• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.51 no.3
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• pp.194-198
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• 2015

Enterococcus faecalis is a Gram-positive and facultative anaerobic bacterium that causes many hospital-acquired infections. Novel E. faecalis specific bacteriophage (phage) ECP3 that had been isolated from thirty-four environmental samples and characterized phenotypically and genotypically. ECP3 phage belongs to the family Myoviridae with contractile tail and lysed E. faecalis specifically but other bacteria including Enterococcus faecium. The genome was double-stranded linear DNA and its size was 145,518 bp comprising of 220 open reading frames. The GC content was 35.9%. The genome sequence showed 97% identity in 90% coverage region with Myoviridae phage PhiEF24C. ECP3 is the first E. faecalis-specific Myoviridae phage isolated in Korea which can be a promising antimicrobial agent against E. faecalis infections.

• Restorative Dentistry and Endodontics
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• v.33 no.6
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• pp.560-569
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• 2008

Microorganism survived in the root canal after root canal cleaning and shaping procedure is a main cause of root canal treatment failure. There are several mechanisms for the bacteria to survive in the root canal after chemomechanical preparation and root canal irrigation. Bacteria organized as biofilm has been suggested as an etiology of persistent periapical lesion. Recent studies were focus on removal of Enterococcus faecalis biofilm due to the report that the persistence of this bacteria after root canal treatment may be associated with its ability to form biofilm. Several investigations demonstrated that current root canal treatment protocol including use of NaOCl, EDTA and Chlorhexidine as irrigants is quite effective in eliminating E. faecalis biofilm. However, this microorganism still can survive in inaccessible areas of root canal system and evade host immune response, suppress immune activity and produce biofilm. Up to date, there is no possible clinical method to completely get rid of bacteria from the root canal. Once the root canal treatment failure occurred, and conventional treatment incorporating current therapeutic protocol has failed, periapical surgery or extraction should be considered rather than prolong the in effected retreatment procedure.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.135-140
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• 2017

The aim of this study was to investigate the distribution of genes that encode multi-drug efflux pumps and virulence factors in Enterococcus faecalis isolated from retail meat and antibiotic resistance patterns of these strains. Of the 277 retail meat samples, 93 Enterococcus faecalis were isolated. The strains exhibited resistance to ampicillin (35.5%), chloramphenicol (6.4%), ciprofloxacin (4.3%), erythromycin (18.3%), levofloxacin (0%), quinupristin-dalfopristin (76.3%), tetracycline (45.2%), teicoplanin (0%) and vancomycin (0%). The strains were positive for MFS type eme(A) (100%), ABC type efr(A) (100%), ABC type efr(B) (98.9%) and ABC type lsa (91.4%) efflux pump gene. The strains were positive for gelE (68.8%), ace (90.3%), asa1 (47.3%), efaA (91.4%) and esp (12.9%) virulence gene. This research will help to assess the hazards associated with the occurrence of drug resistance among enterococci from retail meat. Therefore, it is necessary to monitor enterococcus spp. isolated from retail meat continuously.

• Restorative Dentistry and Endodontics
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• v.30 no.5
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• pp.385-392
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• 2005

The purpose of this study was to observe the effect of canal filling on the bacteria left in the dentinal tubules and to compare the sealing ability between Gutta-percha and Resilon. The bovine dentin block models were prepared E. faecalis was inoculated to dentin blocks and incubated. The dentin blocks were divided into 5 groups. Group 1 was the negative control. Group 2 was the positive control. Group 3 was filled with ZOE based sealer and Gutta-percha, Group 4 with resin based sealer and Gutta-percha, and Group 5 with resin based sealer and Resilon. After 24 hour, the blocks were incubated at $37^{\circ}C$ for 1, 2, 3 and 4 weeks on BHI agar plates. The internal dentin portion of the blocks was removed using ISO 027, 029, 031, 035 round burs and the dentin chips were incubated at $37^{\circ}C$ for 24 hour Following incubation, the optical density of the medium was measured. The data were statistically analysed using repeated measures ANOVA and one-way ANOVA. The results were as follows, 1. There. was statistically significant reduction in the number of E. faecalis of the group where dentinal tubules were completely sealed with nail varnish in comparison with the groups obturated with gutta-percha or resilon (p < 0.05). 2. In group 5, the number of E. faecalis in the dentinal tubules decreased significantly with time (p < 0.05). whereas in Group 3 and 4, there was no reduction in its number (p > 0.05). 3. Under the conditions of this experiment, E. faecalis survived up to 4 weeks after obturation with gutta-percha or resilon (p > 0.05).

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.36 no.2
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• pp.142-148
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• 2008

To evaluate the antibiotic resistance of Enterococcus from salad and sprout, Enterococcus were isolated and identified from 47 salad samples and 37 sprout samples, and then their antibiotic resistances were analyzed. Ninety five Enterococcus, 41 strains from salad and 54 strains from sprout, were ultimately isolated. The frequent Enterococcus in salad and sprout were E. gallinarum, E. faecalis, E. faecium, E. hirae, and E. avium. Minimum inhibitory concentrations of the isolates for vancomycin were below $4{\mu}g/mL$, which were not high levels of resistance. All Enterococcus proved to be resistant to streptomycin and chloramphenicol. Twenty two percentage of the isolates were resistant to penicillin, however, almost the isolates were sensitive to tetracycline. Eighteen percentage of the isolates were resistant to erythromycin. All E. faecium and E. faecalis were found to be ampicillin-resistant, and seven E. faecalis and five E. faecium were resistant to rifampicin. Overall antibiotic resistances of Enterococcus isolates were relatively low and low resistance to vancomycin was similar to those evidenced by Enterococcus isolated from the other foods. Therefore, there may be no special risk from the antibiotics resistances of Enterococcus and especially vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus from the fresh-cut salads and the sprouts.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.385-392
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• 2008

In this study, seawater intrusion was assessed employing a kind of biological parameters such as Escherichia coli and Enterococcus faecalis while lab-prepared reclaimed water was recharged to prevent seawater intrusion. Chemical factors indicating seawater intrusion such as Cl$^-$, Ca$^{2+}$, Mg$^{2+}$ and specific conductivity were also simultaneously investigated where an ion exchange between a matrix in artificial aquifer and cations in solution was estimated. Both Escherichia coli and Enterococcus faecalis were shown to be very sensitive against degree of salinity during saline water intrusion. Enterococcus faecalis more strongly resisted against salinity than that of Escherichia coli. The ratio of Enterococcus faecalis divided by E. coli in the process of seawater intrusion increased up to more than 50$\sim$100 times in 18 hours whereas E. coli was died off more than 90% during pumping and recharge rate kept at 10 mL/min. However, when the rates of both recharge and pumping was kept at 5 mL/min, Enterococcus faecalis / Escherichia coli was sustained in the range of 2.5$\sim$5.0, while Escherichia coli showed dimished death rate. Chemical factors such as Cl$^-$, Ca$^{2+}$, Mg$^{2+}$ and specific conductivity showed more than 0.9 of high correlation each other well explaining the degree of seawater intrusion. The degree of ion exchange between artificial aquifer and saline water can be efficiently interpreted by both minus $\Delta$Na, $\Delta$Mg variation and positive $\Delta$Ca variation.

• Restorative Dentistry and Endodontics
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.138-144
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• 2005

This in vitro study monitored MMP-8 production on PMN by stimulated with the following three groups; Sonicated extracts of E. faecalis (SEF), SEF treated with $Ca(OH)_2$ (12.5mg/ml) for 7 days, and lipopolysac-charides(LPS) of E. coli. The level of MMP-8 in each group was immediately measured by ELISA. The data were analyzed with Kruskal-Wallis test and Mann-Whitney U test. In the SEF group, the level of production of MMP-8 was higher than the negative control group in low concentration ($0.05{\mu}g/ml$) of SEF (p < 0.05). but it decreased with an increase in the concentration of SEF (p < 0.05). In the case of SEF treated with $Ca(OH)_2$, all of the MMP levels were higher than negative control group (p < 0.05), but no statistical difference was found among the different SEF concentrations (p > 0.05). All of the levels in E. coli LPS were incresed with increasing concentrations (p < 0.05). According to this study we could summarized as follows: 1. MMP-8 was expressed at low level in untreated PMN group the levels of MMP-8 were upregulated in PMN stimulated by E. coli LPS groups. 2. In the SEF groups, the level of production of MMP-8 decreased with an increase in concentration of SEF (p < 0.05). So E. faecalis may have suppressive effect on the production of MMP-8 by PMN. 3. In the case of SEF treated with $Ca(OH)_2$, all of the MMP levels at different SEF concentrations were higher than untreated PMN group (p < 0.05), but no statistical difference was found among the different SEF concentrations (p > 0.05).

• Restorative Dentistry and Endodontics
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• v.34 no.5
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• pp.390-396
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• 2009

The aim of this study was to evaluate endodontic irrigation methods with $EndoVac^{(R)}$ and $EndoActivator^{(R)}$ in the elimination of Enterococcus faecalis from the root canals. Extracted 70 human single-rooted teeth were used. The canals were instrumented by a crown-down technique with .04 taper ProFile to ISO size 40. After the teeth were autoclaved, the canals were inoculated with E. faecalis and incubated for 48 h. The teeth were randomly divided into three experimental groups of 20 teeth each according to canal irrigation methods and two control groups as follows: group 1 - $EndoVac^{(R)}$; group 2 - $EndoActivator^{(R)}$; group 3-Conventional needle irrigation method. After canal irrigation using 2.5% NaOCl. first samples (S1) were taken using sterile paper point. And the canals were filled with sterile brain heart infusion (BHI) broth and incubated for 24 h, then second samples (S2) were taken. The samples were cultured on BHI agar plate to determine the numbers of colony forming units (CFU). In first sampling (S1), only one canal of conventional method among the all experimental groups was positive cultured. In second sampling (S2), $EndoVac^{(R)}$ group showed the least positive culture numbers of E. faecalis. There was statistically significant difference between the $EndoVac^{(R)}$ and conventional needle irrigation methods in the mean value of Log CFU. According to the results of this study, $EndoVac^{(R)}$ showed better efficacy than conventional needle irrigation method in the elimination of E. faecalis from the root canal.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.26 no.6
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• pp.471-475
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• 1998

The aim of the present research program was to develop a strain of gastrointestinal bacteria containing antitumor substances. Fecal samples were collected from neonates and a number of gastrointestinal bacteria were isolated from the fecal samples by applying selective agar for intestinal bacteria. Among 127 isolates, a strain 2B4-1 containing an antitumor substance against stomach cancer, SNU-1, was selected. The strain 2B4-1 was identified as a strain similar to Enterococcus faecalis NCTC 775 with respect to morphological characteristics, growth temperature, salt and acid tolerance, growth under facultative anaerobic conditions and utilization of carbon sources such as arabinose and melibiose and so on. However, it showed some differences such as a negative reaction to hippurate hydrolysis and negative reaction to $\beta$-hemolysis. We assigned to the strain 2B4-1 to Enterococcus faecalis.

• Restorative Dentistry and Endodontics
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• v.33 no.6
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• pp.537-544
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• 2008

Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) can detect bacteria more rapidly than conventional plate counting. However DNA-based assays cannot distinguish between viable and dead cells due to persistence of DNA after cells have lost their vitality. Recently, propidium monoazide (PMA) treatment has been introduced. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the applicability of the PMA treatment and real-time PCR method for cell counting in comparison with plate counting and to evaluate the antibacterial efficacy of 2% CHX on E. faecalis using PMA treatment in combination with real-time PCR. Firstly, to elucidate the relationship between the proportion of viable cells and the real-time PCR signals after PMA treatment, mixtures with different ratios of viable and dead cells were used. Secondly, relative difference of viable cells using PMA treatment in combination with real-time PCR was compared with CFU by plate counting. Lastly, antibacterial efficacy of 2% CHX on E. faecalis was measured using PMA treatment in combination with real-time PCR. The results were as follows : 1. Ct value increased with decreasing proportion of viable E. faecalis. 2. There was correlation between viable cells measured by real-time PCR after PMA treatment and CFU by plate counting until Optical density (OD) value remains under 1.0. However, viable cells measured by real-time PCR after PMA treatment have decreased at 1.5 of OD value while CFU kept increasing. 3. Relative difference of viable E. faecalis decreased more after longer application of 2% CHX.