Incidence of Vibrio parahaemolyticus Bacteriophages and Other Vibrio Bacteriophages in Marine Samples

The distribution of the aerobic spirochetes Leptospira in surface waters, soil, and aquatic animals was investigated. Isolates from water and soil exhibited physiological characteristics common to members of the "biflexa complex," none were capable of infecting experimental animals, and leptospires could not be isolated from the eight genera of aquatic animals examined. The isolation frequencies from surface waters were: stream, 100%; lake, 65%; spring, 28%; bog lake, 5%; and marsh, 0%. With the exception of the stream, more isolations were obtained from the soil adjacent to the water than from the water. Leptospires were most frequently associated with soils of high moisture and organic matter content.     

Serovars of Vibrio parahaemolyticus

Seashore water samples collected along the coastline in Bulgaria and Rumania contained in large numbers OK serovars of V. parahaemolyticus; some of these had been isolated repeatedly over an extended time period: 01 K32, 03 K30, 03 K48, 04 K37, 04 K53, 05 K17, 05 K30. The serovar 05 K17 was virtually present in all water samples and was also isolated from a case of purulent ear infection in a child from Burgas. In contrast, strains recovered from Asian and African coastal water had different K antigens and were never identified in Europe. Two strains of V. parahaemolyticus (serovars 05 K15 and 07 K10) had positive swarming growth resembling that of V. alginolyticus. The first of these was Kanagawa-positive and was isolated from a case of severe diarrhea in Brazzaville. Vibrio parahaemolyticus isolates came from marine or brackish water specimens collected on sand banks, 3 strains were recovered from marine or brackish water in Africa. Vibrio harveyi, a sucrose-negative species important from differential diagnostic aspects, has been isolated from seashore water samples collected on coarse-sand or pebbly beaches.     

副溶血弧菌的致病机制

副溶血性弧菌是引发微生物食源性疾病的首要病原菌,其在临床上主要引起3种疾病,即胃肠炎、伤口感染和败血症。经过多年的研究,人们对副溶血性弧菌的致病机制有了一定的认识。我们着重介绍副溶血性弧菌的主要毒力因子、毒力基因表达调控及常用的毒力表型研究方法。     

Isolation and Partial Properties of a Porin-Like Protein from Vibrio parahaemolyticus Cell Envelope

The cell envelope of Vibrio parahaemolyticus pilot strain K-11 contains a major protein with an apparent molecular weight of 35,000 which was not solubilized with 2% sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) at 50 C for 30 min and was resistant to trypsin. The protein was extracted from the SDS-insoluble envelope with SDS containing 0.4 m NaCl and purified by acetone precipitation and gel filtration. The purified protein was completely dissociated into a monomer with a molecular weight of 35,000 in SDS at 60 C. The amino acid composition of the protein was nearly the same as that of porins from Escherichia coli and Salmonella typhimurium. Thus the protein seems to be porin-like.     

Biological activities of lipid A from Vibrio parahaemolyticus: stimulation of murine peritoneal macrophages

The toxicity and macrophage stimulating property of Vibrio parahaemolyticus lipid A was studied. The LD50 dose of lipid A in galactosamine-sensitized mice was found to be 0.6 micrograms when injected intraperitoneally. Administration of lipid A resulted in stimulation of peritoneal macrophages as evident by increase in their cellular RNA contents and lysosomal enzyme activities. The treatment also caused enhancement in the phagocytic activity of macrophages.     

Properties of the membrane-bound 5'-nucleotidase and utilization of extracellular ATP in Vibrio parahaemolyticus

Vibrio parahaemolyticus utilized ATP, ADP or AMP as the sole source of carbon. About three times higher activity of membrane-bound 5'-nucleotidase was observed in cells grown in the presence of these nucleotides than in their absence: and therefore the enzyme seems to be inducible. Since the 5'-nucleotidase activity could be measured with whole cells, the active site of this enzyme appears to be outwardly oriented. Both Mg2+ and Cl- were required for activity. Among the divalent cations tested, Mn2+ and Co2+ could replace Mg2+ to some extent, whereas Zn2+ strongly inhibited activity. Among the anions tested, Br-, I- and NO3- could replace Cl-, but SO4(2-) and CH3COO- could not. When cells were grown with ATP, Cl- was indispensable and Zn2+ strongly inhibited growth. Therefore, it is concluded that extracellular ATP and other 5'-nucleotides are cleaved by the membrane-bound 5'-nucleotidase outside the cells and that the adenosine produced is then utilized.     

Medium for isolation and differentiation of Vibrio parahaemolyticus and Vibrio alginolyticus

Trypticase soy agar supplemented with sucrose, sodium chloride, bile salts, and triphenyltetrazolium chloride is an improved plating medium for the isolation of Vibrio parahaemolyticus from samples of seawater, permitting better differentiation of this organism from Vibrio alginolyticus and other bacteria.     

Production of pili on Vibrio parahaemolyticus

Electron microscopic examination showed that all strains of Vibrio parahaemolyticus examined had pili on their surface when the organism was grown on marine agar at 28 degrees C for 6-12 h. The pili were morphologically stable on heat treatment at 60 degrees C for 10 min, but both the lateral and polar flagella possessed by this organism were labile. No immunological cross-reactivity between pili of enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli and Vibrio cholerae non-01 and those of V. parahaemolyticus was observed.     

The multiple identities of Vibrio parahaemolyticus

Vibrio parahaemolyticus is a ubiquitous marine bacterium and human pathogen. The organism possesses multiple cell types appropriate for life under different circumstances. The swimmer cell, with a single polar flagellum, is adapted to life in liquid environments. The polar flagellum is powered by the sodium motive force and can propel the bacterium at fast speeds. The swarmer cell, propelled by many proton-powered lateral flagella, can move through highly viscous environments, colonize surfaces, and form multicellular communities which sometimes display highly periodic architecture. Signals that induce differentiation to the surface-adapted cell type are both physical and chemical in nature. Surface-induced gene expression may aid survival, whether attached to inanimate surfaces or in a host organism. Genetic rearrangements create additional phenotypic versatility, which is manifested as variable opaque and translucent colony morphotypes. Discovery that a LuxR homolog controls the opaque cell type implicates intercellular signaling as an additional survival strategy. The alternating identities of V. parahaemolyticus may play important roles in attachment and detachment, how bacterial populations adapt to growth on surfaces, form structured communities, and develop biofilms.     

Biological Activities of Endotoxins from Yersinia enterocolitica

The chemical properties and the general biological activities of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and Boivin-type endotoxin obtained respectively by phenol-water and trichloroacetic acid extraction from Yersinia enterocolitica serotypes 03 and 09 were studied. The yield of LPS from the O9 strain was about 10% of the O3 strain possibly because of the lower solubility of O9-LPS in aqueous phase. However, the chemical composition of O9-LPS was similar to that of O3-LPS in the proportions of reducing sugar, glucosamine, heptose, KDO, and lipid A. In pyrogenicity and local Shwartzman reactivity in rabbits and lethality for mice, there was also no difference between O3 and O9-LPS. The anthrone-positive carbohydrate and lipid A contents of Boivin-type endotoxin from O3 were higher than those of the endotoxin from O9. The biological activities of Boivin-type endotoxin from O3 were also remarkably higher than those of the endotoxin from O9. It seems that endotoxin of Y. enterocolitica serotype O3 may play an important role in infection by this organism.     

Vibrio parahaemolyticus cell biology and pathogenicity determinants

Vibrio parahaemolyticus is a significant cause of gastroenteritis worldwide. Characterization of this pathogen has revealed a unique repertoire of virulence factors that allow for colonization of the human host and disease. The following describes the known pathogenicity determinants while establishing the need for continued research.     

Characterization and distribution of Vibrio alginolyticus and Vibrio parahaemolyticus isolated in Indonesia

Previous studies have shown that Vibrio alginolyticus and Vibrio parahaemolyticus can be isolated from similar types of marine samples. In this report, the results of an examination of 567 V. alginolyticus and V. parahaemolyticus strains, isolated from seawater in Jakarta Bay and from more than 30 types of seafood from markets in Jakarta, Indonesia, are presented. Most isolates were from mackerel, shrimp, or squid. Numerical taxonomic analyses clustered 337 isolates and three V. alginolyticus reference strains at S greater than or equal to 80%. These strains produced acid from sucrose, but only approximately 80% produced acetoin or grew in the presence of 10% NaCl. The frequency of occurrence of V. alginolyticus in seawater samples ranged from 0% (in February and March 1972) to 100% (in September and December 1972) and was highest in seafood samples from August to December 1972. A second cluster of 230 isolates and seven V. parahaemolyticus reference strains was observed at S greater than or equal to 82%. These strains did not produce acetoin or acid from sucrose, and approximately 20% grew in the presence of 10% NaCl. V. parahaemolyticus was detected in seawater samples each month, with the highest frequency of occurrence (83.3%) in May 1972. Twenty-nine K antigen serotypes were demonstrated in V. parahaemolyticus isolates, and another 40% were untypable. The modal antibiotic resistance pattern for each species included five drugs. Only 12% of the V. parahaemolyticus strains were Kanagawa positive, and 10% elicited fluid accumulation in ligated rabbit ileal loops. All of the 7 V. alginolyticus strains and 94 (70%) of the V. parahaemolyticus strains tested killed mice when inoculated intraperitoneally.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Permeability and Enterotoxic Factors of Nonagglutinable Vibrios Vibrio alcaligenes and Vibrio parahaemolyticus

Enterotoxic factor (EF) was present and could be developed in nonagglutinable vibrios, but not the permeability factor (PF). Presence of PF without EF in Vibrio parahaemolyticus is significant. Both EF and PF were absent in V. alcaligenes.