title: [Characteristics of virulence gene in Vibrio parahaemolyticus strains isolated from clinical patients and environment in Hangzhou, China].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the characteristics of virulence gene in Vibrio parahaemolyticus strains isolated from clinical patients and environment in Hangzhou, China.
  
  
  METHODS
  Thermostable direct hemolysin gene (tdh) and thermostable direct hemolysin-related hemolysin gene (trh) were determined in a total of 174 strains of V. parahaemolyticus isolated from patients and environment (seafood) in Hangzhou area by PCR.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The tdh was found in 92 out of 94 V. parahaemolyticus strains from food poisoning patients and in 33 out of 34 strains from sporadic diarrhea patients, and trh was not detected in all above clinical strains. Meanwhile the tdh was negative in all V. parahaemolyticus strains from environment, and the trh was also negative except one strain with urease activity. All strains with trh negative had no the activity of urease.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The V. parahaemolyticus strains from food poisoning patients and sporadic diarrhea patients are tdh positive and trh negative. The V. parahaemolyticus strains with tdh negative and almost trh positive in environment might be a potential pathogen in Hangzhou.
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310006, China.
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Dong-mei
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Meng
authors.forename: Jing-cao
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Pan
authors.forename: Feng-ying
authors.initials: FY
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.forename: Kun
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D001427:Bacterial Toxins / Q000235:genetics; D002681:China; D004783:Environmental Microbiology; D005517:Foodborne Diseases / Q000382:microbiology; D006460:Hemolysin Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D012758:Shellfish / Q000382:microbiology*; D014510:Urease / Q000235:genetics; D014735:Vibrio Infections / Q000382:microbiology*; D014736:Vibrio parahaemolyticus / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D001427:Bacterial Toxins; D006460:Hemolysin Proteins; C088609:thermostable direct hemolysin-related hemolysin protein, Vibrio parahaemolyticus; C068489:thermostable direct hemolysin; D014510:Urease