Molecular characterization of clinical and environmental Vibrio parahaemolyticus isolates in Huzhou, China.

Wei Yan,Lei Ji,Deshun Xu,Xiaofang Wu,Liping Chen,Yung-Fu Chang

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0240143

Abstract

Vibrio parahaemolyticus is responsible for seafood-borne gastroenteritis worldwide. Isolates of V. parahaemolyticus from clinical samples (n = 54) and environmental samples (n = 38) in Huzhou were analyzed by serological typing, virulence gene detection, antibiotic resistance testing, and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) for molecular typing. O3:K6 was the main serotype and tlh+tdh+trh- was the most frequently detected virulence genotype in clinical strains. O2:Kut was the main serotype and tlh+tdh-trh- was the most frequently detected virulence genotype in environmental strains. Antibiotic resistance testing indicated that the isolates were highly resistant to ampicillin (90.76%), followed by gentamicin and tetracycline. Following the restriction enzyme NotI digestion, the 91 strains yielded 81 PFGE patterns, and 16 clones had similarity values of > 85.00%, indicating a high level of diversity. Finally, there may be cross-contamination between freshwater and seawater products, so it is necessary to strengthen supervision of food processing.

Highlights

Vibrio parahaemolyticus is a Gram-negative haemolyticus widely found in seawater, seafloor sediments, and aquatic products such as fish, shrimp, and shellfish near the coast
All of the 92 isolates were positive for tlh
Six isolates from environmental samples had tdh, and all of the 38 isolates from environmental samples were negative for trh (Table 2)

Summary

Introduction

Vibrio parahaemolyticus is a Gram-negative haemolyticus widely found in seawater, seafloor sediments, and aquatic products such as fish, shrimp, and shellfish near the coast. It is one of the main pathogens causing infectious diarrhea in coastal areas [1,2,3] and can cause acute gastroenteritis and primary sepsis. In recent years, rising demand has led more seafood to be transported to inland areas, contributing to an increase in V. parahaemolyticus cases each year [5]. V. parahaemolyticus has become the most important pathogen causing infectious diarrhea in Huzhou [6]. Despite the high risk of V. parahaemolyticus, information on its prevalence or molecular epidemiology is not readily available

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Discussion

Conclusion