Potentially Pathogenic Marine Vibrio Species in Seawater and Marine Animals in the Sarasota, Florida, Area

Abstract

Potentially human-pathogenic Vibrio species were isolated from Gulf of Mexico and Sarasota Bay waters. Vibrio alginolyticus, V. damsela, V. fluvialis, and V. parahaemolyticus were recovered by agar plating and/or a most probable number technique. The same species were found associated with a variety of teleost fish, elasmobranchs, shrimp, molluscan shellfish, and bird droppings. Because Sarasota Bay may be used more intensively for commercial and recreational purposes in the future, these preliminary observations will be useful for subsequent studies of the bay under the National Estuary Program. The increasing occurrence of gastrointestinal and wound infections from marine Vibrio spp. suggests that these bacteria should be included in the assessment of general water quality.