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Development of a More Sensitive and Specific Chromogenic Agar Medium for the Detection of Vibrio parahaemolyticus and Other Vibrio Species
09:34

Development of a More Sensitive and Specific Chromogenic Agar Medium for the Detection of Vibrio parahaemolyticus and Other Vibrio Species

Published on: November 8, 2016

Epidemiology of Vibrio parahaemolyticus outbreaks, southern Chile

Erika Harth1, Luis Matsuda, Cristina Hernández

  • 1Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile.

Emerging Infectious Diseases
|February 6, 2009
PubMed

Insights

Vibrio parahaemolyticus outbreaks in Chile decreased significantly due to serotype changes and new strains. Pathogenicity genes were transferred from pandemic strains to local bacteria in shellfish.

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Epidemiology
  • Genetics

Background:

  • Vibrio parahaemolyticus outbreaks in Puerto Montt, Chile, peaked in 2005 with 3,600 cases.
  • The pandemic serovar O3:K6 strain dominated cases until 2006.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the changing dynamics of Vibrio parahaemolyticus strains during outbreaks in Puerto Montt.
  • To understand the genetic basis of emerging clinical strains and their relationship to the pandemic strain.

Main Methods:

  • Epidemiological data analysis of clinical cases from 2004 to 2007.
  • Serotyping and genotypic analysis of Vibrio parahaemolyticus isolates.
  • Identification of specific genes and pathogenicity islands in clinical strains.

Main Results:

  • A significant decrease in cases was observed in 2007 (475 cases).
  • Serotype shifts occurred, with O3:K59 emerging alongside the O3:K6 pandemic strain.
  • A novel genotypic strain, distinct from the pandemic type, was identified in 11% of cases and possessed identical pathogenicity island genes.

Conclusions:

  • The decrease in Vibrio parahaemolyticus outbreaks was linked to serotype diversification and the emergence of new strains.
  • Evidence suggests lateral gene transfer of pathogenicity-related genes from the pandemic strain to other V. parahaemolyticus groups.
  • This highlights the dynamic nature of bacterial populations and pathogen evolution in shellfish environments.

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