Expression of virulence-related properties by, and intestinal adhesiveness of, Vibrio mimicus strains isolated from aquatic environments

A study of the major pathogenic characteristics of Vibrio mimicus was carried out with 77 strains isolated from aquatic environments in Okayama, Japan. Of the strains tested, 96% demonstrated in vitro adherence to the rabbit intestinal mucosa, of which 36, 20, and 43% belonged to the strongly, moderately, and weakly adhesive groups, respectively. Of the 27 strains which appeared to be enterotoxigenic in the experiments using rabbit ileal loops, 74% belonged to the strongly adhesive group. All strains of V. mimicus at early log phase showed cell-mediated hemagglutination, and 70% of strongly hemagglutinative strains belonged to the strongly adhesive group, implying a possible correlation between cell-mediated hemagglutination and bacterial adherence. However, no significant correlation could be detected in the production of putative exocellular pathogenic factors and bacterial adherence or enterotoxigenicity.