<b>rfb</b><b> gene in virulence and ecological fitness of </b><b>Aeromonas dhakensis </b><b>C4-1</b>

<i>Aeromonas dhakensis</i> is a rare aquatic pathogen can cause crocodile bacteremia with high mortality, but the pathogenesis of the species remains unclear. The aim of this study is to describe the virulence of C4-1, a high virulent isolate of <i>A. dhakensis</i> from crocodiles by comprehensive genomic annotation. A unique virulence gene, <i>rfb</i> (ctg_00167) was identified from C4-1 via comparative genomic analysis with the isolates of <i>A. dhakensis</i> from the other aquatic animals, which encodes an NAD-dependent epimerase critical for lipopolysaccharide (LPS) biosynthesis, a key factor in immune evasion and pathogenicity.