Survival of Vibrio alginolyticus in seawater and retention of virulence of its starved cells

• Published in: Marine environmental research Vol. 64; no. 4; pp. 469 - 478
• Main Authors: Ben Kahla-Nakbi, Amel, Besbes, Amine, Chaieb, Kamel, Rouabhia, Mahmoud, Bakhrouf, Amina
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier Ltd 01.10.2007; Elsevier
• Subjects: Adaptation, Physiological; Animal and plant ecology; Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Animals; ARDRA; Bass - microbiology; Biological and medical sciences; Dicentrarchus labrax; DNA, Ribosomal - classification; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Marine; Sea Bream - microbiology; Sea water ecosystems; Seawater; Seawater - microbiology; Sparus aurata; Survival; Synecology; Temperature; VBNC; Vibrio alginolyticus; Vibrio alginolyticus - classification; Vibrio alginolyticus - pathogenicity; Vibrio alginolyticus - physiology; Virulence; ARDRA; VBNC; Vibrio alginolyticus; Survival; Virulence; Seawater; Marine environment; Bacteria; Vibrionaceae; Retention
• ISSN: 0141-1136; 1879-0291
• DOI: 10.1016/j.marenvres.2007.04.002

The aim of this study was to evaluate the survival responses of four strains of Vibrio alginolyticus in seawater under starvation conditions. We used microcosms containing sterilised seawater and incubated at ambient temperature (22–25 °C). V. alginolyticus maintained its culturability for at least nine months. Long-term-starved cells showed an absence or a decrease in their enzymatic activities. Resuscitation assays of viable but non-culturable (VBNC) cells were conducted and the recovery of these cells was achieved after the addition of nutrients. Amplified 16S ribosomal DNA (rDNA) restriction analysis (ARDRA) was used to confirm that the same strain of V. alginolyticus persisted in all microcosms during a long period of time. Starved cells maintained their infectivity for gilt head sea bream ( Sparus aurata) and sea bass ( Dicentrachus labrax) as determined by intraperitoneal challenges.