Purification, characterization, and pathogenicity of urease produced by Vibrio parahaemolyticus

Vibrio parahaemolyticus is a halophilic bacterium associated with gastroenteritis and traveller's diarrhea. The urease-positive, Kanagawa-negative V. parahaemolyticus had been isolated from patients and the environment in the Pacific Northwest, first reported by Kelly et al. (5). Recently, we purified the urease produced by a clinical isolated of V. parahaemolyticus, and its characterization and pathogenicity has been studied. The urease isolation procedure included a water extraction and anion exchange chromatography. The molecular weight for the native enzyme was 275 KDa, and the three subunits of 85 KDa, 59 KDa, and 33 KDa were determined. The isoelectric focusing of urease was 5.2. The purified urease also can cause intestinal fluid accumulation and demonstrate a positive result in the suckling mouse test. These results suggested that the urease produced by V. parahaemolyticus may be another important indicator for the pathogenesis of the bacteria. (C) 1996 Wiley-Liss, Inc.