Abstract
The relative virulence of 32Aeromonas isolates, primarily of clinical origin, were evaluated for mouse lethality by intraperitoneal inoculation of 107 CFU into albino mice. Three categories could be distinguished on the basis of this assay, including a highly virulent group (80%–100% mortality), a low to moderate virulence category (20%–60% mortality), and strains that were completely avirulent. Of theA. sobria isolates tested, 82% fell into the highly virulent category (P<0.005), whereasA. hydrophila strains were intermediate in virulence potential, andA. caviae strains studied were avirulent. There was no apparent correlation between highly virulentAeromonas isolates and phenotypes associated with enterotoxigenicity, hemolytic activity, cytotoxin production, or serum resistance; this suggests that a cell surface property may be important in mouse pathogenicity. The results of these studies indicate that mouse lethality assays may be an appropriate model for the study of invasive disease clinically produced byA. sobria andA. hydrophila.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
Literature Cited
Chakraborty T, Montenegro MA, Sanyal SC, Helmuth R, Bulling E, Timmis KN (1984) Cloning of enterotoxin gene fromAeromonas hydrophila provides conclusive evidence of production of a cytotonic enterotoxin. Infect Immun 46:435–441
Daily OP, Joseph WE, Coolbaugh C, Walker RI, Merrell BR, Lissner CR (1981) Association ofAeromonas sobria with human infection. J Clin Microbiol 13:769–777
D'Alauro F, Ansinelli R (1978)Aeromonas hydrophila septicemia in a previously healthy man. JAMA 240:1139
De Figueiredo J, Plumb JA (1977) Virulence of different isolates ofAeromonas hydrophila in channel catfish. Aquaculture 11:349–354
Holmberg SD, Farmer III JJ (1984)Aeromonas hydrophila andPlesiomonas shigelloides as causes of intestinal infections. Rev Infect Dis 6:633–639
Janda JM, Bottone EJ, Skinner CV, Calcaterra D (1983) Phenotypic markers associated with gastrointestinalAeromonas hydrophila isolates from symptomatic children. J Clin Microbiol 17:588–591
Janda JM, Brenden R, Bottone EJ (1984) Differential susceptibility to human serum byAeromonas spp. Curr Microbiol 11:325–328
Janda JM, Reitano M, Bottone EJ (1984) Biotyping ofAeromonas as a correlate to delineating a species-associated disease spectrum. J Clin Microbiol 19:44–47
Ketover BP, Young LS, Armstrong D (1973) Septicemia due toAeromonas hydrophila: clinical and immunologic aspects. J Infect Dis 127:284–290
Kou GH (1972) Studies on the occurrence and biochemical properties of virulent and avirulent strains of freshwater fish pathogen,Aeromonas liquefaciens. J Fish Soc Taiwan 1:8–13
Lallier R, Mittal KR, Leblanc D, Lalonde G, Olivier G (1981) Rapid methods for the differentiation of virulent and nonvirulentAeromonas hydrophila strains. In: International symposium on fish biologics. Basel: S Karger, pp 119–123
Popoff M (1984). Genus III:Aeromonas Kluyver and Van Niel 1936. In: Krieg NR, Holt JG (eds) Bergey's manual of systematic bacteriology, vol 1. Baltimore: Williams and Wilkins, pp 545–548
Scott EG, Russell, CM, Noell KT, Sproul AE (1978)Aeromonas hydrophila sepsis in a previously healthy man. JAMA 239:1742
Von Graevenitz A, Mensch AH (1968) The genusAeromonas in human bacteriology: report of 30 cases and review of the literature. N Engl J Med 278:245–249
Wakabayashi H, Kanai K, Hsu TC, Egusa S (1981) Pathogenic activities ofAeromonas hydrophila biovarhydrophila (Chester) Popoff and Veron, 1976 to fishes. Fish Pathol 15:319–325
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Janda, J.M., Clark, R.B. & Brenden, R. Virulence ofAeromonas species as assessed through mouse lethality studies. Current Microbiology 12, 163–167 (1985). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01567670
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01567670