title: Isolation and characterization of marine luminous bacteria from shallow coastal waters of Taiwan.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Marine luminous bacteria were isolated and identified from samples in shallow coastal waters of Taiwan during the relatively warm seasons.
  
  
  METHODS
  Identification of the luminous isolates was performed based on differences of phenotypic and genotypic characteristics together with data from phylogenetic analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Twenty seven strains of marine luminous bacteria were isolated. They were divided into five types based on differences of phenotypic characteristics. However, they could be clustered into only two genotypes according to the analysis of restriction patterns of polymerase chain reaction-amplified 16S rRNA genes digested with various restriction enzymes. The characterization data together with the 16S rRNA gene-based phylogenetic analysis revealed that the isolates included in phenotype I (seven isolates) could be Photobacterium leiognathi, and those included in phenotypes II-V (twenty isolates) might be classified as Vibrio harveyi. However, phylogeny based on gyrB sequences indicated that phenotypes II-V could be classified into two species, V. harveyi and Vibrio campbellii.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Culturable luminous bacteria in the shallow coastal waters of Taiwan during the sampling period are dominated by V. harveyi/campbellii and P. leiognathi, and the former species appeared to be more prevalent and numerous than the latter species in general.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Oceanography, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Hsiu Hui
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Chiu
authors.forename: Hsiao Hui
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Chou
authors.forename: Wen Dar
authors.initials: WD
authors.lastname: Jean
authors.forename: Wung Yang
authors.initials: WY
authors.lastname: Shieh
mesh_terms: D001419:Bacteria; D010776:Photobacterium / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D010802:Phylogeny; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012329:RNA, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / Q000235:genetics; D012623:Seawater; D013045:Species Specificity; D013624:Taiwan; D014871:Water Microbiology
chemical_list: D012329:RNA, Bacterial; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S