Seasonal Levels of theVibrioPredatorBacteriovoraxin Atlantic, Pacific, and Gulf Coast Seawater

[摘要] Bacteriovoraxwere quantified in US Atlantic, Gulf, and Pacific seawater to determine baseline levels of these predatory bacteria and possible seasonal fluctuations in levels. Surface seawater was analyzed monthly for 1 year from Kailua-Kona, Hawaii; the Gulf Coast of Alabama; and four sites along the Delaware Bay. Screening forBacteriovoraxwas performed on lawns ofV. parahaemolyticushost cells. Direct testing of 7.5 mL portions of seawater from the Atlantic, Pacific, and Gulf coasts gave mean annual counts ≤12.2 PFU. Spikes in counts were observed at 3 out of 4 sites along the Delaware Bay 1 week after Hurricane Sandy. A comparison of summer versus winter counts showed significantly moreBacteriovorax(P≤0.0001) in the Delaware Bay during the summer and significantly more (P≤0.0001) in the Gulf during the winter, but no significant seasonal differences (P>0.05) for Hawaiian seawater.Bacteriovoraxcounts only correlated with seawater salinity and temperature at one Delaware site (r=0.79andr=0.65, resp.). There was a relatively strong negative correlation between temperature andBacteriovoraxlevels (r=−0.585) for Gulf seawater. Selected isolates were sequenced and identified by phylogenetic analysis asBacteriovoraxclusters IX, X, XI, and XII.

[学科分类] 微生物学和免疫学