• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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• v.36 no.2
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• pp.69-75
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• 2004

Vibrio vulnificus is a halophilic bacterium frequently involved in human infection of seafood-associated primary septicemia and primary wound infection, mostly in men with over 40-years of age with underlying liver disease. The primary septicemia, which is the most common form of V. vulnificus infection in Korea, is defined as a systemic illness presenting fever or hypotension with recovery of V. vulnificus from blood or tissue without the apparent primary focus of infection. V. vulnificus typically do not produce acid from sucrose, but a case of primary septisemia was found in a patient at Chonnam K hospital in 1993 from whose blood a sucrose-fermenting strain was isolated. The patient was a 62-year-old man, heavy drinker, with underlying liver disease. He consumed a raw seafood dish two days before onset of the present illness. His symptoms were tenderness and swelling on the right foot. He rapidly developed septicemia, resulting in sudden death. V. vulnificus was isolated from the venous blood culture of the patient. On subculture, the isolate formed yellow colonies on TCBS and produced acid from sucrose. Because of these characteristics, species identification was not achieved by the API 20E and was delayed. Other characteristics of the isolate were identical to those of typical V. vulnificus. The isolate was common serotype O4A and possession of V. vulnificus-specific cytolysin gene was detected by PCR. The isolate was susceptible to all the antimicrobial agents tested including tetracycline, but was intermediate to colistin. In conclusion, it is important that microbiologists be aware of the presence of sucrose-positive V. vulnificus when he or she identifies gram-negative bacilli, which is isolated from the blood of patients with a recent history of raw seafood dish consumption.

• The Journal of the Korean Society for Microbiology
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.73-77
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• 1984

Vibrio vulnificus is an organism capable of causing septicemia and wound infection in compromised patients. The source of infection is known to be raw oysters and others. The prevalence of the organism in Korean sea water and shellfish is not known. The authors surveyed shellfish and other specimens obtained mainly from a market in Seoul and from ones in Inchon. Five cultures of V. vulnificus were isolated from oyster and clam samples. Two isolates had typical characteristics of the strains isolated from patients, i.e., definite hemolysis and typical biochemical reactions. However, other 2 isolates were sucrose positive, although the identity were confirmed by Center for Disease Control. We do not know wether such strains are pathogenic or not. For the isolation of V. vulnificus from environmental samples, TCBS agar and VV agar were not very selective or differential. We isolated our strains with the use of OF-lactose agar and SPS agar. However OF-lactose agar did not support good growth of V. vulnificus, while SPS agar did not suppress other vibrios.

• The Journal of the Korean Society for Microbiology
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.345-353
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• 1986

Authors studies on the isolation of non-sucrose fermentation Vibrio species such as V. parahaemolyticus, V. vulnificus and V. damsela from sea water, shellfishes and various algae at Ulleung island in the east of Korea on summer in 1985. Authors carried out test for isolated strains to biochemical characteristics, halophilism, hemolysis and serological reaction. The results obtained were as follows: 1. Strains isolated from total specimens were 25 strains of V. parahaemolyticus, 2 strains of V. vulnificus and 1 strain of V. damsela, respectively. 2. Isolated frequency of Vibrio species from sea water and marine products was lower than on specimens in the southern sea of Korea from 1980 to 1985. 3. On hemolysis reaction on blood agar media using human and rabbit erythrocytes, 14 strains among 25 strains of V. parahaemolyticus isolated were positive, and V. vulnificus and V. damsela were positive, respectively. 4. The distributions of serotypes of V. parahaemolyticus isolated were from O1 group to O10 group, and from K 10 to K 69. The results of K serotypes were as follows ; serotype K 10 and K 33 were 2 strains, serotype K 59 and K 69 were 1 strain, respectively. And 2 strains of V. vulnificus isolated were not agglutinated by antiserum of V. vulnificus. Therefore, the probability is that 2 strains of V. vulnificus isolated were other serotypes distributed on sea weater and marine products of Ulleung island of Korea.