Purification and characterisation of an extracellular metalloprotease, serine protease and haemolysin of Aeromonas hydrophila strain B32: all are lethal for fish.

Three different lethal (for rainbow trout, Salmo gairdneri) extracellular toxins were purified by HPLC from the culture supernatants of Aeromonas hydrophila strain B32 which had been isolated from rainbow trout. A metalloprotease, MW 38 kDa, was stable at 56 degrees C for 10 min, had no cytotoxic activity and and LD50 of 150 ng/g fish. In narrow range isoelectric-focusing (IEF) the enzyme had 11 isomers with (pls) between 4.12 and 4.8. A serine protease (22 kDa) was stable at 56 degrees C for 10 min, possessed cytotoxic activity and had an LD50 of 150 ng/g fish. In IEF, multiple isomers possessed pls between 4.5-5.2. The haemolysin had alpha-haemolytic activity (68 kDa) multiple isomers in IEF with pl range 4.5-5.1 and an LD50 of 2 micrograms/g fish. It was stable after heating to 56 degrees C for 20 min, 60 degrees C for 10 min and possessed esterase activity on beta-naphthyl acetate. These latter properties suggest it may be a novel haemolysin distinct from alpha- and beta-haemolysin.