Yonsei University Wonju College of Medicine, Wonju, Korea Corresponding to Young Uh, E-mail: u931018@yonsei.ac.kr Ann Clin Microbiol 2011;14(2):55-59. https://doi.org/10.5145/KJCM.2011.14.2.55Copyright © Korean Society of Clinical Microbiology. Abstract Background: The AdvanSure TB/NTM real-time PCR kit (AdvanSure) was newly developed in Korea to detect Mycobacterium tuberculosis and nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) utilizing a specific primer and TaqMan probe targeting the IS6110 and rpoB genes which are unique to these species. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the clinical utility of AdvanSure by comparing the results of acid-fast staining, mycobacteria culture, COBAS Amplicor MTB PCR (Amplicor), and AdvanSure.  Methods: A total of 182 specimens (105 respiratory and 77 nonrespiratory specimens) were obtained from 165 patients, and acid fast bacilli (AFB) staining, mycobacteria culture,

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