UREA HYDROLYSIS CAN PREDICT THE POTENTIAL PATHOGENICITY OF VIBRIO-PARAHAEMOLYTICUS STRAINS ISOLATED IN THE PACIFIC-NORTHWEST

The ability of some strains of Vibrio parahaemolyticus to hydrolyze ur ea (uh(+)) can be used as a marker to predict which strains isolated f rom molluscan shellfish harvested in the Pacific Northwest are potenti ally pathogenic. The thermostable direct hemolysin-producing (TDH+) ch aracteristic is a marker that is correlated with potential pathogenici ty, and all of the TDH+ strains that we have isolated have been found to be uh(+) Most of the uh(+) strains belong to somatic antigen groups 03, 04, and 05. TDH+ strains are usually members of groups 04 and 05. The strains most often associated with human illness are members of t he uh(+), 04 group. The test for urease production is a simple screeni ng test that can be helpful in predicting which strains are potentiall y pathogenic.