Two moderately halotolerant Gram-negative bacteria were isolated from tidal flat sediment of the South Sea in Korea (the Korea Strait). The strains, designated M9T and M18T, were strictly aerobic, rod-shaped and non-spore-forming and motile with a flagellum and their major fatty acids were C16 : 0 and C19 : 0 cyclo ω8c. Strains M9T and M18T could grow in the presence of up to 13–15 % (w/v) NaCl, but their optimum salt concentrations were relatively low (0–3 %, w/v). The major predominant isoprenoid quinone was Q-8 and the G+C content of the genomic DNA was 57–58 mol%. Phylogenetic analyses and comparative 16S rRNA gene sequence studies revealed that strains M9T and M18T formed a phylogenetic lineage distinct from the genus Teredinibacter within the class Gammaproteobacteria and were most closely related to the genera Microbulbifer, Saccharophagus and Teredinibacter, with less than 92·5 % 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity. The level of 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity between the two strains was 96·7 %. On the basis of physiological and phylogenetic properties, strains M9T and M18T represent separate species within a novel genus of the class Gammaproteobacteria, for which the names Marinimicrobium koreense gen. nov., sp. nov. (type species) and Marinimicrobium agarilyticum sp. nov. are proposed. The type strains of Marinimicrobium koreense and Marinimicrobium agarilyticum are M9T (=KCTC 12356T=DSM 16974T) and M18T (=KCTC 12357T=DSM 16975T), respectively.

We assessed folate nutritional status from birth to 12 months in fifty-one infants who were fed human milk (HM; n 20), casein-based formula (CBF; n 12) or soya-based formula (SBF; n 19). Folate contents in ninety-five HM samples obtained from twenty mothers for the first 6-month period and twelve CBF and nineteen SBF samples were measured by bioassay after trienzyme extraction. Folate intake was estimated by weighing infants before and after feeding in the HM group and by collecting formula intake records in the formula-fed groups. After solid foods were introduced, all foods consumed were included to estimate folate intake. Serum folate and total homocysteine (tHcy) concentrations were determined at 5 and 12 months of age, and infant growth was monitored for the first 12 months. Mean HM folate contents ranged from 201 to 365 nmol/l with an overall mean of 291 nmol/l, and the contents peaked at 2 months postpartum. HM folate contents were higher than those reported in North America. Folate contents in CBF and SBF were markedly higher than those in HM and those claimed on the product labels. The overall folate intakes in formula-fed infants were significantly higher than those in HM-fed infants, and this was associated with significantly higher folate and lower tHcy in formula-fed infants than HM-fed infants at 5 months. At 12 months, serum folate was significantly higher in the SBF group than the other groups, whereas serum tHcy and overall growth were similar among all groups.Folate: Human milk: Casein-based formula: Soya-based formula

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An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), immunochromatography (ICG) strip test, and immunomagnetic bead separation (IMBS) system based on a monoclonal antibody were individually developed for the detection and isolation of Listeria monocytogenes in meat samples. The three methods showed a strong reaction with Listeria species and a weak reaction with Staphylococcus aureus. To increase the rapidity of L. monocytogenes detection, combinations of the ELISA and ICG strip test with the IMBS system (ELISA-IMBS and ICG-IMBS) were investigated. In comparative analyses of artificially inoculated meat and samples of processed meat, the ELISA and ICG strip test required 24 h of enrichment time to detect the inoculated meat samples with > or =1 X 10(2) CFU/10 g, whereas the ELISA-IMBS and ICG-IMBS required only 14 h of enrichment. Analyses of naturally contaminated meat samples (30 pork samples, 20 beef samples, 26 chicken samples, 20 fish samples, and 20 processed meat samples) performed by ELISA-IMBS, ICG-IMBS, and API kit produced similar results. The ELISA-IMBS and ICG-IMBS provide a more rapid assay than the individual ELISA and the ICG strip test and are appropriate for rapid and qualitative detection of L. monocytogenes (or Listeria species) in meat samples. With the ICG-IMBS, L. monocytogenes could be detected in meat samples within 15 h and the method has potential as a rapid, cost-effective on-site screening tool for the detection of L. monocytogenes in food samples and agricultural products at a minimum detection level of approximately 100 CFU/10 g.

This study aimed to inspect norovirus contamination of groundwater treatment systems used in food-catering facilities located in South Korea. A nationwide study was performed in 2010. Water samples were collected and, for the analysis of water quality, the temperature, pH, turbidity, and residual chlorine content were assessed. To detect norovirus genotypes GI and GII, RT-PCR and semi-nested PCR were performed with specific NV-GI and NV-GII primer sets, respectively. The PCR products amplified from the detected strains were then subjected to sequence analyses. Of 1,090 samples collected in 2010, seven (0.64%) were found to be norovirus-positive. Specifically, one norovirus strain was identified to have the GI-6 genotype, and six GII strains had the GII, GII-3, GII-4, and GII-17 genotypes. The very low detection rate of norovirus most likely reflects the preventative measures used. However, this virus can spread rapidly from person to person in crowded, enclosed places such as the schools investigated in this study. To promote better public health and sanitary conditions, it is necessary to periodically monitor noroviruses that frequently cause epidemic food poisoning in South Korea.