Evaluation of in vivo and in vitro biological activity of a Vibrio cholerae 01 hemolysin.

PURPOSE To evaluate the hemolysin effect by ileal loop model produced by Vibrio cholerae O1 strains, compared with the cellular lysis or cytotoxic activity (CA) observed in cell culture. METHOD We studied nine V. cholerae O1 strains, obtained during the Mexican outbreak of cholera (1990-1993), which had CA in Vero and CHO cells. Hemolysin was monitored with the hemolysis test. Titers of CA were calculated by CD50, and the association between CA and cholera toxin (CT) production was discarded by means of neutralization tests using an anti-CT polyclonal antibody. The CT production was measured with ELISA test. The LAL assay was performed in order to study relationships between the CA and bacterial lipopolysaccharide. Strains with CA were evaluated in rabbit and rat ileal loop models; hemorrhagic fluid was also measured. Tissues from ileal loop were included in paraffin to detect intestinal epithelial damage. RESULTS The hemolysin CA was not neutralized with the anti-CT polyclonal antibody. However, the associated factor of CA was heat labile. CA in cell cultures was not related to the bacterial lipopolysaccharide. The ileal loop test exhibited the presence of hemorrhagic tissue with inflammation. CONCLUSION The V. cholerae O1 strains isolated were able to secrete hemolysin which, in turn, caused CA in cell cultures and produced the hemorrhagic and inflammatory effects observed in the ileal loop of rabbit and rat models.