title: Genetic and serological identification of three Vibrio parahaemolyticus strains as candidates for novel provisional O serotypes.
abstract: Vibrio parahaemolyticus is a Gram-negative, halophilic Vibrio that naturally inhabits marine and estuarine environments worldwide and has recently been recognized as one of the most important foodborne pathogens. To date, 13 O serotypes and 71 K serotypes of V. parahaemolyticus have been identified. However, untypeable V. parahaemolyticus strains are frequently found during routine detection, indicating that other forms of serotypes exist and suggesting the necessity for extension of the antigenic scheme. In this work, through the genetic analysis of the O serotype genetic determinants (OGDs) and the production of antisera and serological tests, we identified three novel O serotypes of V. parahaemolyticus. Further analyses showed that recombination and gene-set deletions/insertions within OGDs may play key roles in the generation of V. parahaemolyticus O serotype diversity. A PCR method was developed for the identification of these novel O serotypes, and specificity and sensitivity were evaluated. A double-blind test including 283 clinical isolates was performed, giving perfect correlation with the agglutination test results. Generally, our study expanded the O-antigenic scheme of V. parahaemolyticus from 13 to 16 and provided a tool with the potential for the detection and identification of V. parahaemolyticus strains (especially untypeable strains) isolated from both the clinic and the environment.
authors.affiliation: TEDA Institute of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, Nankai University, 23 Hongda Street, TEDA, Tianjin 300457, PR China; Key Laboratory of Molecular Microbiology and Technology, Ministry of Education, 23 Hongda Street, TEDA, Tianjin 300457, PR China.
authors.forename: Xi
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.affiliation: TEDA Institute of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, Nankai University, 23 Hongda Street, TEDA, Tianjin 300457, PR China; Key Laboratory of Molecular Microbiology and Technology, Ministry of Education, 23 Hongda Street, TEDA, Tianjin 300457, PR China.
authors.forename: Bin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Shanghai Municipal Center for Disease Control and Prevention, No. 1380, Zhong Shan Xi Rd., Shanghai 200336, PR China.
authors.forename: Min
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: TEDA Institute of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, Nankai University, 23 Hongda Street, TEDA, Tianjin 300457, PR China; Key Laboratory of Molecular Microbiology and Technology, Ministry of Education, 23 Hongda Street, TEDA, Tianjin 300457, PR China.
authors.forename: Yuanyuan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: TEDA Institute of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, Nankai University, 23 Hongda Street, TEDA, Tianjin 300457, PR China; Key Laboratory of Molecular Microbiology and Technology, Ministry of Education, 23 Hongda Street, TEDA, Tianjin 300457, PR China.
authors.forename: Lu
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Shanghai Municipal Center for Disease Control and Prevention, No. 1380, Zhong Shan Xi Rd., Shanghai 200336, PR China.
authors.forename: Hongyou
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: TEDA Institute of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, Nankai University, 23 Hongda Street, TEDA, Tianjin 300457, PR China; Key Laboratory of Molecular Microbiology and Technology, Ministry of Education, 23 Hongda Street, TEDA, Tianjin 300457, PR China.
authors.forename: Yao
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Shanghai Municipal Center for Disease Control and Prevention, No. 1380, Zhong Shan Xi Rd., Shanghai 200336, PR China.
authors.forename: Lihong
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Tu
authors.affiliation: Shanghai Municipal Center for Disease Control and Prevention, No. 1380, Zhong Shan Xi Rd., Shanghai 200336, PR China.
authors.forename: Xi
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: TEDA Institute of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, Nankai University, 23 Hongda Street, TEDA, Tianjin 300457, PR China; Key Laboratory of Molecular Microbiology and Technology, Ministry of Education, 23 Hongda Street, TEDA, Tianjin 300457, PR China. Electronic address: fenglu63@nankai.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Lu
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Feng
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000941:Antigens / Q000737:chemistry; D019295:Computational Biology; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D017353:Gene Deletion; D020868:Gene Silencing; D016254:Mutagenesis, Insertional; D019081:O Antigens / Q000276:immunology*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011817:Rabbits; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D065288:Serogroup; D012703:Serotyping; D014735:Vibrio Infections / Q000276:immunology* / Q000382:microbiology; D014736:Vibrio parahaemolyticus / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D000941:Antigens; D019081:O Antigens
keywords: O serotype; O serotype genetic determinants (OGDs); PCR assay; Vibrio parahaemolyticus