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Development of a More Sensitive and Specific Chromogenic Agar Medium for the Detection of Vibrio parahaemolyticus and Other Vibrio Species
Published on: November 8, 2016
Nontoxigenic Vibrio parahaemolyticus strains causing acute gastroenteritis
Donatella Ottaviani1, Francesca Leoni, Roberto Serra
1Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell'Umbria e delle Marche, Laboratorio Nazionale di Riferimento Contaminazioni Batteriologiche dei Molluschi Bivalvi, Ancona, Italy. d.ottaviani@izsum.it
Journal of Clinical Microbiology
|October 12, 2012
Summary
Nontoxigenic Vibrio parahaemolyticus strains caused acute gastroenteritis in Italy. These bacteria were cytotoxic and adhesive, indicating potential pathogenicity beyond known toxins.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Foodborne Pathogens
- Gastroenterology
Background:
- Vibrio parahaemolyticus is a significant cause of seafood-borne bacterial gastroenteritis worldwide.
- Mussel consumption is a known risk factor for Vibrio parahaemolyticus infections.
- Virulence factors like tdh, trh, and T3SS2 are typically associated with pathogenic strains.
Observation:
- Four Vibrio parahaemolyticus strains isolated from Italian mussels causing gastroenteritis were studied.
- These strains exhibited cytotoxic and adhesive properties in vitro.
- Surprisingly, the investigated strains lacked the commonly identified virulence genes: tdh, trh, and type three secretion system 2 (T3SS2).
Findings:
- The isolated nontoxigenic Vibrio parahaemolyticus strains demonstrated virulence through cytotoxicity and adhesion.
- The absence of specific, well-characterized virulence genes challenges existing understanding of Vibrio parahaemolyticus pathogenicity.
- These findings indicate that other virulence mechanisms may contribute to Vibrio parahaemolyticus-induced gastroenteritis.
Implications:
- Nontoxigenic Vibrio parahaemolyticus strains can be pathogenic, causing acute gastroenteritis.
- Current diagnostic and surveillance methods focusing on specific toxin genes may underestimate the prevalence of Vibrio parahaemolyticus infections.
- Further research is crucial to elucidate the complete spectrum of virulence factors and pathogenicity mechanisms of Vibrio parahaemolyticus.
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