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Review Article
- Host Immune Pathways to Mycobacterium tuberculosis Infection
- Eun-Jin Park, Insoo Kim, Eun-Kyeong Jo
- In the post-COVID-19 era, tuberculosis caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) remains of global concern given the high mortality rates of infectious diseases …
- In the post-COVID-19 era, tuberculosis caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) remains of global concern given the high mortality rates of infectious diseases caused by single pathogens. This has created an urgent need to develop new therapeutic paradigms, i.e., host-directed therapeutics, which can be achieved using several strategies involving host-protective immune system components and pathways. These include the formation of protective granulomas by macrophages, which are the main guardian cells of the innate immune system; balanced regulation of the pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokine networks; and autophagy, which is a lysosome-dependent catabolic process that degrades intracytoplasmic cargos, including intracellular Mtb. In this review, we briefly discuss recent insights into the host innate immune mechanisms that control intracellular Mtb infections, including regulation of granuloma formation, and the roles played by crucial cytokines and autophagy in host–Mtb interactions. A deeper understanding of molecular strategies that might improve anti-Mtb responses would facilitate the development of novel and improved therapeutics based on knowledge of the tug-of-war between the host and the pathogen. - COLLAPSE
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Review Article
- The Role of Skin Microbiome in Human Health and Diseases
- Aimon Khan, Young-Sang Koh
- A diverse community of microorganisms that comprise the human skin microbiome affects skin health and overall well-being. Bacteria, archaea, fungi, and viruses …
- A diverse community of microorganisms that comprise the human skin microbiome affects skin health and overall well-being. Bacteria, archaea, fungi, and viruses reside on the skin surface and interact closely with the host system. Advancements in sequencing technologies and bioinformatics have greatly improved our understanding of the composition, function, and changes in skin microbiome during health and disease development. Skin microbiome maintains skin barrier function by regulating immunity and protecting against pathogens. Dysbiosis (imbalances in these communities) is associated with skin conditions such as atopic dermatitis, acne vulgaris, and psoriasis. Furthermore, growing evidence suggests that skin microbiome can influence health through connections, such as the gut-skin axis. Age, sex, personal hygiene habits, and environmental exposure can affect skin microbiome diversity. Treatment approaches that target the microbiome by using probiotics, prebiotics, or microbiome transplantation can manage skin diseases and improve skin health. However, when developing effective personalized treatments, challenges persist in establishing the cause-and-effect relationships between skin microbiome changes and specific diseases. Future long-term studies should be conducted using omics techniques to understand better the mechanisms by which certain microbes function and interact with the body. Delving further into skin microbiome creates opportunities for creating tools, treatments, and prevention methods in dermatology and other fields. - COLLAPSE
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Review Article
- Toxicology of Dimethoate and its Degradation by Biological, Chemical, and Photolytic Process
- Md. Ferdaus Azam, Mohammad Saydur Rahman, Sonia Akter, G M Al Amin, Abdus Samad, Fahad Bin Salam, Young-Sang Koh
- Dimethoate, an organophosphorus pesticide, is widely used in our crops to protect from different kinds of insects. This pesticide causes severe pollution …
- Dimethoate, an organophosphorus pesticide, is widely used in our crops to protect from different kinds of insects. This pesticide causes severe pollution of soil and groundwater and affects aquatic organisms, bees, plants, birds, earthworms, humans, and other animals by inhibiting largely acetylcholinesterase (AChE) enzymes. Its half-life is around 200 days in soil depending on temperature, pH, microorganisms, and organic contents, indicating its accumulation in soil after every use in agricultural fields. The primary metabolite of this pesticide, omethoate, is highly toxic than dimethoate. Thus, the pesticide needs to be degraded to protect our environment from its harmful effects. Biodegradation has received increased attention as a safe, eco-friendly, and cost-effective technique to decontaminate soil and water. Bacteria such as Kocuria turfanensis, Lactobacillus plantarum, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Lysinibacillus sphaericus, Brucella sp., and Bacillus licheniformis, and fungi such as Aspergillus niger, Trichoderma koningii, and Penicillium notatum, and plants such as Typha latifolia, Nasturtium officinale, Amaranthus caudate, Phaseolus vulgari, and Lactuca sativa, are used to degrade dimethoate. In addition to biodegradation, a chemical process exists where different chemicals, including TiO2, ClO2, and acid-activated Fe (VI), are used. The combination of a chemical process with radiation displays increased efficiency of dimethoate degradation. Although several methods of degrading dimethoate pesticides are available, all processes are not convenient and eco-friendly. In this review, we have addressed the safe, eco-friendly, and convenient method of degrading dimethoate to protect our environment from its harmful effects. - COLLAPSE
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Original Article
- Lung Organoids from Human Embryonic Stem Cells to Investigate Pneumococcal Serotype 23F that does not Infect Mouse
- Yeongkag Kwon, Min-Kyu Kim, Hyun Jung Ji, Hae Ran Park, Ho Seong Seo
- Streptococcus pneumoniae (S. pneumoniae, Pneumococcus) is a predominant pathogen in community-acquired pneumonia. Infection animal models using certain pneumococcal serotypes are …
- Streptococcus pneumoniae (S. pneumoniae, Pneumococcus) is a predominant pathogen in community-acquired pneumonia. Infection animal models using certain pneumococcal serotypes are well established, but some serotypes, such as ST14 and ST23F, exhibit low or negligible infectivity in mouse models, posing challenges for the development of comprehensive pneumococcal vaccines. In this study, we developed human lung organoids (hLOs) derived from human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) to model pneumococcal infection. hLOs were microinjected with serotype ST23F to assess its infective potential compared with ST4. Our results demonstrate that ST23F successfully colonizes and invades the epithelial cells of hLOs, triggering significant inflammatory responses. This response was quantitatively comparable to that induced by the highly virulent serotype ST4 in mouse models. This organoid-based infection model provides a viable and effective platform for studying pneumococcal serotypes that are inadequately represented in traditional mouse models. Furthermore, it underscores the potential utility of hLOs in the preclinical evaluation of novel multivalent pneumococcal conjugate vaccines, addressing serotypes with historically low virulence in animal models. - COLLAPSE
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Original Article
- Insect-Specific Flaviviruses from Collected Mosqitoes in An Giang Province, Viet Nam
- Ngo Thuy Bao Tran, Đao Thi My Tien, Ho Xuan Nghiep, Pham Xuan Phu, Luu Thi Dieu Hien, Tran Huynh Tan, Nguyen Huu Cuong, Nguyen Thi Kim Chi
- An Giang province, located in the Mekong delta of Vietnam, has an intricate river system that has facilitated the development of wet …
- An Giang province, located in the Mekong delta of Vietnam, has an intricate river system that has facilitated the development of wet rice cultivation and livestock production. However, the increasing of argicultual practise also increased the favorable environment for mosquito development. It also increases the risk of disease transmitted between animals and humans via mosquito vectors. Therefore, the aims of this study were (i) knowing the mosquito species currently circulated around animal and human shetles in the province (ii) detecting the virus naturally infected mosquito species in the research areas. The study was conducted by collecting mosquitoes in animal shetles and residental area. The collected mosquitoes were identified based on their morphological characteristics, then were used for virus isolation. A total 5,662 mosquitoes involving at least 15 species of 5 genera were collected. Culex were the major genus, other genera as Aedes, Anopheles, Armigeres, and Mansonia were also collected but lower percentage. Among those collected mosquitoes, Culex tritaeniorhynchus was the most dominant species (75.2%). Culex flavivirus and Quang Binh virus were isolated from the collected mosquitoes, however both isolated viruses were insect-specific flaviviruses and might not transmit diseases to human. - COLLAPSE
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Original Article
- A Study on the Degree of Legionella Contamination Isolated from Apartments in Busan
- Ji-Yoon Lee, Kyeong-A Kim, Mi-Jung Park, Hye-sook Heo, Hyeo-jun Kim, Ji-Hye Kang, Young-ran Na, Seung-Ju Lee
- Apartments are increasingly becoming common in South Korea and have become part of the transmission pathway for Legionnaires’ disease. However, research on …
- Apartments are increasingly becoming common in South Korea and have become part of the transmission pathway for Legionnaires’ disease. However, research on this topic is scare. This study investigated Legionella contamination in the water supplied to apartments and compared it with that in the water supplied to multiuse facilities, including public bathhouse, a large building, hospital, accommodations, and fountain, to identify infection risk and analyze epidemiological characteristics. From January to November 2023, 298 water samples from apartments and 1,356 samples from multiuse facilities in Busan were tested. Twenty-eight Legionella isolates were identified from apartments, including 3 isolates of L. pneumophila sg 1; 7 of L. pneumophila sg 2-14; as well as the following non-L. pneumophila species: 12 isolates of L. longbeachae, 5 of L. anisa, and 1 of L. erythra. A total of 213 Legionella isolates were identified from multiuse facilities, including 123 of L. pneumophila and 90 of non-L. pneumophila species. The detection rate of Legionella by apartment age was 3.8% for 1-10 years, 6.7% for 11-20 years, and 13.6% for ≥20 years. Apartments had the highest detection rates in hot water (16.7%), faucets (5.9%), and cool water (5.2%), whereas multiuse facilities had detection rates of 23.3% in cooling tower water, 19.3% in hot water, 8.3% in tank water, 8.3% in fountains, and 8.1% cool water. Legionella counts were in the range of 200-16,000 CFU/L in apartments and 200-80,000 CFU/L in multiuse facilities. Continuous monitoring and appropriate measure should be reinforced to prevent or minimize bacterial contamination in water supply of apartments as well as multiuse facilities. - COLLAPSE
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Letter to the Editor
- Increased Azithromycin Resistance Observed in Clinical Chlamydia trachomatis Isolates: An in vitro Induction Model
- Yeon-Joo Choi, Taeuk Kang, Kwang-Jun Lee, Won-Jong Jang
- Chlamydia trachomatis infections are increasing worldwide and constitute a significant threat to global public health. The number of chlamydial infection cases was …
- Chlamydia trachomatis infections are increasing worldwide and constitute a significant threat to global public health. The number of chlamydial infection cases was estimated as 129 million in 2020. In addition, several countries have reported antimicrobial resistance in C. trachomatis, particularly against azithromycin, which is used for the first-line treatment of C. trachomatis infections. Despite such clinical significance, the molecular mechanisms of antimicrobial resistance acquisition are not comprehensively understood. In this study, antimicrobial resistance was induced in clinically isolated C. trachomatis via an in vitro model. We also attempted to detect single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in antimicrobial resistance-associated genes, such as 23S rRNA and rplD (L4). Resistance against azithromycin was induced in clinical C. trachomatis isolates. More importantly, an SNP causing an amino acid change on 23S rRNA was observed in azithromycin resistance-induced clinical isolates. This SNP (2058A<C, E686D) was previously reported to be associated with antimicrobial resistance. Our finding empirically proved that the abusive use of antimicrobials during C. trachomatis treatment may lead to the emergence of antimicrobial resistance. At the same time, the identified SNP on 23S rRNA can be used as a target to detect azithromycin resistance upon treatment failure in case of C. trachomatis infections. Continuous surveillance and investigations should be conducted to better comprehend the nature of C. trachomatis infections. - COLLAPSE
Journal Informaiton
JOURNAL OF BACTERIOLOGY AND VIROLOGY
JOURNAL OF BACTERIOLOGY AND VIROLOGY
The Korean Society for Microbiology and The Korean Society of Virology
대한미생물학회‧대한바이러스학회
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Tel: +82-02-887-3062 / Fax: +82-02-887-3063 / E-mail: ksm@ksmkorea.org Copyright© The Korean Society for Microbiology and The Korean Society of Virology. Powered by APUB
Tel: +82-02-887-3062 / Fax: +82-02-887-3063 / E-mail: ksm@ksmkorea.org Copyright© The Korean Society for Microbiology and The Korean Society of Virology. Powered by APUB