Two People Are Brought to the Emergency Department Where You

Two people are brought to the Emergency Department where you work. The first patient reports fever, abdominal pain, vomiting, and diarrhea. The second patient appears extremely ill. Her family tells you that she also had gastrointestinal signs and symptoms a few days ago. She has now developed severe skin blistering, has a very high fever and is only semi-conscious. When you question the first patient and the family of the second patient, you discover that they know each other and that they have all recently returned from a beach vacation in a major city on the U.S. Gulf Coast. The group tells you that the enjoyed a raw oyster dinner on the last day of their summer vacation. They think that both patients are probably just allergic to seafood, but given the severity of the signs and symptoms of your patients, you suspect that they may have Vibrio vulnificus infection. Lab tests confirm your suspicion. You give the families information on this disease.
-Which of the statements regarding Vibrio vulnificus infection and its causative agent is False?

A) Vibrio vulnificus is a Gram-negative, motile, curved, rod-shaped bacterium that is related to V. cholerae but lacks a capsule.
B) V. vulnificus releases degradative enzymes as well as toxins in a coordinated manner, controlled by a quorum-sensing mechanism.
C) V. vulnificus produces endotoxin, which causes an uncontrolled inflammatory response that leads to endotoxic shock.
D) In most people, V. vulnificus causes fever, vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal pain, but immunocompromised people are at risk of developing sepsis.
E) V. vulnificus produces a cytotoxin called RTX that kills epithelial cells by forming pores in their membranes.