Isolation and Characterization of Vibrio vulnificus from Two Florida Estuaries

Abstract

Vibrio vulnificus was enumerated in seawater and shellfish from two Florida estuaries at selected seasonal intervals. There were significant fluctuations in the presence and numbers of V. vulnificus. Relatively high seawater temperature and salinity favored the presence of V. vulnificus in both seawater and shellfish samples. Vibrio vulnificus is a lactose-fermenting, halophilic, gram-negative, and potentially pathogenic marine vibrio. Reports of its occurrence in seawater and association in human infections are increasing (2, 3, 5). It has been suggested that some Vibrio spp. may be indigenous to estuarine microflora (4). Kaneko and Colwell (4) have reported high levels of Vibrio parahaemolyticus in seawater during the warm months and low levels in cold months, appearing mostly in sediments. This study reports the seasonal occurrence of V. vulnificus in both seawater and shellfish from two Florida estuaries which are closely associated with both shellfish harvesting and recreational activities. Seawater, oyster, and clam samples were collected from three Tampa Bay and eight Apalachicola Bay stations (Fig. 1-3).

Two‐stage Nested PCR Effectiveness for Direct Detection of Vibrio vulnificus in Natural Samples

“…4). These results confirmed previous reports that V. vulnificus is ubiquitous and commonly found in temperate coastal environments (Tamplin et al, 1982;Oliver et al, 1983;O'Neill et al, 1992;Wright et al, 1996).…”

“…VIBRIO VULNIFICUS HAS BEEN ISOLATED from various raw seafoods, and is ubiquitous in the estuarine environment (Tamplin et al, 1982;Oliver et al, 1983;O'Neill et al, 1992;DePaola et al, 1994;Wright et al, 1996). The pathogen has been identified as the causative agent of foodborne diseases such as gastroenteritis and life-threatening septicemia in immuno-compromised individuals (Blake et al, 1980;Klontz et.…”

First record of Vibrio vulnificus biotype 2 from diseased European eel, Anguilla anguilla L.

“…The present authors' strains, as well as the Japanese ones, are sensitive to a broad spectrum of antimicrobial compounds, being resistant to amoxicillin, penicillin, streptomycin, sulphonamides, fosphomycin and polymyxin B. Oxolinic acid, one of the drugs most currently employed in aquaculture (Austin & Austin 1987), gave the strongest inhibition on the Mueller-Hinton plates, and was therefore chosen to control the disease. Tison et al, (1982) described biotype 2 of the species only with three strains originally isolated from diseased eels in Japan by Muroga et al (1976a), whereas V. vulnificus biotype 1 has been isolated from sea water and shellfish (Tamplin, Rodrick, Blake & Cuba 1982;Oliver, Warner & Cleland 1983;Kaysner, Abeyta, Wekell, DePaola, Stott & Leicht 1987). In the present study, the diseased eels had different origins; therefore, it is impossible to ascertain the source of the microorganism.…”

Ecology of Vibrio vulnificus and Vibrio parahaemolyticus in brackish environments of the Sada River in Shimane Prefecture, Japan

“…Vibrio vulnificus can cause both septicemia and wound infections [1,2] while Vibrio parahaemolyticus is a well-known food-borne pathogen causing gastrointestinal disease in humans [3]. Both bacteria are widely distributed in natural aquatic environments around the world [1,[4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12]. V. vulnificus disease is most frequently associated with ingestion of contaminated raw seafood, especially raw oysters in the United States, and in almost every case the patient has a chronic underlying disease.…”