Pathogenicity Factors of Vibrio Vulnificus: A Review

Abstract

Introduction: Vibrio vulnificus is an opportunistic microorganism that is part of the natural flora of the coastal marine environment. Consumption of seafood containing V. vulnificus can result in a severe, lightning-fast systemic infection in humans, which can, in its turn, lead to sepsis and even death in susceptible people. Infections caused by V. vulnificus have been reported in various climate zones around the world. Thus, the understanding of factors contributing to pathogenicity of this bacterium in its natural habitat can help develop new methods of disease prevention, diagnosis and treatment. Objective: To overview and systematize pathogenicity factors of V. vulnificus described in literary sources. Materials and methods: We used data analysis techniques to review scientific studies published in Russian and English in such abstract and citation databases as Scopus, PubMed, Russian Science Citation Index, and on information portals in 1976–2020. The main selection criterion was availability of information on the study of pathogenicity factors of V. vulnificus in the papers. Sixty full-text publications meeting the above criteria were chosen. Results: This review presents the latest achievements in the study of determinants contributing to the pathogenicity of V. vulnificus and examines their roles in pathogenesis. It has been shown that this microorganism, like most pathogens, requires coordinated work of many pathogenicity factors to cause infection. Most of them perform only an auxiliary function in pathogenesis and serve mainly for survival in the environment. However, in the absence of pathogenicity factors such as cytolysins VVH and MARTX, which cause tissue necrosis in the small intestine with subsequent dissemination into the bloodstream and other tissues, V. vulnificus is unable to cause intestinal infection. Conclusion: The understanding of the determinants contributing the most to the infection is extremely important when analyzing strains circulating in the country and assessing the risks of diseases in humans exposed to this pathogen.