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Laboratory Techniques Used to Maintain and Differentiate Biotypes of Vibrio cholerae Clinical and Environmental Isolates
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Organization of the CTX prophage in environmental isolates of Vibrio mimicus

Mohammad Sirajul Islam1, Mohammed Ziaur Rahman, Sirajul Islam Khan

  • 1International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Dhaka, Bangladesh. sislam@icddrb.org

Microbiology and Immunology
|August 23, 2005
PubMed

Insights

Vibrio mimicus strains carry the CTX prophage (CTXPhi), a key element in cholera toxin production. This study found V. mimicus acts as a reservoir for CTXPhi in aquatic environments, highlighting its role in disease transmission.

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Genetics
  • Environmental Science

Background:

  • The CTX prophage (CTXPhi) is a bacteriophage critical for the pathogenicity of Vibrio cholerae.
  • Understanding the prevalence and organization of CTXPhi in other Vibrio species is essential for tracking potential disease reservoirs.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the presence and genomic organization of the CTX prophage in environmental isolates of Vibrio mimicus.
  • To determine if V. mimicus can serve as a reservoir for CTXPhi in aquatic environments.

Main Methods:

  • Screening of 1,600 non-sucrose fermenting vibrio isolates for the presence of the ctxA gene using hybridization.
  • Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism (RFLP) analysis with a ctxA probe to determine CTXPhi organization.
  • Ribotyping to identify specific V. mimicus clones carrying the prophage.

Main Results:

  • Six out of 1,600 V. mimicus isolates contained the ctxA gene.
  • The CTX prophage was found to integrate at a single site in the V. mimicus genome as a single copy.
  • The integrated prophage was flanked by at least one RS element.
  • Ribotype patterns indicated a specific V. mimicus clone acquired CTXPhi in the aquatic environment.

Conclusions:

  • Vibrio mimicus harbors the CTX prophage in environmental settings.
  • V. mimicus can act as a reservoir for CTXPhi, potentially contributing to the spread of virulence factors.
  • The findings underscore the importance of monitoring environmental Vibrio species for prophage carriage.

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