Marine Vibrios and Photobacteria: Taxonomy, Ecology and Pathogenesis

A special issue of Microorganisms (ISSN 2076-2607). This special issue belongs to the section "Environmental Microbiology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 November 2018) | Viewed by 13567

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, Institute of Aquaculture, University of Santiago de Compostela, Campus Vida, s/n, 15782 Santiago de Compostela, Spain
Interests: bacterial pathology in marine Aquaculture

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The genera Vibrio and Photobacterium are gamma-proteobacteria included in the family Vibrionaceae. These fascinating bacteria include more than a hundred species that are mainly found in seawater, sea sediments, saline waters, and associated with a wide variety of marine organisms. The habitats and life styles of vibrios and photobacteria species are quite diverse, including free-living, symbiotic, piezophilic, and parasitic life styles. Several species of Vibrio (V. anguillarum, V. alginolyticus, V. corallilyticus, etc.) and Photobacterium (P. damselae) are recognized as animal pathogens, affecting many species of fish, marine mammals, corals, or sponges. Some of them can also infect humans after seawater or marine animals exposure (V. cholerae, V. vulnificus, V. parahaemolyticus, or P. damselae subsp damselae). Although the pathogenic species have been studied in some detail, most vibrios and photobacteria remain poorly studied, and many aspects regarding their physiology, metabolism, genomics, or ecology are still unknown. This special issue of Microorganisms aims to cover any aspect of the taxonomy, ecology, or pathogenesis of any species of these relevant marine bacteria, with special emphasis on the poorly studied ones. Both original research and review papers are invited. Potential topics include, but are not limited to, the following: genomic studies; evolution; characterization of virulence factors; bioluminiscence; interactions with other organisms; taxonomic updates; novel ecological insights; any other aspect that can contribute to increase our knowledge about vibrios and photobacteria.

Dr. Manuel L. Lemos
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • Photobacterium
  • marine bacteria
  • fish pathogens
  • bioluminiscence
  • bacterial genomics
  • microbial ecology

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

16 pages, 2673 KiB  
Article
The Fish Pathogen Vibrio ordalii Under Iron Deprivation Produces the Siderophore Piscibactin
by Pamela Ruiz, Miguel Balado, Juan Carlos Fuentes-Monteverde, Alicia E. Toranzo, Jaime Rodríguez, Carlos Jiménez, Ruben Avendaño-Herrera and Manuel L. Lemos
Microorganisms 2019, 7(9), 313; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms7090313 - 3 Sep 2019
Cited by 14 | Viewed by 3679
Abstract
Vibrio ordalii is the causative agent of vibriosis, mainly in salmonid fishes, and its virulence mechanisms are still not completely understood. In previous works we demonstrated that V. ordalii possess several iron uptake mechanisms based on heme utilization and siderophore production. The aim [...] Read more.
Vibrio ordalii is the causative agent of vibriosis, mainly in salmonid fishes, and its virulence mechanisms are still not completely understood. In previous works we demonstrated that V. ordalii possess several iron uptake mechanisms based on heme utilization and siderophore production. The aim of the present work was to confirm the production and utilization of piscibactin as a siderophore by V. ordalii. Using genetic analysis, identification by peptide mass fingerprinting (PMF) of iron-regulated membrane proteins and chemical identification by LC-HRMS, we were able to clearly demonstrate that V. ordalii produces piscibactin under iron limitation. The synthesis and transport of this siderophore is encoded by a chromosomal gene cluster homologous to another one described in V. anguillarum, which also encodes the synthesis of piscibactin. Using β-galactosidase assays we were able to show that two potential promoters regulated by iron control the transcription of this gene cluster in V. ordalii. Moreover, biosynthetic and transport proteins corresponding to piscibactin synthesis and uptake could be identified in membrane fractions of V. ordalii cells grown under iron limitation. The synthesis of piscibactin was previously reported in other fish pathogens like Photobacterium damselae subsp. piscicida and V. anguillarum, which highlights the importance of this siderophore as a key virulence factor in Vibrionaceae bacteria infecting poikilothermic animals. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Marine Vibrios and Photobacteria: Taxonomy, Ecology and Pathogenesis)
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13 pages, 1205 KiB  
Article
Transcription of IVIAT and Virulence Genes in Photobacterium damselae subsp. piscicida Infecting Solea senegalensis
by José Alberto Núñez-Díaz, Milena Fumanal, Ana Do Vale, Catalina Fernández-Díaz, Miguel Ángel Moriñigo and María Carmen Balebona
Microorganisms 2018, 6(3), 67; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms6030067 - 12 Jul 2018
Cited by 12 | Viewed by 4502
Abstract
Photobacterium damselae subsp. piscicida (Phdp) is responsible for disease outbreaks in marine aquaculture worldwide. Solea senegalensis, a valuable fish species for aquaculture in the south of Europe, is frequently affected by this pathogen. It is well established that bacteria respond [...] Read more.
Photobacterium damselae subsp. piscicida (Phdp) is responsible for disease outbreaks in marine aquaculture worldwide. Solea senegalensis, a valuable fish species for aquaculture in the south of Europe, is frequently affected by this pathogen. It is well established that bacteria respond to environmental signals and, in the case of pathogens, this ability may determine the outcome of their interaction with the host. Determination of gene expression under in vivo conditions constitutes a valuable tool in the assessment of microbial pathogenesis. Considering that different hosts may represent different environments for the pathogen, expression of Phdp virulence and in vivo induced antigen (IVIAT) genes during S. senegalensis infection has been determined in the present work. Increased transcription of genes encoding proteins involved in iron acquisition (Irp1, Irp2, HutB and HutD), oxidative stress defence (AhpC and Sod), adhesion (PDP_0080), toxins (AIP56) and metabolism (Impdh, Shmt and AlaRS) were detected in Phdp infecting S. senegalensis head kidney or liver. The highest increases corresponded to genes involved in survival under iron limiting conditions and oxidative stress, indicating their essential role during infection of sole. Results obtained give insight into Phdp virulence strategies and contribute to the identification of promising targets for the control of photobacteriosis. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Marine Vibrios and Photobacteria: Taxonomy, Ecology and Pathogenesis)
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14 pages, 1685 KiB  
Article
Description of New and Amended Clades of the Genus Photobacterium
by Alejandro M. Labella, M. Dolores Castro, Manuel Manchado and Juan J. Borrego
Microorganisms 2018, 6(1), 24; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms6010024 - 12 Mar 2018
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 4773
Abstract
Phylogenetic relationships between species in the genus Photobacterium have been poorly studied despite pathogenic and ecological relevance of some of its members. This is the first phylogenetic study that includes new species of Photobacterium (validated or not) that have not been included in [...] Read more.
Phylogenetic relationships between species in the genus Photobacterium have been poorly studied despite pathogenic and ecological relevance of some of its members. This is the first phylogenetic study that includes new species of Photobacterium (validated or not) that have not been included in any of the previously described clades, using 16S rRNA sequences and multilocus sequence analysis (MLSA) in concatenated sequences of gyrB, gapA, topA, ftsZ and mreB housekeeping genes. Sequence analysis has been implemented using Maximum-parsimony (MP), Neighbour-joining (NJ) and Maximum likelihood (ML) treeing methods and the predicted evolutionary relationship between the Photobacterium clades was established on the basis of bootstrap values of >75% for 16S rRNA sequences and MLSA. We have grouped 22 species of the genus Photobacterium into the following 5 clades: Phosphoreum (comprises P. aquimaris, “P. carnosum,” P. iliopiscarium, P. kishitanii, P. phosphoreum, “P. piscicola” and “P. toruni”); clade Profundum (composed of P. aestuarii, P. alginatilyticum, P. frigidiphilum, P. indicum, P. jeanii, P. lipolyticum, “P. marinum,” and P. profundum); clade Damselae (two subspecies of P. damselae, damselae and piscicida); and two new clades: clade Ganghwense (includes P. aphoticum, P. aquae, P. galatheae, P. ganghwense, P. halotolerans, P. panuliri and P. proteolyticum); and clade Leiognathi (composed by P. angustum, P. leiognathi subsp. leiognathi and “P. leiognathi subsp. mandapamensis”). Two additional clades, Rosenbergii and Swingsii, were formed using a phylogenetic method based on 16S rRNA gene, although they are not confirmed by any MLSA methods. Only P. aplysiae could not be included in none of the established clade, constituting an orphan clade. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Marine Vibrios and Photobacteria: Taxonomy, Ecology and Pathogenesis)
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