Differentiation of Vibrionaceae Species by Their Cellular Fatty Acid Composition

Abstract

The cellular fatty acid compositions of 10 Vibrio species, two Aeromonas species, three Photobacterium species, Plesiomonas shigelloides, and Escherichia coli were determined by using capillary gas-liquid chromatography (GLC). The major fatty acids in all Vibrionaceae species and E. coli were hexadecenoic, hexadecanoic, and octadecenoic acids. Qualitative and quantitative differences in hydroxy, branched, and cyclopropane fatty acids and in isomers of unsaturated 16-and 18-carbon acids were used to divide the 29 strains belonging to 17 species tested into 13 GLC groups. Of the 13 groups, 10 contained one species, 2 contained two species, and 1 contained three species. All of the Vihrionaceae cultures were differentiated from E. coli (GLC group I) because the concentration of hexadecenoic acid was greater than the concentration of hexadecanoic acid; in E . coli, this ratio was reversed. Aeromonus hydrophila (GLC group 11) and Aeromonas salmonicida (GLC group 111) were differentiated from the Vibrio and Photobacterium species and from Plesiomonas shigelloides because the Aeromonus cultures did not contain 3-hydroxylauric acid. Seven of 10 Vibrio species, including Vibrio fluvialis (GLC group IV), Vibrio parahaemolyticus (GLC group V), Vibrio alginolyticus (GLC group V), Vibrio harveyi (GLC group V), Vibrio splendidus (GLC group VI), Vibrio vulniJicus (GLC group VII), and Vibrio cholerae (GLC group VIII), contained both cis-9-hexadecenoic and cis-11-hexadecenoic acids. These seven species could be differentiated from Vibrio gazogenes (GLC group IX), Vibrio metschnikovii (GLC group XII), Vibrio anguillarum (GLC group XIII), Photobacterium leiognathi (GLC group XIII), Photobacterium phosphoreum (GLC group XI), Photobacterium angustum (GLC group XI), and Plesiomonas shigelloides (GLC group X) because these latter seven species did not contain cis-1 1-hexadecenoic acid. The only Vibrionaceae cultures which contained cyclopropane acids were Photobacterium phosphoreum, Photobacterium angustum, and one of the two strains of Plesiomonas shigelloides examined. Branched-chain acids were found in all species tested, and their concentrations ranged fmm less than 1 to 22%. Although the 16 Vihrionaceae species tested had many similarities in their cellular fatty acid compositions, there were differences which could be used for differentiation of members of this family at the genus and species levels.

Vibrio fortis sp. nov. and Vibrio hepatarius sp. nov., isolated from aquatic animals and the marine environment

“…Both novel Vibrio species represented by the 19 isolates examined in this study shared the main phenotypic and chemotaxonomic features of the genus Vibrio (Lambert et al, 1983;Farmer & Hickman-Brenner, 1992;Bertone et al, 1996). They were facultatively anaerobic, oxidasepositive and showed prolific growth on thiosulfate/citrate/ bile salts/sucrose agar (TCBS).…”

Sulfurospirillum arcachonense sp. nov., a New Microaerophilic Sulfur-Reducing Bacterium

“…The fatty acid pattern of strain F1F6 showed a number of features which appear to be shared by the limited number of strains belonging to the Campylobacter-Helicobacter-Arcobacter complex which have been studied with respect to their fatty acid composition (3,14,20). All of the orgapisms examined contained 14:0, 16:0, 18:0, and 18:lw7c, a combination which appears to be distinctive within the Proteobacteria.…”

Vibrio calviensis sp. nov., a halophilic, facultatively oligotrophic 0.2 microm-fiIterabIe marine bacterium.

“…Moreover, Urdaci et al (1990) and Bertone et al (1996) reported that 16 : 1, 16 : 0 and 18 : 1 were the major fatty acids in the Vibrio species they tested, 16 : 1 being predominant. Cyclopropane acid (17 : 0 cyclo), which occurs, for instance, in Photobacterium species (Lambert et al, 1983), was not detected in strain RE35F\12 T . Secondly, the cellular polyamine pattern of RE35F\12 T was characterized by the presence of the triamine sym-norspermidine (Vybiral et al, 1999), a compound commonly found in Vibrio species (Yamamoto et al, 1983 ;Hamana, 1997).…”

“…First of all, the major cellular fatty acids of the bacterium are 16 : 1ω9c (30n7 %), 16 : 0 (19n0%) and 18 : 1trans9, cis11 (16n5 %) (Vybiral et al, 1999). This signature is characteristic of Gram-negative bacteria, and a ratio of 16 : 1 (higher than 16 : 0) is also typical for the family Vibrionaceae (Bøe & Gjerde, 1980 ;Lambert et al, 1983). Moreover, Urdaci et al (1990) and Bertone et al (1996) reported that 16 : 1, 16 : 0 and 18 : 1 were the major fatty acids in the Vibrio species they tested, 16 : 1 being predominant.…”