RESUMO
Lettuce wraps are popular in Korean cuisine for their high nutritional value and versatility as healthy additions to multiple dishes. Microbial contamination of lettuce is a major concern, as lettuce is consumed fresh without cooking. Among foodborne pathogens, the spore-forming, facultative anaerobic bacterium, Bacillus cereus is one of the frequently detected pathogen in lettuce in Korea. In this study, we investigated the prevalence and distribution of Bacillus cereus strains in lettuce production farms and further evaluated the enterotoxin gene profiles, antibiotic susceptibility, multidrug resistance pattern, and genetic differences among the B. cereus group isolates. Of the 140 samples isolated from 10 lettuce production farms, 30 samples (21.42%) were positive for B. cereus in which 19 (31.6%) and 10 (23.25%) were from soil and lettuce, respectively. The enterotoxin patterns A (hblCDA, nheABC, entFM, and cytK genes) and B (hblCDA, nheABC, and entFM genes) accounted for 50% and 20% of all the isolates, whereas the emetic gene cesB was not detected in any of the B. cereus group isolates. Antibiotic susceptibility testing of the B. cereus group isolates revealed that all the strains were predominantly resistant to ß-lactam antibiotics except imipenem and generally susceptible to most of the non ß-lactam antibiotics, including gentamycin, streptomycin, chloramphenicol, and tetracycline. ERIC-PCR and MLST analysis revealed high genetic diversity among the 30 B. cereus group isolates, which belonged to 26 different sequence types (STs) and seven new STs. Moreover, isolates with identical STs exhibited similar patterns of antibiotic resistance and enterotoxin profiles. Results of this study indicate a high prevalence of B. cereus group isolates in lettuce production farms in the Republic of Korea.
RESUMO
Our purpose in this study is to analyze the microstructural characteristics and constituent elements of inorganic substances added to the yellow ink and red ink pigments used in permanent makeup. We observed the microstructural properties of inorganic pigments added to the ink using a scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and analyzed the constituent elements of the inorganic pigment particles using an energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX). In red wine-colored ink, cubic titanium dioxide with a diameter of 110 to 200 nm was the major component, and rod-shaped iron oxide was rarely observed. Most of the ingredients of taupe yellow ink were rod-shaped yellow iron oxide, and a small amount of cubic titanium dioxide was observed. Red wine-colored ink and taupe yellow ink contained lumps composed of titanium dioxide particles. In red wine-colored ink, lumps were formed by agglomeration. However, we observed that the surface of the lump composed of titanium dioxide in the taupe yellow ink had a smooth surface caused by external physical compression. The titanium dioxide particle mass which found in taupe yellow ink in this study is an artificial product. When this mass accumulates in the dermis, it may cause a color mismatch. Therefore, permanent makeup using fine pigments should be free of foreign substances that may cause trouble in the skin. In addition, there is a need to improve the quality of the ink so that the required color can be safe and long lasting in the dermis.
