Distribution of Pathogenic <italic>Vibrio</italic> Species in the Coastal Seawater of South Korea (2017–2018)

Abstract

ObjectivesPathogenic Vibrio species are widely distributed in warm estuarine and coastal environments, and can infect humans through the consumption of raw or mishandled contaminated seafood and seawater. For this reason, the distribution of these bacteria in South Korea was investigated.MethodsSeawater samples were collected from 145 coastal area points in the aquatic environment in which Vibrio species live. Environmental data (i.e., water temperature, salinity, turbidity, and atmospheric temperature) was collected which may help predict the distribution of the species (data not shown). Seawater samples were filtered, and incubated overnight in alkaline peptone water, at 37°C. Using species-specific polymerase chain reaction methods, screening tests were performed for the hlyA, ctxA, vvhA, and tlh genes. Clones of pathogenic Vibrio species were isolated using 3 selective plating media.ResultsIn 2017, total seawater isolation rates for Vibrio vulnificus, Vibrio cholerae (non-pathogenic, non-O1, non-O139 serogroups), and Vibrio parahaemolyticus were 15.82%, 13.18%, 65.80%, respectively. However, in 2018 isolation rates for each were 21.81%, 19.40%, and 70.05%, respectively.ConclusionThe isolation rates of pathogenic Vibrio species positively correlated with the temperature of seawater and atmosphere, but negatively correlated with salinity and turbidity. From 2017 to 2018, the most frequent seawater-isolated Vibrio species were V. parahaemolyticus (68.10 %), V. vulnificus (16.54%), and non-toxigenic V. cholerae (19.58%). Comprehensive monitoring, prevention, and control efforts are needed to protect the public from pathogenic Vibrio species.

Meteorological and Water Quality Factors Associated with Microbial Diversity in Coastal Water from Intensified Oyster Production Areas of Thailand

“…The presence of V. cholerae was reported in this study at 11.3%, which raised a public health concern given that human cases of cholera can be found in locations that suffer from poor water quality and inadequate sanitation [41]. This finding agreed with a previous report on V. cholerae in seawater (13.2%) from South Korea [42]. In addition, it has been documented that elevations of V. cholerae and V. parahaemolyticus have been associated with increases in seawater temperatures [29,43,44].…”

Nested Spatial and Temporal Modeling of Environmental Conditions Associated With Genetic Markers of Vibrio parahaemolyticus in Washington State Pacific Oysters

“…The significant negative effect on overall abundance in saline waters over 27 ppt is in line with similar previous estimates ( DePaola et al, 2000 ; Martinez-Urtaza et al, 2016 ) but our results show this relationship’s threshold varies by the zonal environment of the oyster. These associations are similar to salinity relationships observed in other environments such as in coastal waters near New Zealand and Korea ( Lee et al, 2019 ; King et al, 2020 ). In combination with salinity, surface water temperatures were the only two environmental characteristics that had a measurable effect on pathogenic vibrio growth when included in the models.…”

Molecular Epidemiology of Antimicrobial Resistance and Virulence Profiles of Escherichia coli, Salmonella spp., and Vibrio spp. Isolated from Coastal Seawater for Aquaculture

“…are often found in estuarine water from potential sources such as vertebrate animals, terrestrial runoff from rainfall, or human activities such as sewage or aquaculture, while Vibrio spp. are natural inhabitants of marine environments [ 13 , 14 ]. Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) are considered major pathogenic strains that can cause adverse health effects in humans and normally carry stx 1 and/or stx 2, which encode for Shiga toxins [ 15 ].…”