Ecological Distribution, Biogeochemical Function, and Pathogenicity to Marine Organisms of Vibrio spp.

A special issue of Microorganisms (ISSN 2076-2607). This special issue belongs to the section "Environmental Microbiology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 June 2025 | Viewed by 4003

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
College of Marine Life Sciences, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, China
Interests: Vibrio; marine organisms

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The genus Vibrio is one of the best model marine heterotrophic bacterial groups that is widely distributed in marine environments and can be found in a wide range of marine organisms, including shellfish, fish, corals, and other marine animals.

The ecological distribution of Vibrio spp. Is complex and can be affected by various factors, such as temperature, salinity, spatial, and biotic factors. They can inhabit different habitats within the marine environments, including coastal waters, sediment, and the gastrointestinal tracts or tissues of marine organisms. Vibrio spp. play important roles in the biogeochemical cycles, especially in terms of the marine carbon cycles. They can consume a wide array of organic carbon compounds as carbon and energy sources, including chitin, alginate, and agar. Further, several species within the genus Vibrio are well known to cause diseases in marine animals, such as shellfish poisoning, septicemia in fish, and bacterial bleaching of corals. Understanding the pathogenicity of vibrios is crucial for developing effective prevention and control measures to protect marine ecosystems and human health.

In summary, this Special Issue will focus on the biogeochemical function and potential harm of Vibrio spp. in marine environments, as understanding these aspects is crucial for protecting marine ecosystems and human health.

Dr. Xiaolei Wang
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • Vibrio spp.
  • pathogenicity
  • ecology
  • marine animals health
  • marine ecosystems

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

17 pages, 3100 KiB  
Article
Environmental Drivers of the Divergence of Harveyi Clade Pathogens with Distinctive Virulence Gene Profiles
by Andrei L. Barkovskii and Cameron Brown
Microorganisms 2024, 12(11), 2234; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms12112234 - 5 Nov 2024
Viewed by 837
Abstract
Fish and shellfish pathogens of the Harveyi clade of the Vibrio genus cause significant losses to aquaculture yields and profits, with some of them also causing infections in humans. The present study aimed to evaluate the presence of Harveyi clade fish and shellfish [...] Read more.
Fish and shellfish pathogens of the Harveyi clade of the Vibrio genus cause significant losses to aquaculture yields and profits, with some of them also causing infections in humans. The present study aimed to evaluate the presence of Harveyi clade fish and shellfish pathogens and their possible diversification in response to environmental drivers in southeastern USA waters. The presence and abundance of potential pathogens were evaluated via the detection and quantitation of six Harveyi-clade-specific virulence genes (toxR, luxR, srp, vhha, vhh, and vhp; VGs) in environmental DNA with clade-specific primers. The environmental DNA was obtained from water and sediments collected from three Georgia (USA) cultured clam and wild oyster grounds. In sediments, the VG concentrations were, on average, three orders of magnitude higher than those in water. The most and least frequently detected VGs were vhp and toxR, respectively. In water, the VGs split into two groups based on their seasonal trends. The first group, composed of luxR, vhp, vhha, and vhh, peaked in August and remained at lower concentrations throughout the duration of the study. The second group, composed of toxR and srp, peaked in June and disappeared between July and December. The first group revealed a high adaptation of their carriers to an increase in temperature, tolerance to a wide range of pH, and a positive correlation with salinity up to 25 ppt. The second group of VGs demonstrated a lower adaptation of their carriers to temperature and negative correlations with pH, salinity, potential water density, conductivity, and dissolved solids but a positive correlation with turbidity. No such trends were observed in sediments. These data reveal the role of VGs in the adaptability of the Harveyi clade pathogens to environmental parameters, causing their diversification and possibly their stratification into different ecological niches due to changes in water temperature, acidity, salinity, and turbidity. This diversification and stratification may lead to further speciation and the emergence of new pathogens of this clade. Our data urge further monitoring of the presence and diversification of Harveyi clade pathogens in a global warming scenario. Full article
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14 pages, 3112 KiB  
Article
Quorum Sensing Regulates the Production of Methanethiol in Vibrio harveyi
by Tiantian Zhou, Jinyan Wang, Jonathan D. Todd, Xiao-Hua Zhang and Yunhui Zhang
Microorganisms 2024, 12(1), 35; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms12010035 - 24 Dec 2023
Viewed by 1663
Abstract
Methanethiol (MeSH) and dimethyl sulfide (DMS) are important volatile organic sulfur compounds involved in atmospheric chemistry and climate regulation. However, little is known about the metabolism of these compounds in the ubiquitous marine vibrios. Here, we investigated MeSH/DMS production and whether these processes [...] Read more.
Methanethiol (MeSH) and dimethyl sulfide (DMS) are important volatile organic sulfur compounds involved in atmospheric chemistry and climate regulation. However, little is known about the metabolism of these compounds in the ubiquitous marine vibrios. Here, we investigated MeSH/DMS production and whether these processes were regulated by quorum-sensing (QS) systems in Vibrio harveyi BB120. V. harveyi BB120 exhibited strong MeSH production from methionine (Met) (465 nmol mg total protein−1) and weak DMS production from dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP) cleavage. The homologs of MegL responsible for MeSH production from L-Met widely existed in vibrio genomes. Using BB120 and its nine QS mutants, we found that the MeSH production was regulated by HAI-1, AI-2 and CAI-1 QS pathways, as well as the luxO gene located in the center of this QS cascade. The regulation role of HAI-1 and AI-2 QS systems in MeSH production was further confirmed by applying quorum-quenching enzyme MomL and exogenous autoinducer AI-2. By contrast, the DMS production from DMSP cleavage showed no significant difference between BB120 and its QS mutants. Such QS-regulated MeSH production may help to remove excess Met that can be harmful for vibrio growth. These results emphasize the importance of QS systems and the MeSH production process in vibrios. Full article
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