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This Article Full Text (Papers in Press[PDF]) All Versions of this Article: jmm.0.014316-0v1 58/12/1549    most recent Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via CrossRef Google Scholar Articles by Bhowmik, P. Articles by Ramamurthy, T. PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Bhowmik, P. Articles by Ramamurthy, T. Agricola Articles by Bhowmik, P. Articles by Ramamurthy, T.

Pathogenic potential of Aeromonas hydrophila isolated from surface waters in Kolkata, India

¹ University of Calcutta;

² National Institute of Cholera and Enteric Diseases

³ E-mail: pkbbioc{at}caluniv.ac.in

Received July 14, 2009
Accepted August 24, 2009

Members of the genus Aeromonas (family Aeromonadaceae) are medically important Gram-negative rod shaped microorganism and are ubiquitous in the aquatic environments. Aeromonas species are increasingly recognized as an enteric pathogen. This organism possesses several virulence factors associated with in human diseases, and hence represents a serious public health concern. In the present study, putative virulence traits of Aeromonas hydrophila isolates collected from different natural surface waters of Kolkata, India were compared with a group of clinical isolates from the same geographic area using tissue culture and polymerase chain reaction assays. Enteropathogenic potential was investigated in the mouse model. Of the 21 environmental isolates tested, majority of them showed cytotoxic (81%) to HeLa cells, hemolysin production (71%), serum resistance properties (90%), and were multi-drug resistant. Some of the isolates induced fluid accumulations (FA 100), damage to the gut and inflammatory reaction in mouse intestine and these reactivities were comparable to those of clinical strains of A. hydrophila and toxigenic Vibrio cholerae. Interestingly, two of the isolates evoked a cell vacuolation effect on HeLa cells and these were also able to induce fluid accumulation. These findings demonstrate presence of potentially pathogenic and multi-drug resistant A. hydrophila in the surface waters, thereby indicating a significant risk to public health.Continuous monitoring of surface waters is important to identify the potential water-born infections and to reduce the health risk caused by the genus Aeromonas.