Abstract
This study aim to review important virulence factors of <em>Vibrio vulnificus</em> that implicated in pathogen city of this bacteria, <em>Vibrio vulnificus</em> is a gram negative marine bacterium causing food borne infections include septicemia, gastroenteritis and wound infection in humans and marine vertebrates; as well as possess variety of virulence factors; the virulence factors of <em>V. vulnificus</em> are not yet well explained. The extracellular Capsule Polysaccharide (CPS) of <em>V. vulnificus</em> is a primary virulence factor which allows bacteria survival in the human host. The ability of <em>V. vulnificus</em> to cause disease is associated with the production of “Multifunctional-Auto processing RTX” (MARTXVv) toxin that encodes by RtxA1 gene, HlyU plays an essential role in regulation of the virulence of the human pathogen, HlyU regulate the expression of the repeat-in-toxin (<em>RtxA</em>1) gene, hemolysin gene (<em>vvhA</em>) play an additive role for pathogenesis of <em>V. vulnificus</em>. In this review we focus on the main important virulence factors, the extracellular Capsule Polysaccharide (CPS), RTX” (MARTXVv) toxin, Virulence-correlated gene (<em>vcgC</em>), adherence of bacteria to the host cells and resistance to acid stress. These virulence factors serve as a credible biomarker to detection of potentially virulent factors of <em>V. vulnificus</em> strains.
Highlights
Vibrio vulnificus is gram-negative halophilic motile bacterium that spreads worldwide in estuarine and warm coastal waters that already salt and brackish water frequently contaminates oysters and other seafood (Horseman and Surani, 2011)
V. vulnificus considered a highly pathogenic marine bacterium which implicated in a variety of infections in humans those are consuming a contaminated seafood or exposure of skin wounds for water contaminated with V. vulnificus that can cause septicemia, primary sepsis for patients with chronic liver disease, immunodeficiency and iron storage disorders
The ability of V. vulnificus to production of cytotoxins increase the chance of this bacterium to cause disease, there are two important cytotoxins associated with invasiveness and damage of infected tissues called hemolysin/cytolysin (VvhA) and “MultifunctionalAutoprocessing RTX” (MARTXVv) toxins, VvhA have the ability to lysis erythrocytes (Kreger and Lockwood, 1981), MARTXVv toxin belong to RTX toxin family that cause death of human intestinal epithelial cells (Lee et al, 2008c) and intragastric route of infection in mice (Kwak et al, 2011)
Summary
Vibrio vulnificus is gram-negative halophilic motile bacterium that spreads worldwide in estuarine and warm coastal waters that already salt and brackish water frequently contaminates oysters and other seafood (Horseman and Surani, 2011). Ability of V. vulnificus to cause diseases associated with releasing cytotoxins and enzymes that controlled by one or more genes (Table 1), these gens can be used as a virulence marker in genotyping, NanA gene responsible of adhesion of V. ulnificus that causes infection in mice (Jeong et al, 2009), wbpP Gene considered important virulence factor of V. vulnificus, it is essential for pathogenesis and capsular polysaccharide biosynthesis of V. vulnificus (Park et al, 2006), in capsular and non-capsular strains rugose Extracellular Polysaccharide (rEPS) gene cluster is important for the expression of virulence factors (Grau et al, 2008) vvhA gene, coding for hemolysin enzyme is important for red blood cells lysis and death of epithelial cells (Kim et al, 2010). This review discusses important factors implicated in virulence of V. vulnificus to determine the virulence factors related with pathogenicity that can be used as a biomarkers in molecular detection of environmental and clinical isolates
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