Complete genome sequence of Vibrio vulnificus FORC_017 isolated from a patient with a hemorrhagic rash after consuming raw dotted gizzard shad.
BACKGROUND
Vibrio vulnificus, a resident in the human gut, is frequently found in seafood, causing food-borne illnesses including gastroenteritis and severe septicemia. While V. vulnificus has been known to be one of the major food-borne pathogens, pathogenicity and virulence factors are not fully understood yet. To extend our understanding of the pathogenesis of V. vulnificus at the genomic level, the genome of V. vulnificus FORC_017 isolated from a female patient experiencing a hemorrhagic rash was completely sequenced and analyzed.


RESULTS
Three discontinuous contigs were generated from a hybrid assembly using Illumina MiSeq and PacBio platforms, revealing that the genome of the FORC_017 consists of two circular chromosomes and a plasmid. Chromosome I consists of 3,253,417-bp (GC content 46.49 %) containing 2943 predicted open reading frames (ORFs) and chromosome II of 1,905,745-bp (GC content 46.90 %) containing 1638 ORFs. The plasmid pFORC17 consists of 70,069-bp (GC content 43.77 %) containing 84 ORFs. The average nucleotide identity (ANI) value of the FORC_017 and CMCP6 strains was 98.53, suggesting that they are closely related.


CONCLUSIONS
Pathogenesis-associated genes including vvhA, rtx gene cluster, and various hemolysin genes were present in FORC_017. In addition, three complete secretion systems (Type I, II and VI) as well as iron uptake-related genes for virulence of the FORC_017 were detected, suggesting that this strain is pathogenic. Further comparative genome analysis revealed that FORC_017 and CMCP6 share major toxin genes including vvhA and rtx for pathogenesis activities. The genome information of the FORC_017 provides novel insights into pathogenicity and virulence factors of V. vulnificus.
Department of Agricultural Biotechnology, Center for Food Safety and Toxicology, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
Han Young
HY
Chung
Department of Food Science and Biotechnology, Kyung Hee University, Yongin, Republic of Korea.
You-Tae
YT
Kim
Department of Agricultural Biotechnology, Center for Food Safety and Toxicology, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
Suyeon
S
Kim
Department of Agricultural Biotechnology, Center for Food Safety and Toxicology, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
Eun Jung
EJ
Na
Department of Food Science and Biotechnology, Kyung Hee University, Yongin, Republic of Korea.
Hye-Jin
HJ
Ku
Department of Internal Medicine, Jeju National University School of Medicine, Jeju, Republic of Korea.
Keun Hwa
KH
Lee
Department of Internal Medicine, Jeju National University School of Medicine, Jeju, Republic of Korea.
Sang Taek
ST
Heo
Department of Agricultural Biotechnology, Center for Food Safety and Toxicology, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
Sangryeol
S
Ryu
Department of Animal Science and Biotechnology, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
Heebal
H
Kim
Department of Agricultural Biotechnology, Center for Food Safety and Toxicology, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
Sang Ho
SH
Choi
Department of Food Science and Biotechnology, Kyung Hee University, Yongin, Republic of Korea.
Ju-Hoon
JH
Lee
Genome sequencing; Hemolysin; Hybrid assembly; Pathogenesis; Secretion system; Vibrio vulnificus; Virulence factor