Effects of Salinity and Temperature on the Survival of Vibrio vulnificus

염도와 수온의 변화가 Vibrio vulnificus의 생존에 미치는 영향

Vibrio vulnificus is a gram-negative, halophilic, oxidase-positive, lactose-positive, motile, rod shaped bacterium that has been associated with primary septicemia and wound infection. Elucidating the growth and survival of V. vulnificus in ecological conditions is of great importance to develop sanitary measure against this microorganism. Thus we simulated the ecological conditions and evaluated the effect. About $10^5\;CFU/ml$ of V. vulnificus was inoculated to fresh water, brackish water $(1\%\;NaCl)$, sea water $(3\%\;NaCl)$, and bottom deposit solution. The same concentration of V. vulnificus was also inoculated to distilled water, $1\%\;NaCl$ solution and $3\%\;NaCl$ solution as controls. These were stored at 4, 15 and $25^{\circ}C$, respectively and were used to assess the effects of temperature and salinity on the survival of V. vulnificus. In fresh water V. vulnificus could not survive regardless of storage temperature. In case of brackish water and sea water survival time of V. vulnificus was the longest at $25^{\circ}C$, and the number of V. vulnificus was decreased most rapidly at $4^{\circ}C$. V. vulnificus survived longer in brackish water than in any other conditions. In bottom deposit solution containing brackish water, the survival time of V. vulnificus was longer and the rate of decline was slower than that in brackish water. These results indicate that both biological and physicochemical factors such as temperature and salinity could affect survival of V. vulnificus. V. vulnificus, damaged in normal fresh water, did not grow on TCBS agar of selective plating medium but grew on BHI agar plate; However, V. vulnificus was recovered by addition of salt and nutrient materials.