Isolation and Detection of Vibrio vulnificus from the Southern Sea of Korea for the Prevention of V. vulnificus Infection (The Characteristics of Vibrio vulnificus Isolates from the Southern Sea of Korea)

ABSTRACT

Vibrio vulnificus, which causes serious septicemia, has been isolated from the Southern Sea of Korea. Five strains were identified by Farmer's biochemical test and API 20E kit. V. vulnificus ATCC 27562 was used as the reference strain and V. parahaemolyticus was used as the comparative strain. Three of the five strains could grow at 37% and the others only at 30 degrees C. The proteins pattern of cell lysates from the isolates were analyzed by SDS-PAGE and densitometery. Distinct protein band pattern was observed with the reference strain and the isolates in comparison with V. parahaemolyticus. Antiserum made against V. vulnificus ATCC 27562, was used for ELISA and Western blotting analysis to test the isolates. In ELISA analysis, the three strains being able to grow at 37 degrees C showed significantly higher reactivity to the antiserum than that of V. parahaemolyticus, while the other two grown only at 30 degrees C showed no significant difference. By Western blotting analysis, distinctive 30 and 36 kDa bands were observed only in the reference strain and the isolates. Twenty six and 54 kDa bands were observed with only three of the five strains being able to grow at 37 degrees C. The SDS-PAGE profiles of the outer membrane proteins of the isolates shared common features with the reference strain but distinctive from V. parahaemolyticus.