Surface properties of Vibrio vulnificus.

AIMS: Vibrio vulnificus adheres to a diverse range of surfaces, ranging from the chitinous exoskeleton of mollusks to human tissue. To determine whether environmental and human clinical isolates exhibit different adhesion traits, we studied the ability of 10 environmental isolates and 10 clinical isolates to adhere to human epithelial cells and hydrocarbons with log P values ranging from 3.1 to 8.2. METHODS AND RESULTS: All isolates adhered to varying levels to epithelial cells, and were inhibited to various extents from adherence by mannose and fructose. There was a lack of correlation between adherence to either hydrocarbons or cells and colony opacity. Adherence to hydrocarbons was optimal for solvents with a log P < 8.2. CONCLUSIONS: Vibrio vulnificus clinical and environmental isolates exhibit differential adherence to epithelial cells and hydrocarbons. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: The differential adherence of organisms to hydrocarbons based on log P may have utility in drug design and enhancement of food safety.