創傷弧菌(Vibrio vulnificus)，是一種嗜鹽的革蘭氏陰性菌，外型微彎曲且有鞭毛能移動，適合生存在10 – 31℃的環境下，通常被發現在溫暖的淺水海域中，由於此菌引起的感染速度很快，感染後死亡率高達50%，所以近年來已經有受到越來越多臨床醫師開始關注。有幾種族群是比較容易受到創傷弧菌感染後，會有嚴重情況出現，包含肝病及慢性肝炎的患者、酗酒、有慢性疾病等免疫功能不好的族群。台灣四面環海B型肝炎患者較多且一般民眾喜歡吃海鮮類的食物，因此創傷弧菌的防治值得我們注意。
先前實驗室的研究指出，創傷弧菌可以利用他們所產生的一種細胞外毒素(H毒素)造成宿主細胞的死亡。本研究要分析創傷弧菌與巨噬細胞進行反應後，H毒素是否會影響創傷弧菌的移動性及巨噬細胞的吞噬作用及菌體於巨噬細胞的存活率，藉此明白H毒素對創傷弧菌感染的重要性。
研究結果顯示H毒素會讓創傷弧菌主動向巨噬細胞移動，而且當巨噬細胞吞入創傷弧菌後，創傷弧菌可以利用H毒素幫助對抗巨噬細胞的吞噬，增加菌體在巨噬細胞內的存活率。 Vibrio vulnificus is a halophilic, motile, curved Gram-negative bacterium living in ocean. Infection caused by this bacterium progresses very fast, and high mortality rate up to 50%. In recent years, more and more clinicians have begun to pay attention to study this bacterium. Several groups experience serious complications after being infected with Vibrio vulnificus, including alcoholics, liver disease and chronic hepatitis, or immune insufficiency. Taiwan is surrounded by the sea, and many people prefer to eat seafood food, so prevention and treatment of Vibrio vulnificus infection deserves our attention.
Previous studies have shown that Vibrio vulnificus can use one of their extracellular toxins (H toxin) to kill host cell. This study was to determine the effect of H toxin of Vibrio vulnificus on bacterial mobility and phagocytosis by macrophages. The results showed that H toxin plays an important role in increasing the mobility of Vibrio vulnificus and the bacterial survival rate after phagocytosis
