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