<sec>
<title>Objectives</title>
<p>Infectious diarrhea is one of the most common causes of pediatric death worldwide and enteropathogenic <italic>Escherichia coli</italic> (EPEC) is one of the main causes. There are 2 subgroups of EPEC, typical and atypical, based on the presence or absence of bundle forming pili (bfp), of which atypical EPEC is considered less virulent, but not less pathogenic. Antimicrobial resistance towards atypical EPEC among children is growing and is considered a major problem. In this study the pattern of antibiotic resistance in clinical isolates was determined.</p></sec>
<sec>
<title>Methods</title>
<p>Using 130 isolates, antibiotic resistance patterns and phenotypes were assessed, and genotypic profiles of extended spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL) production using disc diffusion and PCR was carried out. Phylogenetic groups were analyzed using quadruplex PCR.</p></sec>
<sec>
<title>Results</title>
<p>There were 65 <italic>E. coli</italic> isolates identified as atypical EPEC by PCR, among which the highest antibiotic resistance was towards ampicillin, followed by trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, and tetracycline. Multidrug resistance was detected in 44.6% of atypical EPEC isolates. Around 33% of isolates were determined to be extended spectrum β-lactamase producers, and in 90% of isolates, genes responsible for ESBL production could be detected. Moreover, the majority of atypical EPEC strains belonged to Group E, followed by Groups B1, B2 and C.</p></sec>
<sec>
<title>Conclusion</title>
<p>High rates of multidrug resistance and ESBL production among atypical EPEC isolates warrant periodical surveillance studies to select effective antibiotic treatment for patients. It is considered a critical step to manage antibiotic resistance by avoiding unnecessary prescriptions for antibiotics.</p></sec>
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<sec>
<title>Objectives</title>
<p>The importance of tick-borne diseases is increasing because of climate change, with a lack of long-term studies on tick-borne pathogens in South Korea. To understand the epidemiological characteristics of tick-borne diseases, the monthly distribution of field ticks throughout the year was studied in South Korea between May 2014 and April 2018 in a cross sectional study.</p></sec>
<sec>
<title>Methods</title>
<p>The presence of various tick-borne pathogens (<italic>Rickettsia</italic> species, <italic>Borrelia</italic> species, <italic>Anaplasma phagocytophilum</italic>) was confirmed by using polymerase chain reaction, to provide information for a prevention strategy against tick-borne pathogenic infections, through increased understanding of the relationship between seasonal variation and risk of infection with <italic>Rickettsia</italic> species. This was performed using logistic regression analysis (SPSS 20, IBM, USA) of the data obtained from the study.</p></sec>
<sec>
<title>Results</title>
<p>During the study period there were 11,717 ticks collected and 4 species identified. <italic>Haemapysalis longicornis</italic> was the most common species (<italic>n</italic> = 10,904, 93.1%), followed by <italic>Haemapysalis flava</italic> (<italic>n</italic> = 656, 5.6%), <italic>Ixodes nipponensis</italic> (<italic>n</italic> = 151, 1.3%), and <italic>Amblyomma testudinarium</italic> (<italic>n</italic> = 6, 0.05%) The results of this cross-sectional study showed that <italic>Haemapysalis flava</italic> carried a higher risk of transmission of <italic>Rickettsia</italic> species than other tick species (<italic>p</italic> < 0.05).</p></sec>
<sec>
<title>Conclusion</title>
<p>In conclusion, due attention should be paid to preventing tick-borne infections in humans whilst engaged in outdoor activities in Spring and Autumn, particularly in places where there is a high prevalence of ticks.</p></sec>
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