Proinflammatory cytokine profile in Vibrio vulnificus septicemic patients' sera

Vibrio vulnificus causes a fulminant and frequently fatal septicemia in susceptible hosts. The present study was designed to evaluate the proinflammatory cytokine profile in V. vulnificus septicemia patients' sera and the effect of doxycycline therapy on the levels of proinflammatory cytokines. Levels of proinflammatory cytokines, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha, interleukin (IL)-1beta and IL-6, were measured in the sera of V. vulnificus septicemic patients and normal healthy volunteers using colorimetric sandwich ELISA. The mean values of TNF-alpha, IL-1beta and IL-6 in the sera of V. vulnificus patients (n=33) increased by 210-, 232- and 40-fold in comparison with those of normal healthy volunteers (n=5), but only the IL-6 level showed a statistically significant difference (P<0.05) between the two groups. Sera from the cases for which doxycycline treatment histories were obvious were designated 'before-treatment' (TX). All the others were included in the after-TX group. In the before-TX group (n=5), the levels of TNF-alpha and IL-1beta significantly increased (P<0.05) in comparison with the after-TX group (n=5). IL-6 levels in the two groups showed no difference. In conclusion, the levels of the well known proinflammatory cytokines TNF-alpha, IL-1beta and IL-6 increased in the V. vulnificus septicemic patients' sera, and the levels of TNF-alpha and IL-1beta decreased significantly after doxycycline treatment. These data indicate that proinflammatory cytokines might play a critical role in V. vulnificus septicemia like in other endotoxemic shocks. The use of doxycycline as an effective bactericidal agent and as an effective modulator of proinflammatory cytokines is supported.     

Development and characterization of a catalytically inactive cysteine protease domain of RtxA1/MARTXVv as a potential vaccine for Vibrio vulnificus

Recent studies have defined several virulence factors as vaccine candidates against Vibrio vulnificus. However, most of these factors have the potential to cause pathogenic effects in the vaccinees or induce incomplete protection. To overcome these drawbacks, a catalytically inactive form, CPD_Vv(C3725S), of the well‐conserved cysteine protease domain (CPD) of V. vulnificus multifunctional autoprocessing repeats‐in‐toxin (MARTX_Vv/RtxA1) was recombinantly generated and characterized. Notably, active and passive immunization with CPD_Vv(C3725S) conferred protective immunity against V. vulnificus strains. These results may provide a novel framework for developing safe and efficient subunit vaccines and/or therapeutics against V. vulnificus that target the CPD of MARTX toxins.     

The cytotoxin-hemolysin genes of human and eel pathogenic Vibrio vulnificus strains: comparison of nucleotide sequences and application to the genetic grouping

Vibrio vulnificus can be divided into two groups on the basis of pathogenesis. Group 1 is pathogenic only to humans, whereas group 2 is pathogenic to eels and occasionally to humans. Although both groups produce a 50-kDa cytotoxin-hemolysin (V. vulnificus hemolysin; VVH), the toxins are different. In the present study, the nucleotide sequence of the toxin gene (vvhA ) of strain CDC B3547 (a group 2 strain) was determined, and the deduced amino acid sequence was compared to that of strain L-180 (a group 1 strain). The nucleotide sequence of vvhA of strain CDC B3547 was about 96% identical with that of strain L-180, which results in a difference of 3 amino acid residues in the C-terminal lectin domain of VVH. Nevertheless, two primer sets for polymerase chain reaction could be designed to differentiate the toxin gene of each strain. When 27 V. vulnificus clinical isolates were tested, group 1 strains (9 strains) were shown to react only to the primers designed for vvhA of strain L-180; whereas, the gene of group 2 strains (18 strains) could be amplified with the primers for vvhA of strain CDC B3547. These findings may lead to development of a novel genetic grouping system related to the virulence potential or to the host range.     

创伤弧菌vvhA基因的克隆、原核表达系统的构建及鉴定

目的 克隆创伤弧菌（Vibrio vulnificus,Vv）溶细胞素基因（υυhA）,构建原核表达系统并鉴定其表达产物的免疫性.方法 采用PCR技术从Vv GTC333和WZ01株DNA中扩增全长υυhA基因,T-A克隆后测定其核苷酸序列.采用pET32a质粒构建vvhA基因原核表达载体,在E coli BL21（DE3）宿主菌中用不同浓度的IPTG诱导目的重组蛋白rVvhA表达,采用Ni-NTA亲和层析法提纯rVvhA,SDS-PAGE检测表达和提纯效果.采用兔抗Vv全菌抗体的Western Blot和兔抗rVvhA血清的免疫扩散试验鉴定其免疫反应性和免疫原性.结果 所克隆的vvhA基因核苷酸序列与GeneBank公布的同源性分别为96.09%和98.26%.在0.5 mmol/L IPTG诱导下,rVvhA产量可占细菌总蛋白的18%.提纯的rVvhA经SDS-PAGE后仅显示单一的蛋白条带.重组蛋白rVvhA能与兔抗Vv全菌抗体发生特异性结合,免疫家兔可获得高效价抗体.结论 该研究成功地构建了创伤弧菌υυhA基因高效原核表达系统,所表达的rVvhA具有良好的免疫原性和免疫反应性,可作为Vv免疫检测试剂盒及疫苗的抗原.     

The ability of Vibrio vulnificus to use a synthetic hydrophilic heme compound, Fe-TPPS, as a single iron source

Vibrio vulnificus, an opportunistic human pathogen, can obtain iron from a variety of heme proteins. This process involves the digestion of heme proteins by an exoprotease to liberate protoheme (iron-protoporphyrin IX). In the present study, we tested whether this pathogen also uses a synthetic heme compound, Fe-alpha,beta,gamma,delta-tetraphenylporphine tetrasulfonic acid (Fe-TPPS), as an iron source. When inoculated into a medium containing Fe-TPPS, V. vulnificus L-180 multiplication was seen to be dependent on the concentration of the synthetic heme compound; a mutant lacking the ability to utilize protoheme did not multiply. Cells of the strain grown under the iron-restricted condition showed time-dependent uptake of Fe-TPPS. The ability to use either protoheme or Fe-TPPS was significantly reduced by the addition of an excess amount of free TPPS or Cu-TPPS. The data suggest that, V. vulnificus may assimilate Fe-TPPS, at least partially, through the same system as that for protoheme.     

低剂量创伤弧菌感染小鼠心肌与骨骼肌电镜超微结构观察比较

目的:观察低剂量创伤弧菌感染小鼠心肌、骨骼肌的超微结构变化,比较创伤弧菌引起的特征性病变下肢水肿骨骼肌病变与心脏病变出现的次序,探讨下肢水肿是否存在与心肌病变有关.方法:16只6～8周ICR(清洁级)小鼠.实验组12只腹腔注射＜LD50(1.34×107个/ml)的菌量(4.45×105个/ml)0.2ml,4只注射生理盐水0.2 ml作为菌液对照.分别取1 h、3 h、6 h、12 h小鼠心肌、后肢骨骼肌肌肉组织0.1cm×0.1 cm×0.1 cm置电镜固定液,超薄切片观察超微结构.结果:引起的动物模型实验组小鼠主要的实质性病变在心肌.实验组3 h就发现肌原纤维间隙扩大,肌丝断裂,肌膜下水肿较明显.6 h肌丝排列紊乱,疏松,局灶性肌丝断裂溶解.12 h核固缩水肿,间隙水肿,肌丝断裂,线粒体肿胀.而骨骼肌肌肉超微结构变化不明显,3 h、6 h和12 h实验组未死亡小鼠只表现肌组织间质变化,肌浆网扩张,组织间质水肿,胶原纤维排列稀疏、溶解.结论:本实验心肌、骨骼肌水肿与临床下肢水肿的症状相吻合,并提示心肌的实质病变明显早于骨骼肌,比较而言创伤弧菌所致病变是以重要脏器心脏的损伤为主,早期创伤弧菌对骨骼肌肌肉的实质性损伤并不明显.由创伤弧菌所致的原发性败血症表现双下肢出血性水肿可能不是创伤弧菌初始病变.     

Regulation systems of protease and hemolysin production in Vibrio vulnificus

Vibrio vulnificus, a gram‐negative halophilic estuarine bacterium, is an opportunistic human pathogen that causes rapidly progressive fatal septicemia and necrotizing wound infection. This species also causes hemorrhagic septicemia called vibriosis in cultured eels. It has been proposed that a range of virulence factors play roles in pathogenesis during human and/or eel infection. Among these factors, a metalloprotease (V. vulnificus protease [VVP]) and a cytolytic toxin (V. vulnificus hemolysin [VVH]) are of significant importance. VVP elicits the characteristic edematous and hemorrhagic skin damage, whereas VVH exhibits powerful hemolytic and cytolytic activities and contributes to bacterial invasion from the intestine to the blood stream. In addition, a few V. vulnificus strains isolated from diseased eels have recently been found to produce a serine protease designated as V. vulnificus serine protease (VvsA) instead of VVP. Similarly to VVP, VvsA may possess various toxic activities such as collagenolytic, cytotoxic and edema‐forming activity. In this review, regulation of V. vulnificus VVP, VVH and VvsA is clarified in terms of expression at the mRNA and protein levels. The explanation is given on the basis of the quorum sensing system, which is dependent on bacterial cell density. In addition, the roles of environmental factors and global regulators, such as histone‐like nucleoid structuring protein, cyclic adeno monophosphate receptor protein, RpoS, HlyU, Fur, ToxRS, AphB and LeuO, in this regulation are outlined. The cumulative impact of these regulatory systems on the pathogenicity of V. vulnificus is here delineated.     

Incidence of Vibrio vulnificus in estuarine waters of the south Texas Coastal Bend region

Aims: To determine the occurrence of the human pathogen, Vibrio vulnificus, in south Texas coastal waters. Methods and Results: Coastal waters were sampled monthly between August 2006 and July 2007. Water temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH, salinity, conductivity and turbidity were measured during each sampling event. Culture‐based techniques utilizing Vibrio vulnificus agar (VVA) and membrane‐Enterococcus indoxyl‐β‐d ‐glucoside agar (mEI) were used to assess the occurrence and levels of V. vulnificus and the faecal contamination indicator group, enterococci, respectively. Vibrio vulnificus isolates were confirmed using colony‐blot hybridization with the species‐specific VVAP probe. Vibrio vulnificus was isolated at all sites throughout the year even when the water temperature dropped to 9·71°C. Significant correlations were found between concentrations of V. vulnificus and the abiotic factors, water temperature (P = 0·002) and dissolved oxygen (P = 0·028), as well as between concentrations of V. vulnificus and enterococci (P < 0·001). Conclusions: This study demonstrated the year‐round presence of V. vulnificus in coastal waters of south Texas. Significance and Impact of the Study: These findings indicate that the potential for human exposure to the pathogen, V. vulnificus, exists throughout the year. It also suggests that routinely monitored data might be used to predict the occurrence of the pathogen.