Assessing toxicity and competitive fitness of Vibrio isolates from coastal waters in Israel
ABSTRACT Several species of aquatic bacteria belonging to the genus Vibrio are emerging pathogens of humans and marine animals. Vibrio-associated infections have been shown to correlate with the increase in the oceans’ surface water temperatures. A slow yet steady increase in Vibrio isolates from cl...
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| Language: | English |
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American Society for Microbiology
2025-04-01
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| Series: | mSphere |
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| Online Access: | https://journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/msphere.00025-25 |
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| author | Katarzyna Kanarek Kinga Keppel Hadar Cohen Chaya Mushka Fridman Motti Gerlic Dor Salomon |
| author_facet | Katarzyna Kanarek Kinga Keppel Hadar Cohen Chaya Mushka Fridman Motti Gerlic Dor Salomon |
| author_sort | Katarzyna Kanarek |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | ABSTRACT Several species of aquatic bacteria belonging to the genus Vibrio are emerging pathogens of humans and marine animals. Vibrio-associated infections have been shown to correlate with the increase in the oceans’ surface water temperatures. A slow yet steady increase in Vibrio isolates from clinical settings in Israel over the past decade led us to investigate their pathogenic potential in Israel’s coastal waters. We sequenced the genomes of 23 Vibrio isolates from the Mediterranean and Red Seas. Analysis of these genomes revealed the presence of diverse toxin secretion systems and toxins, as well as mobile genetic elements known to facilitate the dissemination of fitness-enhancing determinants. Moreover, we showed that at least 10 of these isolates induce cell death in bone marrow-derived macrophages and that at least 12 isolates intoxicate a rival Vibrio strain in interbacterial competition. Lastly, we determined the susceptibility profiles of these isolates to common antibiotics used to treat Vibrio infections and found widespread resistance to azithromycin. Taken together, our results reveal pathogenic potential within the Vibrio population of Israel’s coastal waters and underline the need for continued environmental monitoring of emerging pathogens.IMPORTANCEThe ocean’s surface water temperatures have increased in the past decades due to climate change. This increase correlates with the spread of Vibrio, a genus of aquatic bacteria, many of which are pathogens of humans and marine animals. Since Vibrio-associated illnesses are rising in Israel, we set out to investigate the Vibrio population in Israel’s coastal environments and monitor their pathogenic potential. We found diverse repertoires of predicted toxins, the ability to kill mammalian immune cells, and traits that enhance bacterial fitness, such as antibacterial toxicity and resistance to antibiotics commonly used to treat Vibrio infections. These findings indicate that pathogenic traits are circulating within the environmental Vibrio population in Israel’s coastal waters and suggest that continued monitoring is essential to identify emerging pathogenic strains. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-27d90c34cad54f35a2db2d5c12a6784c |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2379-5042 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-04-01 |
| publisher | American Society for Microbiology |
| record_format | Article |
| series | mSphere |
| spelling | doaj-art-27d90c34cad54f35a2db2d5c12a6784c2025-08-20T03:53:23ZengAmerican Society for MicrobiologymSphere2379-50422025-04-0110410.1128/msphere.00025-25Assessing toxicity and competitive fitness of Vibrio isolates from coastal waters in IsraelKatarzyna Kanarek0Kinga Keppel1Hadar Cohen2Chaya Mushka Fridman3Motti Gerlic4Dor Salomon5Department of Clinical Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medicine, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv-Yafo, IsraelDepartment of Clinical Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medicine, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv-Yafo, IsraelDepartment of Clinical Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medicine, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv-Yafo, IsraelDepartment of Clinical Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medicine, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv-Yafo, IsraelDepartment of Clinical Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medicine, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv-Yafo, IsraelDepartment of Clinical Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medicine, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv-Yafo, IsraelABSTRACT Several species of aquatic bacteria belonging to the genus Vibrio are emerging pathogens of humans and marine animals. Vibrio-associated infections have been shown to correlate with the increase in the oceans’ surface water temperatures. A slow yet steady increase in Vibrio isolates from clinical settings in Israel over the past decade led us to investigate their pathogenic potential in Israel’s coastal waters. We sequenced the genomes of 23 Vibrio isolates from the Mediterranean and Red Seas. Analysis of these genomes revealed the presence of diverse toxin secretion systems and toxins, as well as mobile genetic elements known to facilitate the dissemination of fitness-enhancing determinants. Moreover, we showed that at least 10 of these isolates induce cell death in bone marrow-derived macrophages and that at least 12 isolates intoxicate a rival Vibrio strain in interbacterial competition. Lastly, we determined the susceptibility profiles of these isolates to common antibiotics used to treat Vibrio infections and found widespread resistance to azithromycin. Taken together, our results reveal pathogenic potential within the Vibrio population of Israel’s coastal waters and underline the need for continued environmental monitoring of emerging pathogens.IMPORTANCEThe ocean’s surface water temperatures have increased in the past decades due to climate change. This increase correlates with the spread of Vibrio, a genus of aquatic bacteria, many of which are pathogens of humans and marine animals. Since Vibrio-associated illnesses are rising in Israel, we set out to investigate the Vibrio population in Israel’s coastal environments and monitor their pathogenic potential. We found diverse repertoires of predicted toxins, the ability to kill mammalian immune cells, and traits that enhance bacterial fitness, such as antibacterial toxicity and resistance to antibiotics commonly used to treat Vibrio infections. These findings indicate that pathogenic traits are circulating within the environmental Vibrio population in Israel’s coastal waters and suggest that continued monitoring is essential to identify emerging pathogenic strains.https://journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/msphere.00025-25Vibriotype VI secretion systemtype III secretion systemMARTXGMT islandantibacterial |
| spellingShingle | Katarzyna Kanarek Kinga Keppel Hadar Cohen Chaya Mushka Fridman Motti Gerlic Dor Salomon Assessing toxicity and competitive fitness of Vibrio isolates from coastal waters in Israel mSphere Vibrio type VI secretion system type III secretion system MARTX GMT island antibacterial |
| title | Assessing toxicity and competitive fitness of Vibrio isolates from coastal waters in Israel |
| title_full | Assessing toxicity and competitive fitness of Vibrio isolates from coastal waters in Israel |
| title_fullStr | Assessing toxicity and competitive fitness of Vibrio isolates from coastal waters in Israel |
| title_full_unstemmed | Assessing toxicity and competitive fitness of Vibrio isolates from coastal waters in Israel |
| title_short | Assessing toxicity and competitive fitness of Vibrio isolates from coastal waters in Israel |
| title_sort | assessing toxicity and competitive fitness of vibrio isolates from coastal waters in israel |
| topic | Vibrio type VI secretion system type III secretion system MARTX GMT island antibacterial |
| url | https://journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/msphere.00025-25 |
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