AUTHOR=Lux Thomas M. , Lee Rob , Love John 

TITLE=Genome-wide phylogenetic analysis of the pathogenic potential of Vibrio furnissii

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Microbiology

VOLUME=5

YEAR=2014

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/microbiology/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2014.00435

DOI=10.3389/fmicb.2014.00435

ISSN=1664-302X

ABSTRACT=<p>We recently reported the genome sequence of a free-living strain of <italic>Vibrio furnissii</italic> (NCTC 11218) harvested from an estuarine environment. <italic>V. furnissii</italic> is a widespread, free-living proteobacterium and emerging pathogen that can cause acute gastroenteritis in humans and lethal zoonoses in aquatic invertebrates, including farmed crustaceans and molluscs. Here we present the analyses to assess the potential pathogenic impact of <italic>V. furnissii</italic>. We compared the complete genome of <italic>V. furnissii</italic> with 8 other emerging and pathogenic <italic>Vibrio</italic> species. We selected and analyzed more deeply 10 genomic regions based upon unique or common features, and used 3 of these regions to construct a phylogenetic tree. Thus, we positioned <italic>V. furnissii</italic> more accurately than before and revealed a closer relationship between <italic>V. furnissii</italic> and <italic>V. cholerae</italic> than previously thought. However, <italic>V. furnissii</italic> lacks several important features normally associated with virulence in the human pathogens <italic>V. cholera</italic> and <italic>V. vulnificus</italic>. A striking feature of the <italic>V. furnissii</italic> genome is the hugely increased Super Integron, compared to the other <italic>Vibrio</italic>. Analyses of predicted genomic islands resulted in the discovery of a protein sequence that is present only in <italic>Vibrio</italic> associated with diseases in aquatic animals. We also discovered evidence of high levels horizontal gene transfer in <italic>V. furnissii</italic>. <italic>V. furnissii</italic> seems therefore to have a dynamic and fluid genome that could quickly adapt to environmental perturbation or increase its pathogenicity. Taken together, these analyses confirm the potential of <italic>V. furnissii</italic> as an emerging marine and possible human pathogen, especially in the developing, tropical, coastal regions that are most at risk from climate change.</p>