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