Susceptibility of Vibrio parahaemolyticus to various environmental stresses after cold shock treatment

Vibrio parahaemolyticus was subjected to cold shock treatment at 20 or 15 degreesC for 2 or 4 It. The effect of cold shock on the survival of V parahamolyticus subjected to subsequent low temperature (5 and - 18 degreesC) and other adverse conditions (47 degreesC, 6 ppm crystal violet, 1000 ppm H2O2, 25 mM acetic acid and 25 mM lactic acid) was investigated. Regardless of the cold shock treatment, survival of V parahaemolyticus increased when stored at 5 or - 18 degreesC, while no increase in survival was noted for cells cold shocked in the presence of chloramphenicol. Cold shock treatment under the conditions tested, in general, enabled V parahaemolyticus cells to survive better following subsequent challenge by crystal violet, while the cold-shocked organism was more susceptible to high temperature (47 degreesC), H2O2 and organic acids (lactic and acetic acid) than the non-shocked cells. Furthermore, the temperature and time of the cold shock treatment affected the cold shock response of V parahaemolyticus. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.