• Journal of Microbiology
• /
• v.42 no.2
• /
• pp.74-79
• /
• 2004

Ingestion of shellfish-associated Vibrio parahaemolyticus is the primary cause of potentially severe gas-troenteritis in many countries. However, only Kanagawa phenomenon (hemolysin) positive (KP$\^$+/) strains of V. parahaemolyticus are isolated from patients, whereas >99％ of strains isolated from the environment do not produce this hemolysin (i.e. are KP$\^$-/). The reasons for these differences are not known. Following a temperature downshift, Vibrio parahaemolyticus enters the viable but noncultur-able (VBNC) state wherein cells maintain viability but cannot be cultured on routine microbiological media. We speculated that KP$\^$+/ and KP$\^$-/ strains may respond differently to the temperature and salinity conditions of seawater by entering into this state which might account for the low numbers of cul-turable KP$\^$+/ strains isolated from estuarine waters. The response of eleven KP$\^$+/ and KP$\^$-/ strains of V. parahaemolyticus following exposure to a nutrient and temperature downshift in different salinities, similar to conditions encountered in their environment, was examined. The strains included those from which the KP$\^$+/ genes had been selectively removed or added. Our results indicated that the ability to produce hemolysin did not affect entrance into the VBNC state. Further, VBNC cells of both biotypes could be restored to the culturable state following an overnight temperature upshift.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
• /
• v.6 no.4
• /
• pp.225-233
• /
• 2002

Kanagawa hemolysin (KH), an exotoxin produced from Kanagawa phenomenon-positive Vibrio parahemolyticus, has been shown to possess various biological activities including hemolysis, enterotoxicity, cytotoxicity, and cardiotoxicity. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of KH on the cardiovascular system and its mechanism, employing in vivo and in vitro experiments of the rat. Intracerebroventricular (icv) administration of 100 mHU KH produced a marked and continuous pressor effect (icv KH-pressor effect), and the icv pressor effect was not repeatable. However, intravenous (iv) injection of the same dose of KH induced a prominent depressor effect (iv KH-depressor effect). The icv KH-pressor effect was inhibited by acid-denaturation, while the iv KH-depressor effect was not. Simultaneous icv administration of the three agents (ouabain, diltiazem, or bumetanide: $10{\mu}g/kg$ each) significantly reduced the pressor effect. The icv KH-pressor effect was inhibited by treatment with iv phentolamine or chlorisondamine, but was not affected by iv candesartan. The iv KH-depressor effect was repeatable and was attenuated by treatment with iv NAME or methylene blue. In vitro experiments using isolated thoracic aorta, $10^{-6}$ M phenylephrine (PE) and 50 mM KCl produced a sustained contraction. In rings contracted with either agents, KH showed relaxant responses in a concentration- dependent fashion and the relaxation (KH-vasorelaxation) was not dependent on the existence of the endothelium. The KH-vasorelaxation in the endothelium-intact rings contracted by PE was abolished by methylene blue treatment. In summary, the present findings suggest that in the icv KH-pressor effect the cation leak-inducing action of KH is implicated, which leads to the increased central sympathetic tone, that the iv KH-depressor effect results from the vasorelaxation via NO-guanylate cyclase system, and that the KH-vasorelaxation is independent of the endothelium and the guanylate cyclase system is involved in it. In conclusion, the mechanism of KH producing the icv pressor effect may not be identical to that of KH producing the iv depressor effect.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.14 no.2
• /
• pp.330-336
• /
• 2004

Fifty-two pathogenic Vibrio parahaemolyticus strains were isolated from the environments of Busan and Yeosu, Korea. Forty-three of these strains showed protease activities, whereas 4 strains showed $\alpha / \beta$ hemolysin activities and 6 strains had urease activities. Their pathogenic factors were not overlapping except one strain, which had both protease and hemolysin activities. The 6 urease-positive strains (V. parahaemolyticus YKB4, YKB14, S25, YFB20, YFO21, and YFO22) showed the same biochemical characteristics as a reference strain [V. parahaemolyticus KCTC 2471 (urease-negative)], except for urease production. The 6 urease-positive strains showed different urease activities in their culture supernatant during the growth. The urease activity of S25 increased sharply at the late exponential phase, and was the highest at the initial stationary phase and was kept until the late stationary phase. The other 5 isolates, except C25, showed urease activities at the mid-stationary phase and increased steadily until the late stationary phase, when the urease activity was maximal. To compare the degree of virulence of V. parahaemolyticus with different pathogenic factors, hemolysin, protease, or urease-positive strains were injected into groups of 10 each of ICR mice (7- to l0-week-old males). The lethal rates of urease-positive V. parahaemolyticus, YKB14, YKB4, and S25, were significantly high, being 50, 70, and 80%, respectively. Protease-positive V. parahaemolyticus strains FM39 and FM50 showed 40% and 60% of lethal rate, respectively. Hemolysin-positive V. parahaemolyticus strains S34 and S72 had no mortality, similar to nonpathogenic V. parahaemolyticus FM12.

• Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
• /
• v.5 no.3
• /
• pp.178-182
• /
• 2002

The authors identified 68 Vibrio strains from Gwangan beach seawater from June to October in 2001. We identified them as 19 strains of Vibrio alginolyticus, 15 strains of V. vulnificus, 15 strains of V. parahaemolyticus, 11 strains of V. cholerae non O1, 7 strains of V. fluvialis and just one strain of V. hollisae. They showed their typical biochemical characteristics by API 20E kit (bioMerieux), respectively. It was examined whether their cultural supernatants had enzymatic activities such as hemolysin, protease or urease. The 46 strains showed hemolytic activities and/or protease activities. But we could not find any strain which had urease activity. All isolates of V. cholerae non O1 showed $\beta$ hemolysis. The others showed $\alpha$ hemolysis or did not show clear zones on sheep blood agar plates. These results of Kanagawa phenomenon were not always correspondant with hemolytic activities of cultural supernatants at late log phase. Some strains had higher hemolytic activities despite of showing protease activities on skim milk agar plates and in litmus milk media. On the other hand, some strains showed protease activities but did not show hemolytic activities. Therefore we could guess that there were the relationships between hemolysins and proteases produced by pathogenic vibrios.

• KSBB Journal
• /
• v.18 no.6
• /
• pp.522-528
• /
• 2003

The purpose of this study is to inquire into molecular epidemiological characteristics of Vibrio parahaemolyticus. For this study, 120 strains(120 strains of Vibrio parahaemolyticus sampled from diarrhea patients) were examined and analyzed for biochemical characteristics, TDH (thermostable direct hemolysin) antibiotics sensitivity and detection of toxR, gyrE, tdh, and tds gents. G-S PCR (Group Specific Polymerase), PFGE (Pulsed-field Gel Electrophoriesis) methods were performed on the materials from patients were results. 1 Vibrio parahaemolyticus didn't grow in 0% density of NaCl, but the fact was found that those grew in 8% density of NaCl. 2. O：K serotypes of Vibrio parahaemolyticus was turned up in domestic patients was 17 types. Among those O3：K6 was the most, it was 68.3%. 3. In 18 kinds of antibiotic tests resistant against Ampicillin, Ticacillin was comparatively high. the case of resistant against Ampicillin, Ticacillin, Vancomycin at the multiple resistant was 52.5%. 4. Toxin gene tdh had only 109 strains among 120 ones isolated from patients held the genes of 199bp size, and 11 strains was negativity 5. In the test of Kanagawa toxic productivity, 107 strains among strains isolated from patients appeared to be positivity reaction 6. The strain that held trh toxin was only 3, and those among test strains had the genes of 250bp size and that had tdh, trh genes at a time were 3 strains, and TDH toxic productivity of those were 16 times, and it was weak. 7. Group Specific-PCR appeared to be useful in the confirmation of O3:K6 serotype interrelations. 8. Three strains which showed difference of 7 DNA sequence even in the same serotype were detected by the result of analyzing the regular gene, toxRS DNA sequence. These strains are differ from general strains which carry infection easily. 9. These mutual dose epidemiological relations were classified into smaller-parts through PFGE method. As a result of such classify, 3 findings were found. V. parahaemolyticus sampled from diarrhea patients were classified into 3 types. And third, the result obtained through PFGE method can be used as a useful tool in a point of molecular-epidemiological view.