title: Molecular diversity and predictability of Vibrio parahaemolyticus along the Georgian coastal zone of the Black Sea.
abstract: Vibrio parahaemolyticus is a leading cause of seafood-related gastroenteritis and is also an autochthonous member of marine and estuarine environments worldwide. One-hundred seventy strains of V. parahaemolyticus were isolated from water and plankton samples collected along the Georgian coast of the Black Sea during 28 months of sample collection. All isolated strains were tested for presence of tlh, trh, and tdh. A subset of strains were serotyped and tested for additional factors and markers of pandemicity. Twenty-six serotypes, five of which are clinically relevant, were identified. Although all 170 isolates were negative for tdh, trh, and the Kanagawa Phenomenon, 7 possessed the GS-PCR sequence and 27 the 850 bp sequence of V. parahaemolyticus pandemic strains. The V. parahaemolyticus population in the Black Sea was estimated to be genomically heterogeneous by rep-PCR and the serodiversity observed did not correlate with rep-PCR genomic diversity. Statistical modeling was used to predict presence of V. parahaemolyticus as a function of water temperature, with strongest concordance observed for Green Cape site samples (Percent of total variance = 70, P < 0.001). Results demonstrate a diverse population of V. parahaemolyticus in the Black Sea, some of which carry pandemic markers, with increased water temperature correlated to an increase in abundance of V. parahaemolyticus.
authors.affiliation: Maryland Pathogen Research Institute, University of Maryland College Park, MD, USA.
authors.forename: Bradd J
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Haley
authors.affiliation: George Eliava Institute of Bacteriophages, Microbiology and Virology Tbilisi, Georgia.
authors.forename: Tamar
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kokashvili
authors.affiliation: George Eliava Institute of Bacteriophages, Microbiology and Virology Tbilisi, Georgia.
authors.forename: Ana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tskshvediani
authors.affiliation: George Eliava Institute of Bacteriophages, Microbiology and Virology Tbilisi, Georgia.
authors.forename: Nino
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Janelidze
authors.affiliation: George Eliava Institute of Bacteriophages, Microbiology and Virology Tbilisi, Georgia.
authors.forename: Nino
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Mitaishvili
authors.affiliation: Maryland Pathogen Research Institute, University of Maryland College Park, MD, USA ; University of Maryland Institute for Advanced Computer Sciences, University of Maryland College Park, MD, USA.
authors.forename: Christopher J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Grim
authors.affiliation: MIVEGEC UMR 5290 IRD-CNRS-UM1&2, IRD de Montpellier Montpellier, France.
authors.forename: Guillaume
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Constantin de Magny
authors.affiliation: Maryland Pathogen Research Institute, University of Maryland College Park, MD, USA.
authors.forename: Arlene J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Maryland Pathogen Research Institute, University of Maryland College Park, MD, USA.
authors.forename: Elisa
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Taviani
authors.affiliation: George Eliava Institute of Bacteriophages, Microbiology and Virology Tbilisi, Georgia.
authors.forename: Tamar
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Eliashvili
authors.affiliation: George Eliava Institute of Bacteriophages, Microbiology and Virology Tbilisi, Georgia.
authors.forename: Marina
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tediashvili
authors.affiliation: U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases Fort Detrick, MD, USA.
authors.forename: Chris A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Whitehouse
authors.affiliation: Maryland Pathogen Research Institute, University of Maryland College Park, MD, USA ; University of Maryland Institute for Advanced Computer Sciences, University of Maryland College Park, MD, USA ; Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University Baltimore, MD, USA ; CosmosID™ College Park, MD, USA.
authors.forename: Rita R
authors.initials: RR
authors.lastname: Colwell
authors.affiliation: Maryland Pathogen Research Institute, University of Maryland College Park, MD, USA ; School of Public Health, Maryland Institute for Applied Environmental Health, University of Maryland College Park, MD, USA.
authors.forename: Anwar
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Huq
keywords: Black Sea; Vibrio parahaemolyticus; Vibrionaceae; aquatic microbiology; predictive modeling