title: Gene encoding zonula occludens toxin (zot) does not occur independently from cholera enterotoxin genes (ctx) in Vibrio cholerae.
abstract: Of 167 Vibrio cholerae isolates screened for sequences homologous with zonula occludens toxin (zot) or cholera toxin (ctx) genes, 3.0% of non-O1, 100.0% of clinical O1, and 0.0% of environmental O1 strains contained both zot and ctx. zot was present only in strains that were ctx positive; all ctx-positive strains carried zot. The absence of zot-positive, ctx-negative strains suggests ZOT is not an independent virulence factor for V. cholerae, although ZOT may play a role in the pathogenesis of toxigenic strains.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore 21201.
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Johnson
authors.forename: J G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Morris
authors.forename: J B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Kaper
mesh_terms: D002772:Cholera Toxin / Q000235:genetics*; D004731:Endotoxins; D004768:Enterotoxins / Q000235:genetics*; D005798:Genes, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics*; D014734:Vibrio cholerae / Q000235:genetics* / Q000472:pathogenicity; D014774:Virulence
chemical_list: D004731:Endotoxins; D004768:Enterotoxins; C037420:stN protein, Vibrio cholerae; C077728:zonula occludens toxin, Vibrio cholerae; D002772:Cholera Toxin