Fluorescent Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphism and Repetitive Extragenic Palindrome-PCR Fingerprinting Reveal Host-Specific Genetic Diversity of Vibrio halioticoli-Like Strains Isolated from the Gut of Japanese Abalone

When analyzed by fluorescent amplified fragment length polymorphism and repetitive extragenic palindrome-PCR fingerprinting, a total of 47 Vibrio halioticoli strains isolated from four Japanese abalone species and one turban shell species formed three clusters that roughly reflect the different species of host abalone from which they were isolated. The V. halioticoli isolates from turban shells were distributed evenly among the clusters. Representative isolates from two clusters were deemed separate species or subspecies by DNA-DNA hybridization.