Toxin production by Vibrio mimicus strains isolated from human and environmental sources in Bangladesh

Abstract

Vibrio mimicus has recently been isolated from aquatic environments of Bangladesh. A total of 125 of 300 environmental isolates, representing various biotypes, and 19 human isolates were tested for enteropathogenicity by using several models. Less than 1% of the environmental isolates and slightly more than 10% of the clinical isolates produced cholera toxip-like toxin. A significant percentage of the environmental isolates (25%) and of the human isolates (74%) induced fluid accumulation in ligateçi rabbit ileal loops. One environmental strain produced heat-stable toxin-likp enterotoxin, whereas all of the human isolates did not, V. mimicus strains were divided into the following three groups on the basis of their activity in various toxin assays: (i) organisms which produce a heat-labile enterotoxin immunobiologically similar to cholera toxin, (à) organisms which

A gene for the enterotoxin zonula occludens toxin is present in Vibrio mimicus and Vibrio cholerae O139

“…In most cases, it causes only a moderate diarrhea and has been associated with food poisoning. However, a considerable percentage of the species possess the ctx gene, the potential to produce CT, and other toxins similar to those produced by V. cholerae O1 [5]. Recent observations indicate that V. mimicus is an emerging pathogen in Costa Rica and is listed as a Vibrio sp.…”

“…It is also important to note that a V. cholerae non-O1, serotype O139, like V. mimicus, was previously regarded as a moderate pathogen, but recently caused a pandemic of cholera in southern Asia [6]. Like V. cholerae, V. mimicus produces several toxigenic factors [5]. The frequency of CT-producing V. mimicus is low in the environment and no more than 25% of the isolates are potentially virulent [5].…”

“…Like V. cholerae, V. mimicus produces several toxigenic factors [5]. The frequency of CT-producing V. mimicus is low in the environment and no more than 25% of the isolates are potentially virulent [5]. On the basis of activity in various toxin assays, V. mimicus strains were divided into several groups [5].…”

“…The frequency of CT-producing V. mimicus is low in the environment and no more than 25% of the isolates are potentially virulent [5]. On the basis of activity in various toxin assays, V. mimicus strains were divided into several groups [5]. An environmental isolate of V. mimicus, strain E-33 [7,8], belonging to the group which showed toxigenicity in rabbit ileal loop assay, but was negative for known virulence factors including CT, was selected to investigate the presence of zot gene.…”

Analysis of Vibrio mimicus Clinical Strains by Arbitrarily Primed Polymerase Chain Reaction

“…Vibrio mimicus, a Gram-negative bacterium distributed widely in natural aquatic environments (3,7,16), causes diarrhea in humans (4,7). This species, which is an analogue of V cholerae but not a ferment sucrose, was established by Davis et al in 1981 (7).…”