Like many
Vibrio spp.,
V. tubiashii produces
extracellular enzymes, specifically a zinc-
metalloprotease and a
cytolysin/
hemolysin that are nearly identical to those produced by other pathogenic
Vibrio strains. This being said, only the zinc-metalloprotease elicited disease symptoms in
Crassostrea gigas consistent with vibriosis. In addition to
shellfish disease,
Vibrio-derived zinc-metalloprotease could be an integral
virulence factor in diseases of
scleractinian
corals as it was shown to cause photoinactivation of the coral
endosymbiont Symbiodinium, leading to tissue color loss and eventual tissue death. The hemolytic activity of
V. tubiashii cultures increases during early growth stages and progressively decreases throughout the stationary phase, while proteolytic activity shows a gradual increase starting in the early stationary phase, suggesting that
pathogenesis in this organism requires higher cell density. ==References==