AUTHOR=Raghunath Pendru 

TITLE=Roles of thermostable direct hemolysin (TDH) and TDH-related hemolysin (TRH) in Vibrio parahaemolyticus

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Microbiology

VOLUME=5

YEAR=2015

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/microbiology/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2014.00805

DOI=10.3389/fmicb.2014.00805

ISSN=1664-302X

ABSTRACT=<p><italic>Vibrio parahaemolyticus</italic> is the leading cause of seafood borne bacterial gastroenteritis in the world, often associated with the consumption of raw or undercooked seafood. However, not all strains of <italic>V. parahaemolyticus</italic> are pathogenic. The thermostable direct hemolysin (TDH) or TDH-related hemolysin (TRH) encoded by <italic>tdh</italic> and <italic>trh</italic> genes, respectively, are considered major virulence factors in <italic>V. parahaemolyticus</italic>. However, about 10% of clinical strains do not contain <italic>tdh</italic> and/or <italic>trh</italic>. Environmental isolates of <italic>V. parahaemolyticus</italic> lacking <italic>tdh</italic> and/or <italic>trh</italic> are also highly cytotoxic to human gastrointestinal cells. Even in the absence of these hemolysins, <italic>V. parahaemolyticus</italic> remains pathogenic indicating other virulence factors exist. This mini review aims at discussing the possible roles of <italic>tdh</italic> and <italic>trh</italic> genes in clinical and environmental isolates of <italic>V. parahaemolyticus</italic>.</p>