Extracellular virulence factors of Aeromonas hydrophila in fish infections.

Aeromonas hydrophila NRC 505 produced extracellular substances which were capable of causing pathological effects when injected into trout. Proteolytic activity and haemolytic activity of the extracellular products, and the effect on fish, were lost on heating. The extracellular substances from strain G35, a protease-deficient mutant, were significantly more toxic to both rainbow trout (Salmo gairdneri) and speckled trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) than the analogous preparation from the parental strain NRC 505. The response of speckled trout injected intraperitoneally with dilutions of the extracellular preparations implicates haemolytic activity as a significant lethality factor.