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Applied and Environmental Microbiology, September 2006, p. 6136-6141, Vol. 72, No. 9
0099-2240/06/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/AEM.00341-06
Copyright © 2006, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Genetic Distinctions among Clinical and Environmental Strains of Vibrio vulnificus

Food Science and Human Nutrition Department, University of Florida, P.O. Box 110370, Gainesville, Florida 32611,¹ Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Florida, P.O. Box 116131, Gainesville, Florida 32611,² Department of Biology, University of South Florida, SCA 110, 4202 E. Fowler Ave., Tampa, Florida 33620³

Received 10 February 2006/ Accepted 12 July 2006

Vibrio vulnificus causes rare but frequently fatal septicemia associated with raw oyster consumption by persons with underlying hepatic or immune system dysfunction. The virulence potential of environmental reservoirs appears widely distributed, because most strains are virulent in animal models; however, several investigations recently demonstrated genetic divergence among strains from clinical versus environmental origin at independent genetic loci. The present study used PCR to screen DNA polymorphisms in strains from environmental (n = 35) or clinical (n = 33) sources, and genomic relationships were determined by repetitive extragenic palindromic DNA PCR (rep-PCR) typing. Significant (P < 0.01) association was observed for typical "clinical" or "environmental" polymorphism profiles based on strain origin. Most oyster isolates (88%), including all of those with the "environmental" profile, also formed a single rep-PCR genogroup. Clinical isolates within this group did not have the typical "clinical" profile. On the other hand, clinical isolates with the typical polymorphism profile were distributed among multiple rep-PCR genogroups, demonstrating greater genetic diversity than was evident by profiling genetic polymorphisms. Wound isolates were genetically distinct from typical blood isolates by all assays. Strains from an outbreak of wound infections in Israel (biotype 3) were closely related to several U.S. strains by rep-PCR, indicating potential reservoirs of emerging disease. Strains genetically related to blood isolates appeared to be relatively rare in oysters, as only one had the "clinical" polymorphism profile or clustered by rep-PCR. However, this study was not an extensive survey, and more sampling using rep-PCR for sensitive genetic discrimination is needed to determine the virulence potential of environmental reservoirs.

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