Identification Table 3. Aeromonas, Vibrio cholera, and Plesiomonas shigelloides.

Please also consult recent textbooks and scientific journals for new and / or additional tests, terminology, and nomenclature.

To access other tables please click on the links above. ID Tables lists all of the tables titles. Print pdf Table 3.
Table 3.
Tests used to differentiate Aeromonas, Vibrio cholera, and Plesiomonas shigelloides.
See references and CMPT Critiques listed below.
Test A. hydrophila A. caviae A. veronii biotype sobria Vibrio cholerae Plesiomonas shigelloides
O/129 10μg/150μg R/R R/R R/R S/S S/S
Nutrient broth-0% NaCl + + + V. mimicus also + +
Nutrient broth-6% NaCl - - - + (V) -
D-glucose, gas production + - + - +
Ornithine decarboxylase - - - + +
Lysine decarboxylase + - + + +
Arginine dihydrolase + + + - +
Esculin hydrolysis + + - - -
L-Arabinose + + - - -
NOTES:
  1. The oxidase reaction can differentiate oxidase positive Aeromonas, Vibrio, and Plesiomonas from oxidase negative Enterobacteriaceae.
  2. Many commercial systems only 'best identify' the three phenospecies of A. hydrophila, A. caviae, and A. veronii biotype sobria, and have not included many of the newly designated species in their databases 1-3.
  3. Although full identification to species may not be required for treatment and management of aeromonad infections, speciation may be important for epidemiologic tracing 4.
  4. It is important to note that there is emerging worldwide resistance of Vibrio cholerae to O/129 and that commercially available kits are not very reliable for the identification of Vibrionaceae 1.
  5. Differentiation of Vibrio from similar organisms, Aeromonas and Plesiomonas, can be done using NaCl growth requirement (Aeromonas and Plesiomonas are not salt dependent). Vibrio species identification is made by further biochemical testing. The most unique biochemical properties for V. vulnificus when compared to other Vibrio species is acid production from lactose, cellobiose and salicin, properties much less common for other species found in human infections 6. Laboratories using automated or manual commercial identification systems should be aware of which Vibrio species are in the system database, and the performance of that system.

REFERENCES
  1. Abbott SL, Janda JM, Johnson JA, Farmer III JJ.  2007. Vibrio and related organisms. p. 723-733. In PR Murray et al. (eds.) Manual of Clinical Microbiology.9th ed. ASM Press, Washington D.C.
  2. Barillo DJ et al. 1996. Aeromonas bacteremia in burn patients. Burns. Feb 22(1):48-52.
  3. Baron EJ et al. (eds.). 1994. Bailey and Scott’s Diagnostic Microbiology, 9th ed. The C.V. Mosby Co., St. Louis, Mo.
  4. CMPT critique M22-3 Wound swab: Aeromonas hydrophila (August 2000).
  5. CMPT critique M014-3 Stool: Plesiomonas shigelloides (February 2002).
  6. CMPT critiqueM023-3 (stool - marine coast travel history) Vibrio fluvialis (November 2002).
  7. CMPT critique M073-2 wound (kayaker): Vibrio vulnificus (November 2007).
top