start-ver=1.4 cd-journal=joma no-vol= cd-vols= no-issue= article-no= start-page= end-page= dt-received= dt-revised= dt-accepted= dt-pub-year=2025 dt-pub=20251231 dt-online= en-article= kn-article= en-subject= kn-subject= en-title= kn-title=Efficient resuscitation of early-stage viable but non-culturable cells of Vibrio cholerae using treatment with proteolytic enzymes en-subtitle= kn-subtitle= en-abstract= kn-abstract=Vibrio cholerae, the etiological agent of cholera, is ubiquitous in environmental brackish waters. Exposure to low water temperatures induces the bacterium to enter a viable but non-culturable (VBNC) state. In this study, a stepwise decrease in water temperature to 4‹C was found to delay the transition to the non-culturable state compared to an abrupt temperature drop, suggesting that V. cholerae cells partially adapt to low temperatures. V. cholerae VBNC cells maintained at 4‹C gradually lost their ability to revert to a culturable state. However, VBNC cells in the early stage of dormancy were efficiently resuscitated following treatment with proteolytic enzymes, including proteinase K. The abundance of culturable V. cholerae cells in brackish estuarine waters was quantified using the most probable number (MPN)?quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) method. Although culturable cells were undetectable in samples treated with bovine serum albumin, they were estimated at 93 and 1,500 MPN/mL in two water samples collected on different days and pre-incubated with proteinase K. Similarly, the abundance of Vibrio species increased markedly following treatment with this enzyme. Additionally, cells of Vibrio species were enumerated by the plating method using CHROMagar Vibrio plates. Consistent with the results of the MPN?qPCR method, treatment with proteinase K resulted in over a 100-fold increase in colony formation. Collectively, these findings suggest that treatment with proteinase K is effective for resuscitating and quantifying V. cholerae VBNC cells in environmental water samples. en-copyright= kn-copyright= en-aut-name=MiyoshiShin-ichi en-aut-sei=Miyoshi en-aut-mei=Shin-ichi kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=1 ORCID= en-aut-name=OgasawaraMona en-aut-sei=Ogasawara en-aut-mei=Mona kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=2 ORCID= en-aut-name=NiwakiShiho en-aut-sei=Niwaki en-aut-mei=Shiho kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=3 ORCID= en-aut-name=SugiharaRena en-aut-sei=Sugihara en-aut-mei=Rena kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=4 ORCID= en-aut-name=MuzemboBasilua Andre en-aut-sei=Muzembo en-aut-mei=Basilua Andre kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=5 ORCID= en-aut-name=ImamuraDaisuke en-aut-sei=Imamura en-aut-mei=Daisuke kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=6 ORCID= affil-num=1 en-affil=Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University kn-affil= affil-num=2 en-affil=Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University kn-affil= affil-num=3 en-affil=Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University kn-affil= affil-num=4 en-affil=Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University kn-affil= affil-num=5 en-affil=Research Institute of Nursing Care for People and Community, University of Hyogo kn-affil= affil-num=6 en-affil=Research Center for Intestinal Health Science, Okayama University kn-affil= en-keyword=Vibrio cholerae kn-keyword=Vibrio cholerae en-keyword=viable but non-culturable kn-keyword=viable but non-culturable en-keyword=VBNC kn-keyword=VBNC en-keyword=protease kn-keyword=protease en-keyword=proteolytic enzyme kn-keyword=proteolytic enzyme END start-ver=1.4 cd-journal=joma no-vol=69 cd-vols= no-issue=12 article-no= start-page=e00740-25 end-page= dt-received= dt-revised= dt-accepted= dt-pub-year=2025 dt-pub=20251210 dt-online= en-article= kn-article= en-subject= kn-subject= en-title= kn-title=Genomic portrayal of emerging carbapenem-resistant El Tor variant Vibrio cholerae O1 en-subtitle= kn-subtitle= en-abstract= kn-abstract=The escalating prevalence of carbapenem-resistant (CR) enteric pathogens elicits significant challenges to public health management and effective antimicrobial therapy. While carbapenem resistance is rare in Vibrio cholerae O1 (VC), the recent emergence of CR strains reveals a concerning shift in their antimicrobial resistance (AMR) landscape. This study aims to characterize the resistance mechanisms in newly identified El Tor CRVC isolated from cholera patients in Gujarat, India during 2019. Fifty VC isolates were screened for major virulence-associated genes along with the determination of their antibiotic resistance profiles using Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion and MIC assays. Whole-genome sequencing (WGS) was employed to investigate the underlying mechanisms of CR. All the isolates exhibited hypervirulent Haitian alleles of major virulence genes and AMR profiles of typical multidrug resistance (MDR). Strikingly, 12% (6/50) of them were resistant to carbapenems and other antibiotics. Molecular analysis revealed that these CR isolates were clonally related and harbored a 142 kbp IncA/C type conjugative mega-plasmid with several AMR encoding genes, including blaNDM-1, that can be easily transferred to other bacterial species and confer donor AMR patterns. The plasmidfs competence for horizontal gene transfer presents a significant risk of dissemination to other enteric pathogens and thereby may complicate the treatment. This finding emphasizes the urgent need for enhanced genomic surveillance and robust antimicrobial stewardship programs aimed at curbing the spread of CRVC strains and mitigating their impact on cholera treatment and containment strategies. en-copyright= kn-copyright= en-aut-name=ShawSreeja en-aut-sei=Shaw en-aut-mei=Sreeja kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=1 ORCID= en-aut-name=PragasamAgila Kumari en-aut-sei=Pragasam en-aut-mei=Agila Kumari kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=2 ORCID= en-aut-name=ChowdhuryGoutam en-aut-sei=Chowdhury en-aut-mei=Goutam kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=3 ORCID= en-aut-name=SamantaProsenjit en-aut-sei=Samanta en-aut-mei=Prosenjit kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=4 ORCID= en-aut-name=RoyDeboleena en-aut-sei=Roy en-aut-mei=Deboleena kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=5 ORCID= en-aut-name=GhoshDebjani en-aut-sei=Ghosh en-aut-mei=Debjani kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=6 ORCID= en-aut-name=RamamurthyThandavarayan en-aut-sei=Ramamurthy en-aut-mei=Thandavarayan kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=7 ORCID= en-aut-name=KariaJigna en-aut-sei=Karia en-aut-mei=Jigna kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=8 ORCID= en-aut-name=NinamaGovind en-aut-sei=Ninama en-aut-mei=Govind kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=9 ORCID= en-aut-name=MiyoshiShin-ichi en-aut-sei=Miyoshi en-aut-mei=Shin-ichi kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=10 ORCID= en-aut-name=AkedaYukihiro en-aut-sei=Akeda en-aut-mei=Yukihiro kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=11 ORCID= en-aut-name=KoleyHemanta en-aut-sei=Koley en-aut-mei=Hemanta kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=12 ORCID= en-aut-name=MukhopadhyayAsish Kumar en-aut-sei=Mukhopadhyay en-aut-mei=Asish Kumar kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=13 ORCID= affil-num=1 en-affil=ICMR-National Institute for Research in Bacterial Infections kn-affil= affil-num=2 en-affil=V. Ramalingaswami Bhawan, Indian Council of Medical Research kn-affil= affil-num=3 en-affil=ICMR-National Institute for Research in Bacterial Infections kn-affil= affil-num=4 en-affil=ICMR-National Institute for Research in Bacterial Infections kn-affil= affil-num=5 en-affil=ICMR-National Institute for Research in Bacterial Infections kn-affil= affil-num=6 en-affil=ICMR-National Institute for Research in Bacterial Infections kn-affil= affil-num=7 en-affil=ICMR-National Institute for Research in Bacterial Infections kn-affil= affil-num=8 en-affil=Medical College Baroda kn-affil= affil-num=9 en-affil=Medical College Baroda kn-affil= affil-num=10 en-affil=Okayama University kn-affil= affil-num=11 en-affil=National Institute of Infectious Diseases kn-affil= affil-num=12 en-affil=ICMR-National Institute for Research in Bacterial Infections kn-affil= affil-num=13 en-affil=ICMR-National Institute for Research in Bacterial Infections kn-affil= en-keyword=antimicrobial resistance kn-keyword=antimicrobial resistance en-keyword=Vibrio cholerae kn-keyword=Vibrio cholerae en-keyword=blaNDM-1 kn-keyword=blaNDM-1 en-keyword=carbapenem resistance kn-keyword=carbapenem resistance en-keyword=horizontal gene transfer kn-keyword=horizontal gene transfer en-keyword=IncA/C plasmid kn-keyword=IncA/C plasmid END start-ver=1.4 cd-journal=joma no-vol=17 cd-vols= no-issue=1 article-no= start-page=2586329 end-page= dt-received= dt-revised= dt-accepted= dt-pub-year=2025 dt-pub=20251130 dt-online= en-article= kn-article= en-subject= kn-subject= en-title= kn-title=Asiatic acid, a novel ciprofloxacin adjuvant inhibits Shigella flexneri infection en-subtitle= kn-subtitle= en-abstract= kn-abstract=Bacterial infection caused by intracellular pathogens such as Shigella flexneri is a rapidly increasing global health concern that requires urgent and necessary action. The dearth of licensed vaccines against shigellosis and the decline in susceptibility to conventional antibiotics has encouraged the development of new antibiotic principles and drugs. The treatment options are decreasing faster than the discovery rate of new antibacterial agents. Combinatorial approach of antibiotics with non-antibiotic adjuvants is a promising aspect to treat resistant bacterial infections. Asiatic acid, a membrane-disrupting triterpenoid with wide antimicrobial and immunomodulatory properties, can potentiate antibiotics, but the exact mechanisms remain broadly unexplored. Therefore, in this study, we screened the interaction of asiatic acid with several antibiotics. The results showed synergistic interactions of asiatic acid with antibiotics against susceptible and multidrug-resistant S. flexneri clinical isolates. Particularly important was the interaction of asiatic acid with the quinolone antibiotics ciprofloxacin and nalidixic acid. A detailed study showed that combined treatment of asiatic acid with ciprofloxacin inhibited S. flexneri biofilm formation and resistance development. An increase in membrane disruption and depolarization upon co-treatment was evident by surface electron and confocal microscopy. In addition, asiatic acid and ciprofloxacin synergism was identified to inhibit efflux activity and intracellular bacterial viability. However, asiatic acid showed no synergistic toxicity with ciprofloxacin towards mammalian cells. The antibacterial activity was further verified in a S. flexneri infected mice model. Therapeutic benefits were evident with reduced bacterial burden, recovery from intestinal tissue damage and increase in mice survivability. The results showed that this combination can target the bacterial membrane, efflux pump proteins and biofilm formation, thereby preventing resistance development. The combination treatment offers a proof of concept in targeting essential bacterial activities and might be developed into a novel and efficient treatment alternative against S. flexneri. en-copyright= kn-copyright= en-aut-name=MaitraPriyanka en-aut-sei=Maitra en-aut-mei=Priyanka kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=1 ORCID= en-aut-name=BhuktaSamhati en-aut-sei=Bhukta en-aut-mei=Samhati kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=2 ORCID= en-aut-name=GopeAnimesh en-aut-sei=Gope en-aut-mei=Animesh kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=3 ORCID= en-aut-name=KayetPratanu en-aut-sei=Kayet en-aut-mei=Pratanu kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=4 ORCID= en-aut-name=BasakSurajit en-aut-sei=Basak en-aut-mei=Surajit kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=5 ORCID= en-aut-name=MiyoshiShin-Ichi en-aut-sei=Miyoshi en-aut-mei=Shin-Ichi kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=6 ORCID= en-aut-name=KitaharaKei en-aut-sei=Kitahara en-aut-mei=Kei kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=7 ORCID= en-aut-name=DuttaShanta en-aut-sei=Dutta en-aut-mei=Shanta kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=8 ORCID= en-aut-name=BhattacharyaSushmita en-aut-sei=Bhattacharya en-aut-mei=Sushmita kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=9 ORCID= affil-num=1 en-affil=Division of Biochemistry, ICMR-National Institute for Research in Bacterial Infections kn-affil= affil-num=2 en-affil=Division of Biochemistry, ICMR-National Institute for Research in Bacterial Infections kn-affil= affil-num=3 en-affil=Division of Clinical Medicine, ICMR-National Institute for Research in Bacterial Infections kn-affil= affil-num=4 en-affil=Division of Bioinformatics, ICMR-National Institute for Research in Bacterial Infections kn-affil= affil-num=5 en-affil=Division of Bioinformatics, ICMR-National Institute for Research in Bacterial Infections kn-affil= affil-num=6 en-affil=Division of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University kn-affil= affil-num=7 en-affil=Collaborative Research Center of Okayama University for Infectious Diseases in India, ICMR-National Institute for Research in Bacterial Infections kn-affil= affil-num=8 en-affil=Department of Bacteriology, ICMR-National Institute for Research in Bacterial Infections kn-affil= affil-num=9 en-affil=Division of Biochemistry, ICMR-National Institute for Research in Bacterial Infections kn-affil= en-keyword=Shigella flexneri kn-keyword=Shigella flexneri en-keyword=asiatic acid kn-keyword=asiatic acid en-keyword=ciprofloxacin kn-keyword=ciprofloxacin en-keyword=adjuvant kn-keyword=adjuvant en-keyword=membrane damage kn-keyword=membrane damage en-keyword=depolarization kn-keyword=depolarization en-keyword=nuclear damage kn-keyword=nuclear damage en-keyword=efflux inhibitor kn-keyword=efflux inhibitor END start-ver=1.4 cd-journal=joma no-vol=15 cd-vols= no-issue=1 article-no= start-page=24040 end-page= dt-received= dt-revised= dt-accepted= dt-pub-year=2025 dt-pub=20250705 dt-online= en-article= kn-article= en-subject= kn-subject= en-title= kn-title=Lactose fermenting enteroinvasive Escherichia coli from diarrhoeal cases confers enhanced virulence en-subtitle= kn-subtitle= en-abstract= kn-abstract=Enteroinvasive Escherichia coli (EIEC), known for causing bacillary dysentery akin to Shigella species, comprises both lactose-fermenting (LF) and non-lactose-fermenting (NLF) isolates. While NLF-EIEC is a well-established pathogen associated with acute dysentery and harbours classical Shigella-like virulence factors, the role of LF-EIEC in human disease remains underexplored. In this study, we sought to characterize LF-EIEC clinical isolates and assessed their pathogenic potential in comparison to NLF-EIEC. Among 13,682 diarrhoeal stool specimens, six LF and nine NLF-EIEC were isolated, predominantly belonging to serogroups O28ac, O125, O136, and O152. Unlike other E. coli, all the EIEC isolates were non-motile. Both the types of EIEC had multiple plasmids harbouring several virulence encoding genes (ipaBCD, ial, virF, sig, sepA and ipaH). Resistance to recent generation antibiotics were mostly confined to NLF-EIEC but some of the LF-EIEC were resistant only to ceftriaxone. Higher invasion ability and significant increase in the expression of virulence encoding genes by the LF-EIEC (p??10%) of strain KK2020170T were iso-C15:?0, iso-C17:?0 3-OH and iso-C15:?1 G. The dominant respiratory quinone of the strain was menaquinone MK-6. Based on the phylogenetic and phenotypic analysis results, we propose that strain KK2020170T represents a novel species, for which the name Flavobacterium okayamense sp. nov. has been proposed. The type strain is KK2020170T (=?ATCC TSD-280 T?=?NBRC 115344 T). en-copyright= kn-copyright= en-aut-name=KitaharaKei en-aut-sei=Kitahara en-aut-mei=Kei kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=1 ORCID= en-aut-name=MuzemboBasilua Andre en-aut-sei=Muzembo en-aut-mei=Basilua Andre kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=2 ORCID= en-aut-name=MorohoshiSho en-aut-sei=Morohoshi en-aut-mei=Sho kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=3 ORCID= en-aut-name=KunihiroTadao en-aut-sei=Kunihiro en-aut-mei=Tadao kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=4 ORCID= en-aut-name=TazatoNozomi en-aut-sei=Tazato en-aut-mei=Nozomi kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=5 ORCID= en-aut-name=OhnoAyumu en-aut-sei=Ohno en-aut-mei=Ayumu kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=6 ORCID= en-aut-name=UesakaKazuma en-aut-sei=Uesaka en-aut-mei=Kazuma kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=7 ORCID= en-aut-name=TaniguchiMakoto en-aut-sei=Taniguchi en-aut-mei=Makoto kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=8 ORCID= en-aut-name=MiyoshiShin-ichi en-aut-sei=Miyoshi en-aut-mei=Shin-ichi kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=9 ORCID= affil-num=1 en-affil=Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University kn-affil= affil-num=2 en-affil=Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University kn-affil= affil-num=3 en-affil=TechnoSuruga Laboratory Co., Ltd kn-affil= affil-num=4 en-affil=TechnoSuruga Laboratory Co., Ltd kn-affil= affil-num=5 en-affil=TechnoSuruga Laboratory Co., Ltd kn-affil= affil-num=6 en-affil=Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University kn-affil= affil-num=7 en-affil=Graduate School of Bioagricultural Sciences, Nagoya University kn-affil= affil-num=8 en-affil=Oral Microbiome Center, Taniguchi Dental Clinic kn-affil= affil-num=9 en-affil=Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University kn-affil= en-keyword=Bacteroidota kn-keyword=Bacteroidota en-keyword=Flavobacterium kn-keyword=Flavobacterium en-keyword=New taxa kn-keyword=New taxa en-keyword=Sea water kn-keyword=Sea water END start-ver=1.4 cd-journal=joma no-vol=25 cd-vols= no-issue= article-no= start-page=521 end-page=525 dt-received= dt-revised= dt-accepted= dt-pub-year=2022 dt-pub=20220211 dt-online= en-article= kn-article= en-subject= kn-subject= en-title= kn-title=Isolation and identification of soil bacteria resistant to surfactants in washing detergents en-subtitle= kn-subtitle= en-abstract= kn-abstract=Linear alkylbenzene sulfonate (LAS) and polyoxyethylene lauryl ether (POLE) are the major surfactants in washing detergents. In the present study, we isolated surfactant-resistant bacteria from soil samples collected from a sports ground and a farm field. The samples were treated with 2.0% LAS or POLE at 25‹C for 30?min and cultivated on agar plates at 25‹C for several days, after which manifold bacterial colonies were isolated. Thereafter, we tested the ability of each bacterial isolate to resist the antibacterial activity of the surfactant. Ten LAS-resistant strains were isolated, and all were found to be Gram-negative bacteria such as Enterobacter and Pseudomonas. On the other hand, 18 POLE-resistant strains were isolated, of which 14 were Gram-positive bacteria including Bacillus and Microbacterium. Notably, one POLE-resistant strain was identified as Bacillus cereus, a potential causative agent for foodborne illness. The genera of LAS- and POLE-resistant bacteria did not overlap. Therefore, the combination of LAS and POLE could be more effective to eliminate soil bacteria from clothes and/or daily necessities. en-copyright= kn-copyright= en-aut-name=MiyoshiShin-ichi en-aut-sei=Miyoshi en-aut-mei=Shin-ichi kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=1 ORCID= en-aut-name=OkuboNaomi en-aut-sei=Okubo en-aut-mei=Naomi kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=2 ORCID= en-aut-name=MitsumoriSatoko en-aut-sei=Mitsumori en-aut-mei=Satoko kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=3 ORCID= affil-num=1 en-affil=Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University kn-affil= affil-num=2 en-affil=Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences Okayama University Okayama]City Okayama Japan kn-affil= affil-num=3 en-affil=Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences Okayama University Okayama]City Okayama Japan kn-affil= en-keyword=Surfactant kn-keyword=Surfactant en-keyword=Washing detergent kn-keyword=Washing detergent en-keyword=Linear alkylbenzene sulfonate kn-keyword=Linear alkylbenzene sulfonate en-keyword=Soil bacteria kn-keyword=Soil bacteria END start-ver=1.4 cd-journal=joma no-vol=28 cd-vols= no-issue=4 article-no= start-page=1633 end-page=1639 dt-received= dt-revised= dt-accepted= dt-pub-year=2012 dt-pub=201204 dt-online= en-article= kn-article= en-subject= kn-subject= en-title= kn-title=An extracellular serine protease produced by Vibrio vulnificus NCIMB 2137, a metalloprotease-gene negative strain isolated from a diseased eel en-subtitle= kn-subtitle= en-abstract= kn-abstract=Vibrio vulnificus is a ubiquitous estuarine microorganism but causes fatal systemic infections in immunocompromised humans, cultured eels or shrimps. An extracellular metalloprotease VVP/VvpE has been reported to be a potential virulence factor of the bacterium; however, a few strains isolated from a diseased eel or shrimp were recently found to produce a serine protease termed VvsA, but not VVP/VvpE. In the present study, we found that these strains had lost the 80 kb genomic region including the gene encoding VVP/VvpE. We also purified VvsA from the culture supernatant through ammonium sulfate fractionation, gel filtration and ion-exchange column chromatography, and the enzyme was demonstrated to be a chymotrypsin-like protease, as well as those from some vibrios. The gene vvsA was shown to constitute an operon with a downstream gene vvsB, and several Vibrio species were found to have orthologues of vvsAB. These findings indicate that the genes vvp/vvpE and vvsAB might be mobile genetic elements. en-copyright= kn-copyright= en-aut-name=MiyoshiShin-ichi en-aut-sei=Miyoshi en-aut-mei=Shin-ichi kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=1 ORCID= en-aut-name=JiyouWang en-aut-sei=Jiyou en-aut-mei=Wang kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=2 ORCID= en-aut-name=KatohKeizo en-aut-sei=Katoh en-aut-mei=Keizo kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=3 ORCID= en-aut-name=SenohMitsutoshi en-aut-sei=Senoh en-aut-mei=Mitsutoshi kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=4 ORCID= en-aut-name=MizunoTamaki en-aut-sei=Mizuno en-aut-mei=Tamaki kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=5 ORCID= en-aut-name=MaeharaYoko en-aut-sei=Maehara en-aut-mei=Yoko kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=6 ORCID= affil-num=1 en-affil= kn-affil=Okayama Univ, Grad Sch Med Dent & Pharmaceut Sci affil-num=2 en-affil= kn-affil=Okayama Univ, Grad Sch Med Dent & Pharmaceut Sci affil-num=3 en-affil= kn-affil=Okayama Univ, Grad Sch Med Dent & Pharmaceut Sci affil-num=4 en-affil= kn-affil=Okayama Univ, Grad Sch Med Dent & Pharmaceut Sci affil-num=5 en-affil= kn-affil=Okayama Univ, Grad Sch Med Dent & Pharmaceut Sci affil-num=6 en-affil= kn-affil=Okayama Univ, Grad Sch Med Dent & Pharmaceut Sci en-keyword=Polymerase chain reaction kn-keyword=Polymerase chain reaction en-keyword=Purification kn-keyword=Purification en-keyword=Serine protease kn-keyword=Serine protease en-keyword=Metalloprotease kn-keyword=Metalloprotease en-keyword=Vibrio vulnificus kn-keyword=Vibrio vulnificus END start-ver=1.4 cd-journal=joma no-vol=125 cd-vols= no-issue=1 article-no= start-page=35 end-page=39 dt-received= dt-revised= dt-accepted= dt-pub-year=2013 dt-pub=20130401 dt-online= en-article= kn-article= en-subject= kn-subject= en-title=An epidemiologically rare case of Vibrio vulnificus infection that occurred in October in an inland city of Japan kn-title=“เ—ค’n’รŽR‚ล”ญว‚ต‚ฝ‹G฿ŠO‚๊‚ฬVibrio vulnificusŠด๕ว en-subtitle= kn-subtitle= en-abstract= kn-abstract=@A 68-year-old man with alcohol addiction, who lived in the suburbs of Tsuyama, an inland city located in northeast Okayama prefecture, was transported to the emergency unit of the Tsuyama Central Hospital in a state of cardiopulmonary arrest (CPA). Despite rigorous systemic investigation and treatment, the patient died 2 hours after arrival. After his death, Vibrio vulnificus was isolated from his blood culture. @Vibrio vulnificus causes fatal infection in humans, usually only in areas located close to the sea where appropriate temperature and suitable salt concentration for its growth are available. Therefore, its occurrence is epidemiologically restricted ; in Japan, the western coastal areas, especially in summers, are reported to be the high-risk regions. This is a rare case because it occurred in a city approximately 50 kilometers from both the Sea of Japan and the Pacific coast of Okayama, and at the end of October in 2011. Economic development and distribution systems have made it possible to transport various food products from coastal areas or abroad to any place in a short time, such that these infections can potentially develop in areas other than expected. We should be aware of the increasing risk of Vibrio vulnificus infection during any season and at any place, especially in patients with abnormal liver function. en-copyright= kn-copyright= en-aut-name=HagiyaHideharu en-aut-sei=Hagiya en-aut-mei=Hideharu kn-aut-name=”‹’J‰p‘ๅ kn-aut-sei=”‹’J kn-aut-mei=‰p‘ๅ aut-affil-num=1 ORCID= en-aut-name=ShiotaSumiko en-aut-sei=Shiota en-aut-mei=Sumiko kn-aut-name=‰–“cŸŽq kn-aut-sei=‰–“c kn-aut-mei=ŸŽq aut-affil-num=2 ORCID= en-aut-name=MiyoshiShin-ichi en-aut-sei=Miyoshi en-aut-mei=Shin-ichi kn-aut-name=ŽODLˆ๊ kn-aut-sei=ŽOD kn-aut-mei=Lˆ๊ aut-affil-num=3 ORCID= en-aut-name=KuroeYasutoshi en-aut-sei=Kuroe en-aut-mei=Yasutoshi kn-aut-name=•]‘ื—˜ kn-aut-sei=•] kn-aut-mei=‘ื—˜ aut-affil-num=4 ORCID= en-aut-name=NojimaHiroyoshi en-aut-sei=Nojima en-aut-mei=Hiroyoshi kn-aut-name=–์“‡G‰x kn-aut-sei=–์“‡ kn-aut-mei=G‰x aut-affil-num=5 ORCID= en-aut-name=OtaniShinkichi en-aut-sei=Otani en-aut-mei=Shinkichi kn-aut-name=‘ๅ’JW‹g kn-aut-sei=‘ๅ’J kn-aut-mei=W‹g aut-affil-num=6 ORCID= en-aut-name=SugiyamaJunichi en-aut-sei=Sugiyama en-aut-mei=Junichi kn-aut-name=™ŽR~ˆ๊ kn-aut-sei=™ŽR kn-aut-mei=~ˆ๊ aut-affil-num=7 ORCID= en-aut-name=NaitoHiromichi en-aut-sei=Naito en-aut-mei=Hiromichi kn-aut-name=“เ“กG“น kn-aut-sei=“เ“ก kn-aut-mei=G“น aut-affil-num=8 ORCID= en-aut-name=KawanishiSusumu en-aut-sei=Kawanishi en-aut-mei=Susumu kn-aut-name=์ผi kn-aut-sei=์ผ kn-aut-mei=i aut-affil-num=9 ORCID= en-aut-name=HagiokaShingo en-aut-sei=Hagioka en-aut-mei=Shingo kn-aut-name=”‹‰ชMŒแ kn-aut-sei=”‹‰ช kn-aut-mei=MŒแ aut-affil-num=10 ORCID= en-aut-name=MorimotoNaoki en-aut-sei=Morimoto en-aut-mei=Naoki kn-aut-name=X–{’ผŽ๗ kn-aut-sei=X–{ kn-aut-mei=’ผŽ๗ aut-affil-num=11 ORCID= affil-num=1 en-affil= kn-affil=’รŽR’†‰›•a‰@@‹~–ฝ‹~‹}ƒZƒ“ƒ^[ affil-num=2 en-affil= kn-affil=AŽภ‘ๅŠw–๒Šw•”@•aŒด”๗ถ•จŠw affil-num=3 en-affil= kn-affil=‰ชŽR‘ๅŠw‘ๅŠw‰@ˆใŽ•–๒Šw‘‡Œค‹†‰ศ@‰qถ”๗ถ•จ‰ปŠw affil-num=4 en-affil= kn-affil=’รŽR’†‰›•a‰@@‹~–ฝ‹~‹}ƒZƒ“ƒ^[ affil-num=5 en-affil= kn-affil=’รŽR’†‰›•a‰@@‹~–ฝ‹~‹}ƒZƒ“ƒ^[ affil-num=6 en-affil= kn-affil=’รŽR’†‰›•a‰@@‹~–ฝ‹~‹}ƒZƒ“ƒ^[ affil-num=7 en-affil= kn-affil=’รŽR’†‰›•a‰@@‹~–ฝ‹~‹}ƒZƒ“ƒ^[ affil-num=8 en-affil= kn-affil=’รŽR’†‰›•a‰@@‹~–ฝ‹~‹}ƒZƒ“ƒ^[ affil-num=9 en-affil= kn-affil=’รŽR’†‰›•a‰@@‹~–ฝ‹~‹}ƒZƒ“ƒ^[ affil-num=10 en-affil= kn-affil=’รŽR’†‰›•a‰@@‹~–ฝ‹~‹}ƒZƒ“ƒ^[ affil-num=11 en-affil= kn-affil=’รŽR’†‰›•a‰@@‹~–ฝ‹~‹}ƒZƒ“ƒ^[ en-keyword=Vibrio vulnificus kn-keyword=Vibrio vulnificus END start-ver=1.4 cd-journal=joma no-vol=57 cd-vols= no-issue=6 article-no= start-page=904 end-page=908 dt-received= dt-revised= dt-accepted= dt-pub-year=2011 dt-pub=201105 dt-online= en-article= kn-article= en-subject= kn-subject= en-title= kn-title=Inactivation of Vibrio vulnificus hemolysin through mutation of the N- or C-terminus of the lectin-like domain en-subtitle= kn-subtitle= en-abstract= kn-abstract=Vibrio vulnificus is an etiological agent causing serious systemic infections in the immunocompromised humans or cultured eels. This species commonly produces a hemolytic toxin consisting of the cytolysin domain and the lectin-like domain. For hemolysis, the lectin-like domain specifically binds to cholesterol in the erythrocyte membrane, and to form a hollow oligomer, the toxin is subsequently assembled on the membrane. The cytolysin domain is essential for the process to form the oligomer. Three-dimensional structure model revealed that two domains connected linearly and the C-terminus was located near to the joint of the domains. Insertion of amino acid residues between two domains was found to cause inactivation of the toxin. In the C-terminus, deletion, substitution or addition of an amino acid residue also elicited reduction of the activity. However, the cholesterol-binding ability was not affected by the mutations. These results suggest that mutation of the C- or N-terminus of the lectin-like domain may result in blockage of the toxin assembly. en-copyright= kn-copyright= en-aut-name=MiyoshiShin-ichi en-aut-sei=Miyoshi en-aut-mei=Shin-ichi kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=1 ORCID= en-aut-name=AbeYuki en-aut-sei=Abe en-aut-mei=Yuki kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=2 ORCID= en-aut-name=SenohMitsutoshi en-aut-sei=Senoh en-aut-mei=Mitsutoshi kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=3 ORCID= en-aut-name=MizunoTamaki en-aut-sei=Mizuno en-aut-mei=Tamaki kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=4 ORCID= en-aut-name=MaeharaYoko en-aut-sei=Maehara en-aut-mei=Yoko kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=5 ORCID= en-aut-name=NakaoHiroshi en-aut-sei=Nakao en-aut-mei=Hiroshi kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=6 ORCID= affil-num=1 en-affil= kn-affil=Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University affil-num=2 en-affil= kn-affil=Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University affil-num=3 en-affil= kn-affil=Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University affil-num=4 en-affil= kn-affil=Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University affil-num=5 en-affil= kn-affil=Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University affil-num=6 en-affil= kn-affil=Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University en-keyword=Vibrio vulnificus kn-keyword=Vibrio vulnificus en-keyword=Hemolysin kn-keyword=Hemolysin en-keyword=Cell-free translation kn-keyword=Cell-free translation en-keyword=Site-directed mutagenesis kn-keyword=Site-directed mutagenesis END start-ver=1.4 cd-journal=joma no-vol=143 cd-vols= no-issue=3 article-no= start-page=230 end-page=234 dt-received= dt-revised= dt-accepted= dt-pub-year=2010 dt-pub=20101015 dt-online= en-article= kn-article= en-subject= kn-subject= en-title= kn-title=Prevalence and antimicrobial resistance of Salmonella in retail foods in northern China en-subtitle= kn-subtitle= en-abstract= kn-abstract=A total of 387 retail meat, seafood and milk powder samples were collected from nine cities in northern China in 2005 and screened for the presence of Salmonella. Salmonella strains isolated were subjected to serotyping and antimicrobial susceptibility testing. Salmonella was isolated from 81 (20.9%, 81/387) samples and classified into 23 serotypes. The isolates were frequently resistant to sulfamethoxazole (86.4%), sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprim (48.1%), nalidixic acid (30.9%), tetracycline (19.8%), carboxybenzylpenicillin (17.3%), amoxicillin (17.3%) and ampicillin (16.0%). The multiple resistance (resistance to ? 3 antibiotics) was found in 29.6% (n = 24) isolates. Additionally, 4 isolates from chicken displayed the ACSSuTNx profile, resistant to ampicillin, chloramphenicol, streptomycin, sulfonamide, tetracycline and nalidixic acid, in particular, strain HBS084 showing the resistance to as many as 20 antibiotics. Salmonella from chicken showed the higher frequency of antimicrobial resistance. Our findings indicate that in northern China food products of animal origin can be a source of exposure for consumers to multiresistant Salmonella strains en-copyright= kn-copyright= en-aut-name=YanHe en-aut-sei=Yan en-aut-mei=He kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=1 ORCID= en-aut-name=LiLin en-aut-sei=Li en-aut-mei=Lin kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=2 ORCID= en-aut-name=AlamM. Jahangir en-aut-sei=Alam en-aut-mei=M. Jahangir kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=3 ORCID= en-aut-name=ShinodaSumio en-aut-sei=Shinoda en-aut-mei=Sumio kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=4 ORCID= en-aut-name=MiyoshiShin-ichi en-aut-sei=Miyoshi en-aut-mei=Shin-ichi kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=5 ORCID= en-aut-name=ShiLei en-aut-sei=Shi en-aut-mei=Lei kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=6 ORCID= affil-num=1 en-affil= kn-affil=College of Light Industry and Food Sciences, South China University of Technology affil-num=2 en-affil= kn-affil=College of Light Industry and Food Sciences, South China University of Technology affil-num=3 en-affil= kn-affil=Texas Commission on Environmental Quality affil-num=4 en-affil= kn-affil=Faculty of Sciences, Okayama University of Science affil-num=5 en-affil= kn-affil=Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University affil-num=6 en-affil= kn-affil=College of Light Industry and Food Sciences, South China University of Technology en-keyword=Salmonella kn-keyword=Salmonella en-keyword=Prevalence kn-keyword=Prevalence en-keyword=Retail meats kn-keyword=Retail meats en-keyword=Antimicrobial resistance kn-keyword=Antimicrobial resistance END start-ver=1.4 cd-journal=joma no-vol=22 cd-vols= no-issue= article-no= start-page=81 end-page= dt-received= dt-revised= dt-accepted= dt-pub-year=2000 dt-pub=200009 dt-online= en-article= kn-article= en-subject= kn-subject= en-title= kn-title=•าWŒใ‹L en-subtitle= kn-subtitle= en-abstract= kn-abstract= en-copyright= kn-copyright= en-aut-name=MiyoshiShinichi en-aut-sei=Miyoshi en-aut-mei=Shinichi kn-aut-name=ŽODLˆ๊ kn-aut-sei=ŽOD kn-aut-mei=Lˆ๊ aut-affil-num=1 ORCID= affil-num=1 en-affil= kn-affil=‰ชŽR‘ๅŠw END