Bactericidal Effect of Osmotic Shock Against Vibrio vulnificus

Osmotic Shock에 의한 Vibrio vulnificus 사멸에 관한 연구

As a process to establish an effective preventive measure of V. vulnificus septicemia, bactericidal effect of distilled water against V. vulnificus was studied. When about $2.0{\times}10^7\;CFU/ml$ of V. vulnificus was inoculated in distilled water, a dramatic decrease in the number of viable bacteria by 5 to $6LOG_{10}$ was observed in 5 minutes. Bactericidal kinetic curves could be divided into the first rapid killing phase until 1 minute and the later slow killing phase after then, showing the heterogeneity of the bacterial population inoculated. When V. vulnificus was inoculated in saline solutions having various salinities, significant decrease in the number of viable bacteria was noted only at salinities under 0.2%. The higher was the concentration of NaCl, the greater was the degree of protection against osmotic shock. When glucose, NaCl, $MgCl_2$, and $CaCl_2$ were diluted with deionized water to give same osmolarities and V. vulnificus was inoculated in each of them to compare the bactericidal curves plotted during the first 5 minutes after inoculation, the protection efficiencies were in the order of $MgCl_2>CaCl_2{\gg}NaCl{\gg}glucose$. Above results indicate that treatment(or thorough washing) of contaminated sea animals or other products with distilled water can be used as a preventive measure of V. vulnificus septicemia, and divalent cations can protect V. vulnifcus to osmotic shock with high efficiency.