Abstract

Vibrio vulnificus is a recently recognized halophilic organism that nay cause serious human infections. Patients infected with V. vulnificus often have a history of exposure to the sea, suggesting that the organism may be common inhabitant of marine environment. The purpose of this experiment is to investigate the distribution and bacteriological characteristics of V. vulnificus. The strain used in this experiment was isolated from sea water and sea products such as common octopus (Octopus variabilis), ark shell (Anadara broughtonii), blue crab (Ericheir japonica), and sea squirt (Synthia roretzi) collected in Pusan area from July to October in 1985. V. vulnificus was frequently isolated in August when temperature of sea water was around $26^{\circ}C$ and rarely isolated in October when temperature of sea water was around $18.5^{\circ}C$. The distinctive biochemical characteristics of V. vulnificus were ONPG hydrolysis positive and fermented lactose and not grown in peptone water contained $8\%$ NaCl. The optical density at 660 nm of the growth of V. vulnificus was reached maximum level after 8 hours of culture at $35^{\circ}C$ in brain heart infusion broth but that of V. vulnificus was little increased at $15^{\circ}C$ for 14 hours. Optimum temperature and pH for the growth of V. vulnificus were around $35^{\circ}C$ and 8.0. The specific growth rate and the generation time of V. vulnificus isolated from the samples were $1.21\;hr^{-1}$, 34 min at $35^{\circ}C$ and $0.61\;hr^{-1}$, 69 min at $25^{\circ}C$, respectively. V. vulnificus did not grow on eosin-methylene-blue agar, salmonella-shigella agar, deoxycholate agar but grew well on Endo agar, xylose-lysine-deoxycholate agar and hektoen enteric agar. On Endo agar, the colonies of V. vulnificus were red and achieved a diameter of 2 to 4 mm as a feature enabling differentiation of V. vulnificus from other Vibrio spp. V. vulnificus grow well on TCBS agar forming green colonies. V. vulnificus refrigerated at $4^{\circ}C$ exhibited a linear decline of its viablity as 1 log cycle in every 16 hours storage, while V. vulnificus freezed at $-18^{\circ}C$ almost became extinct.

1985년 7월에서 10월 사이에 부산연안지역에서 수집한 해수, 낙지, 피조개, 게, 우렁쉥이 등 70종의 시료에서 Vibrio vulnificus의 검출률과 시료에서 분리된 균의 세균학적 특성을 조사한 결과는 다음과 같다. 1. Vibrio vulnificus의 월별 검출률은 수온이 높은 8월에 $19.2\%$로 가장 높았으며 7월에 $7.7\%$ 10월에 $5.5\%$로 수온과 비례하여 나타났으며 7월과 10月 사이의 평균검출률은 $11.4\%$였다. 시료별 검출률은 서식해역의 오염도가 높고 오염된 해수와의 접촉부위가 많은 피조개와 게에서 $20\%$로 가장 높았으며 낙지 해수의 순으로 나타났다. 2. 시료에서 분리된 균과 환자에게 분리된 균의 생화학적인 차이점은 없었으며, 분리된 본균이 다른 Vibrio균과 구별될 수 있는 생화학적 특징은 ONPG 가수분해양성, lactose 분해양성, 식염내성이 $7\%$이하인 점이다. 3. 이균의 최적배양조건은 pH 8.0, 온도 $35^{\circ}C$부근이었으며, 배양온도별 비증식속도와 평균세대시간은 $35^{\circ}C$진탕배양에서 $1.21\;hr^{-1}$, 34min으로 가장 빨랐으며 $35^{\circ}C$ 정치배양, $40^{\circ}C$ 정치배양, $25^{\circ}C$ 진탕배양 $25^{\circ}C$ 정치배양의 순이었다. 4. 이 균은 장내세균분리용배지인 EMB, SS, DC 한천배지에서는 증식하지 못했으며 MC 한천배지상에서의 집낙의 특징은 적색 혹은 무색으로 나타났고 Endo 한천배지상에서는 적색, TCBS 한천배지상에서는 녹색집낙으로 나타났다. 5. 이 균을 $4^{\circ}C$에 냉장하였을 경우 매 16시간마다 약 1 log cycle씩 감소하였으며 $-18^{\circ}C$에 동결하였을 때는 거의 다 사멸하였다.

Keywords