Potential Virulence in Vibrio spp. from Anadara tuberculosa. undefined

The genus Vibrio includes pathogenic bacteria able to cause disease in humans and aquatic organisms, leading to disease outbreaks and significant economic losses in the fishery industry. Despite much work on Vibrio in several marine organisms, no specific studies have been conducted on Anadara tuberculosa. This is a commercially important bivalve species, known as “piangua hembra”, along Colombia's Pacific coast. Therefore, this study aimed to identify and characterize the genomes of Vibrio isolates obtained from A. tuberculosa. Bacterial isolates were obtained from fourteen A. tuberculosa specimens, colleted from two locations along the Colombian Pacific Coast. After selection, the genome of Vibrio isolates were sequenced using Oxford Nanopore Technologies (ONT) complete genome sequencing. We obtained 17 Vibrio isolates, including V. alginolyticus (n = 2), V. fluvialis (n = 1), V. natriegens (n = 1), V. neocaledonicus (n = 1) and V. parahaemolyticus (n = 12). Whole genome sequence analysis of these isolates revealed the presence of genes conferring resistance to β-lactams, tetracyclines, chloramphenicol, and macrolides, indicating potential resistance to these antimicrobial agents. Genes associated with virulence were also found, suggesting the potential pathogenicity of these Vibrio isolates, as well as genes for Type III secretion systems (T3SS) and Type VI secretion systems (T6SS), which play crucial roles in delivering virulence factors and interbacterial competition. These findings shed light on Vibrio genetic factors and contribute to a comprehensive understanding of the pathogenic potential of these Vibrio isolates.