Plesiomonas shigelloides in water and fish

Area of Science:

• Microbiology
• Environmental Science
• Bacteriology

Background:

• Plesiomonas shigelloides is an aquatic bacterium found in various environments.
• Serotyping is crucial for differentiating bacterial strains and understanding their epidemiology.
• Existing antigenic schemes may not fully capture the diversity of environmental P. shigelloides.

Purpose of the Study:

• To serotype Plesiomonas shigelloides strains from diverse environmental sources.
• To evaluate the effectiveness of the international antigenic scheme and the Schubert scheme for environmental strains.
• To identify the serovar diversity of P. shigelloides in aquariums, surface water, and fish.

Main Methods:

• Isolation of Plesiomonas shigelloides from aquarium water, surface water, and fish.
• Serotyping using the established international antigenic scheme.
• Serotyping using the provisional Schubert scheme, specifically designed for environmental strains.

Main Results:

• A significant diversity of Plesiomonas shigelloides serovars was identified across all sample types.
• Both the international and Schubert schemes revealed a broad range of serovars.
• Surface water and fish samples exhibited a particularly remarkable variety of serovars.

Conclusions:

• Plesiomonas shigelloides possesses considerable serovar diversity in aquatic environments.
• The Schubert scheme is valuable for characterizing environmental Plesiomonas shigelloides strains.
• Further research into the epidemiology and public health implications of diverse P. shigelloides serovars is warranted.