Correlation between the distribution pattern of virulence genes and virulence of Aeromonas hydrophila strains

Abstract

Nine strains of Aeromonas hydrophila isolated from diseased fish or soft-shelled tortoise were tested for the presence of three virulence genes including the genes encoding aerolysin, hemolysin, and extracellular serine protease (i.e., aerA, hlyA, and ahpA, respectively). These genes were investigated using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) with specific primers for each gene. And the pathogenicities to Carrassius auratus ibebio of these strains were also assayed. PCR results demonstrated that the distribution patterns of aerA, hlyA, and ahpA were different in these strains. 6/9 of A. hydrophila strains were aerA positive, 8/9 of strains hlyA positive, 7/9 of strains ahpA positive, respectively. However, the assay for pathogenesis showed that two strains (A. hydrophila XS91-4-1 and C2) were strong virulent, two strains (A. hydrophila ST78-3-3 and 58-20-9) avirulent and the rest middle virulent was to the fish. In conclusion, there are significant correlation between the distribution pattern of the three virulence genes and the pathogenicity to Carrassius auratus ibebio. All strong virulent A. hydrophila strains were aerA+hlyA+ahpA+ genotype, and all aerA+hlyA+ahpA+ strains were virulent. Strains with the genotype of aerA-hlyA-ahpA+ have middle pathogenicity. In the present study, we found for the first time that all A. hydrophila isolated from the ahpA positive were virulent to Carrassius auratus ibebio. Additionally, there was a positive correlation between the virulence of A. hydrophila and the presence of aerA and ahpA.