Characterisation of Vibrio Species from Surface and Drinking Water Sources and Assessment of Biocontrol Potentials of Their Bacteriophages

Abstract

The aim of this study was to characterise Vibrio species of water samples collected from taps, boreholes, and dams in the North West province, South Africa, and assess biocontrol potentials of their bacteriophages. Fifty-seven putative Vibrio isolates were obtained on thiosulfate-citrate-bile-salt-sucrose agar and identified using biochemical tests and species-specific PCRs. Isolates were further characterised based on the presence of virulence factors, susceptibility to eleven antibiotics, and biofilm formation potentials. Twenty-two (38.60%) isolates were confirmed as Vibrio species, comprising V. harveyi (45.5%, n = 10), V. parahaemolyticus (22.7%, n = 5), V. cholerae (13.6%, n = 3), V. mimicus (9.1%, n = 2), and V. vulnificus (9.1%, n = 2). Three of the six virulent genes screened were positively amplified; four V. parahaemolyticus possessed the tdh (18.18%) and trh (18.18%) genes, while the zot gene was harboured by 3 V. cholerae (13.64%) and one V. mimicus (4.55%) isolate. Isolates revealed high levels of resistance to cephalothin (95.45%), ampicillin (77.27%), and streptomycin (40.91%), while lower resistances (4.55%–27.27%) were recorded for other antimicrobials. Sixteen (72.7%) isolates displayed multiple antibiotic-resistant properties. Cluster analysis of antibiotic resistance revealed a closer relationship between Vibrio isolates from different sampling sites. The Vibrio species displayed biofilm formation potentials at 37°C (63.6, n = 14), 35°C (50%, n = 11), and 25°C (36.4%, n = 8). Two phages isolated in this study (vB_VpM_SA3V and vB_VcM_SA3V) were classified as belonging to the family Myoviridae based on electron microscopy. These were able to lyse multidrug-resistant V. parahaemolyticus and V. cholerae strains. These findings not only indicate the presence of antibiotic-resistant virulent Vibrio species from dam, borehole, and tap water samples that could pose a health risk to humans who either come in contact with or consume water but also present these lytic phages as alternative agents that can be exploited for biological control of these pathogenic strains.

Molecular Detection and Distribution of Six Medically Important Vibrio spp. in Selected Freshwater and Brackish Water Resources in Eastern Cape Province, South Africa

“…The aforementioned is of potential health risk to individuals using watershed for recreational, agricultural, and domestic purposes most especially at the downstream of WWTP final effluents discharge points. In some studies from other provinces of South Africa, the isolation of Vibrio harveyi , V. parahaemolyticus , V. cholerae , V. mimicus , and V. vulnificus from tap, borehole, and dam in North West province ( Maje et al, 2020 ) and V. cholerae from four WWTPs located in Gauteng Province ( Dungeni et al, 2010 ) has also been reported. Health risks that an individual using these water resources could be exposed to include gastrointestinal infections caused by V. parahaemolyticus , V. mimicus , and V. fluvialis ; wound infections caused by V. vulnificus and V. harveyi ; cholera caused by V. cholerae ; and cholera-like bloody diarrhea caused by V. fluvialis ( Ramamurthy et al, 1994 ; Igbinosa and Okoh, 2010 ; Jones, 2017 ; Brehm et al, 2020 ).…”

Structure of bacterial communities in Japanese-style bathrooms: Comparative sequencing of bacteria in shower water and showerhead biofilms using a portable nanopore sequencer

“…2015). This bacterium has been detected in freshwater in some cases (Maje et al . 2020; Silva et al .…”

“…It is a seafood-associated and a water-borne foodmediated bacterium (Liu et al 2015). This bacterium has been detected in freshwater in some cases (Maje et al 2020;Silva et al 2018). In addition to the presence of these bacteria, we also detected some Op genera that are closely related to Corynebacterium and Mycobacterium.…”

Bacteriophage – A Promising Alternative Measure for Bacterial Biofilm Control

“… 115 , 119 , 120 Increasing numbers of antibiotic-resistant virulent Vibrio species are being isolated from the dam, boreholes, and tap water, and the screening of phages that lyse antibiotic-resistant Vibrio species by Maje et al 2020, is essential for safeguarding the biosecurity of water supplies. 121 Aquaculture farmers usually rely on much preventive use of antibiotics in farmed fish to reduce pathogenic vibrio and its biofilm, which has gradually caused the emergence of vibrio resistance and increased the aquaculture industry’s burden. Nandita et al 2019, found a characteristic lysin in V. parahaemolyticus phage, with lytic activity against various vibrio species, thus expected to become a promising bio-bactericide process for the treatment of vibrio resistance to solve the problem of antibiotics overuse in aquatic industry.…”