Virulence Factors of non-O1 non-O139 Vibrio Cholerae isolated in Córdoba, Argentina

C BIDINOST; HA SAKA; O ALIENDRO; C SOLA; G PANZZETA-DUTARI; P CARRANZA; J ECHENIQUE; E PATRITO; JL BOCCO

REVISTA ARGENTINA DE MICROBIOLOGíA

Asociación Argentina de Microbiología

Lugar: Buenos Aires; Año: 2004 vol. 36 p. 158 - 158

0325-7541

. cholerae  non-O1 non-O139 serogroups isolated from clinical and environmental sources in Córdoba, Argentina, were analyzed for the presence and expression of virulence genes. Most of the strains studied contained the genes toxR and hlyA, but lacked ctxA, zot, ace, tcp and stn. The culture supernatants were tested for hemolytic and citotoxic activity. The enterotoxic potential of the strains was studied in a rabbit ileal loop assay and their genetic profiles were compared by PFGE. The environmental strains varied in their virulence phenotype and showed no-clonal relationships. The clinical strains were highly enterotoxic, hemolytic, proteolytic and showed indistinghishable PFGE profiles, although they differed in their cytotoxic  activity. This is the first description , using cell culture and "in vivo" studies, of the virulence properties of non-O1 non-O139 V. cholerae from Argentina.