Foodborne disease outbreaks caused by sucrose-nonfermenting and beta-galactosidase-deficient variants of Vibrio cholerae.
We reported four foodborne disease outbreaks in Taiwan caused by sucrose-nonfermenting and by beta-galactosidase-deficient variants of non-O1, non-O139 Vibrio cholerae. The sucrose-nonfermenting vibrios collected from three outbreaks were biochemically identified to be V. mimicus and the beta-galactosidase-deficient vibrios from an outbreak to be V. alginolyticus. However, molecular methods including DNA-DNA hybridization, fatty acid profile analysis, and sequence analysis of 16S rRNA, oriC, pyrH, recA, and rpoA indicated that these vibrios should be V. cholerae. These V. cholerae variants carried two hemolysin genes, hlyA and hlx, but contained neither cholera toxin gene, ctx, V. mimicus hemolysin gene, vmh, nor thermo-directed hemolysin, tdh. The sucrose-nonfermenting variants of V. cholerae shared a high level of genetic relatedness; they could derive from a common clone. In our record from 1995 to date, this was the first time that V. cholerae variants were discovered as etiologic agents for foodborne disease outbreaks in Taiwan.
Wei
Shiao-Wun
SW
The Central Region Laboratory, Center of Research and Diagnostics, Centers for Disease Control, Taichung City 40855, Taiwan.
Chern
Lih-Ling
LL
Wu
Yen-Chi
YC
Wang
Yu-Lan
YL
Lin
Chia-Min
CM
Chiou
Chien-Shun
CS
D002771:Cholera / Q000453:epidemiology*; D004196:Disease Outbreaks; D005285:Fermentation; D005506:Food Contamination / Q000032:analysis*; D005516:Food Microbiology; D006801:Humans; D017720:Molecular Epidemiology; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods; D013395:Sucrose / Q000378:metabolism; D013624:Taiwan / Q000453:epidemiology; D014734:Vibrio cholerae / Q000145:classification / Q000201:enzymology / Q000472:pathogenicity; D014774:Virulence / Q000235:genetics; D001616:beta-Galactosidase / Q000172:deficiency*
D013395:Sucrose; D001616:beta-Galactosidase