Genome sequencing of filamentous V. cholerae strains. Genome sequencing of filamentous V. cholerae strains

We discovered that some isolates of V. cholerae from the two major extant serogroups, O1 El Tor and O139, can change their shape from small comma-shaped cells to long filaments in sea water, allowing cells to make new types of biofilms. We subjected all studied isolates to whole-genome sequencing to identify differences between the strains that might explain the observed filamentation phenotype.