Vibrio species

Overview

• Gram negative bacteria
• Found in aquatic environments
• Opportunistic pathogens of fish, reptiles and rarely mammals
• Vibrio cholerae causes cholera in humans, a severe enteric disease

Characteristics

• Curved rods
• Catalase and oxidase positive
• Facultative anaerobes
• Motile
• Grow on non-enriched media; NaCl supplementation required for Vibrio species
• Found in salt water

• Enteric diseases in humans
• Vibrio alginolyticus and Vibrio penaicida cause disease in farm raised shrimp growout ponds
• Vibrio harveyi can cause mortality in shrimp fry (luminescent vibriosis)
• Vibrio parahemolyticus and Vibrio vulnificus cause foodborne illness associated with undercooked seafood in humans
• Vibrio metschnikovii causes enteric disease in chickens
• Listonella anguillarum skin lesions and septicaemia in fish and eels

Diagnosis

• Isolation and identification from lesions
• Widespread in environments
• Growth on 2% NaCl TSA
• TCBS (Thiosulfate-citrate-bile salts-sucrose agar) is the selective media of choice
• Green colonies on TCBS are usually Vibrio harveyi or parahemolyticus
• Yellow colonies can be Vibrio cholerae

Treatment

• Antibiotics including Gentamicin against Vibrio species