Injection of Acanthaster planci with thiosulfate-citrate-bile-sucrose agar (TCBS). I. Disease induction

This is the first report of the successful induction of a transmissible disease in the coral-eating crown-of-thorns starfish Acanthaster planci (COTS). Injection of thiosulfate-citrate-bile-sucrose agar (TCBS) culture medium into COTS induced a disease characterized by discoloured and necrotic skin, ulcerations, loss of body turgor, accumulation of colourless mucus on many spines especially at their tip, and loss of spines. Blisters on the dorsal integument broke through the skin surface and resulted in large, open sores that exposed the internal organs. Oedema and reddened digestive tissues and destruction of connective fibers were common. Moreover, healthy COTS in contact with these infected animals also displayed signs of disease and died within 24 h. TCBS induced 100% mortality in injected starfish. There was no introduction of new pathogens into the marine environment. TCBS promoted the growth of COTS' naturally occurring Vibrionales to high densities with subsequent symbiont imbalance followed by disease and death.     

A comparison of thiosulphate-citrate-bile salts-sucrose (TCBS) agar and thiosulphate-chloride-iodide (TCI) agar for the isolation of Vibrio species from estuarine environments

AIMS: The purpose of this study was to compare a recently described medium, thiosulphate-chloride-iodide (TCI), for the isolation of estuarine vibrios with thiosulphate-citrate-bile salts-sucrose (TCBS). METHODS: A total of 492 colonies which developed on these media from estuarine water samples taken monthly over a 10-month period were examined. RESULTS: A much larger number of colonies developed on TCBS than TCI, and minimal taxonomic criteria indicated that a higher percentage (61%) of TCBS colonies could be identified as Vibrio spp. when compared with TCI (46%). SIGNIFICANCE: This study suggests that TCBS is a superior medium when compared with TCI for the isolation of Vibrio spp. from estuarine waters. Because of the public health risk presented by V. vulnificus, V. parahaemolyticus, V. cholerae and other vibrios, the selection of the most appropriate medium for their isolation is extremely important.     

Low incidence of Vibrio vulnificus among Vibrio isolates from sea water and shellfish of the western Mediterranean coast

A specific search for Vibrio vulnificus in natural marine samples from the Spanish Mediterranean Sea was carried out by nested PCR and cultural approaches using thiosulphate-citrate-bile salts-sucrose agar (TCBS) and cellobiose-polymixin B-colistin agar (CPC), incubated at 40 degrees C, as selective media. Presumptive colonies were identified by PCR using specific primers against 23S rRNA sequences. This species was isolated from sea water and edible bivalves, mainly after preenrichment in alkaline peptone water (APW) at 40 degrees C followed by CPC agar. None of the V. vulnificus isolates identified corresponded to serovar E. Dominant Vibrio species on directly inoculated TCBS plates incubated at 25 degrees C were V. splendidus below 20 degrees C and V. harveyi and V. mediterranei above that temperature. Low percentages of several pathogenic vibrios were recorded but V. vulnificus was never recovered at this incubation temperature. The incidence of this species in the samples studied was lower than that described for other geographical areas, probably due to the high salinity values of the Mediterranean Sea.     

There's no place like home: crown-of-thorns outbreaks in the central pacific are regionally derived and independent events

One of the most significant biological disturbances on a tropical coral reef is a population outbreak of the fecund, corallivorous crown-of-thorns sea star, Acanthaster planci. Although the factors that trigger an initial outbreak may vary, successive outbreaks within and across regions are assumed to spread via the planktonic larvae released from a primary outbreak. This secondary outbreak hypothesis is predominantly based on the high dispersal potential of A. planci and the assertion that outbreak populations (a rogue subset of the larger population) are genetically more similar to each other than they are to low-density non-outbreak populations. Here we use molecular techniques to evaluate the spatial scale at which A. planci outbreaks can propagate via larval dispersal in the central Pacific Ocean by inferring the location and severity of gene flow restrictions from the analysis of mtDNA control region sequence (656 specimens, 17 non-outbreak and six outbreak locations, six archipelagos, and three regions). Substantial regional, archipelagic, and subarchipelagic-scale genetic structuring of A. planci populations indicate that larvae rarely realize their dispersal potential and outbreaks in the central Pacific do not spread across the expanses of open ocean. On a finer scale, genetic partitioning was detected within two of three islands with multiple sampling sites. The finest spatial structure was detected at Pearl & Hermes Atoll, between the lagoon and forereef habitats (<10 km). Despite using a genetic marker capable of revealing subtle partitioning, we found no evidence that outbreaks were a rogue genetic subset of a greater population. Overall, outbreaks that occur at similar times across population partitions are genetically independent and likely due to nutrient inputs and similar climatic and ecological conditions that conspire to fuel plankton blooms.     

A one-minute oxidase test to detect Vibrio strains isolated from cultures on thiosulphate-citrate-bile salts-sucrose (TCBS) medium.

Vibrio cholerae is oxidase positive, a primary characteristic used to differentiate it from Enterobacteriaceae. But false negative oxidase test results have been obtained with colonies from thiosulphate-citrate-bile salts-sucrose (TCBS) agar medium. A rapid oxidase test procedure is described here. This takes 1 min, avoids false negative results and the necessity to grow the bacteria in a general-purpose medium. The bacteria may be recovered after the test and used for further investigations.     

Injection of Acanthaster planci with thiosulfate-citrate-bile-sucrose agar (TCBS). II. Histopathological changes

We assessed histological changes in the tissues of the crown-of-thorns starfish Acanthaster planci (COTS) after injection of thiosulfate-citrate-bile-sucrose agar (TCBS) which was used as a disease inducer (potential outbreak control method), by conventional and scanning electron microscopy. Digestive glands were processed and stained with hematoxylin and eosin to describe the histological architecture of the intestinal epithelium. Subsequently comparison of healthy versus infected tissues and Gram stains were carried out to confirm bacterial occurrence on infected tissues, characterize the structural changes induced by bacterial communities in COTS tissues, and to determine if the histopathological changes of intestinal tissues were consistent with vibrio infection. TCBS injections induced marked epithelial desquamation, hypertrophy and hypersecretion of glandular cells, epithelial cell destruction, pyknosis, reduction of thickness and disorganization of connective tissue and associated nerve plexus, presence of bacterial colonies, irregular eosinophilic foci in glandular cells, brush border disruption, atrophy and detachment of intestinal microvilli and cell debris in the lumen. All these changes were attributed to a fulminating systemic dysbiosis and were consistent with vibrio infections.     

Bacterial communities associated with healthy and Acropora white syndrome-affected corals from American Samoa

Acropora white syndrome (AWS) is characterized by rapid tissue loss revealing the white underlying skeleton and affects corals worldwide; however, reports of causal agents are conflicting. Samples were collected from healthy and diseased corals and seawater around American Samoa and bacteria associated with AWS characterized using both culture-dependent and culture-independent methods, from coral mucus and tissue slurries, respectively. Bacterial 16S rRNA gene clone libraries derived from coral tissue were dominated by the Gammaproteobacteria, and Jaccard's distances calculated between the clone libraries showed that those from diseased corals were more similar to each other than to those from healthy corals. 16S rRNA genes from 78 culturable coral mucus isolates also revealed a distinct partitioning of bacterial genera into healthy and diseased corals. Isolates identified as Vibrionaceae were further characterized by multilocus sequence typing, revealing that whilst several Vibrio spp. were found to be associated with AWS lesions, a recently described species, Vibrio owensii, was prevalent amongst cultured Vibrio isolates. Unaffected tissues from corals with AWS had a different microbiota than normal Acropora as found by others. Determining whether a microbial shift occurs prior to disease outbreaks will be a useful avenue of pursuit and could be helpful in detecting prodromal signs of coral disease prior to manifestation of lesions.     

A one-minute oxidase test to detect Vibrio strains isolated from cultures on thiosulphate-citrate-bile salts-sucrose (TCBS) medium

J. VILA, S. ABDALLA, J. GONZALEZ, C. GARCIA, J. A. BOMBI AND M.T. JIMENEZ. 1992. Vibrio cholerae is oxidase positive, a primary characteristic used to differentiate it from Enterobacteriaceae. But false negative oxidase test results have been obtained with colonies from thiosulphate-citrate-bile salts-sucrose (TCBS) agar medium. A rapid oxidase test procedure is described here. This takes 1 min, avoids false negative results and the necessity to grow the bacteria in a general-purpose medium. The bacteria may be recovered after the test and used for further investigations.     

Analysis of seawaters for the recovery of culturable Vibrio parahaemolyticus and some other vibrios

We investigated the recovery of dormant and injured cells along with the normally culturable cells of Vibrio species with special emphasis on V. parahaemolyticus using both selective and non-selective media at moderate (20 C) and standard (37 C) culture temperatures from a bay water environment. Culture temperatures (20 or 37 C) did not affect the recovery of V. parahaemolyticus but did for other vibrios. We observed similar seasonality of V parahaemolyticus as in most other environmental studies. V. parahaemolyticus and other Vibrio species were recovered in higher numbers by a replica plating method compared to most probable number (MPN) and direct TCBS (thiosulfate citrate bile-salt sucrose) agar counts. Even with the replica plating method, however, vibrios number goes down to a minimum level and V. parahaemolyticus was undetectable during the cool temperature period of the year, although total bacterial cells and CFU on nutrient agar (with 2% NaCl) did not vary so much during the study period.     

Analysis of bacterial foodborne disease outbreaks in China between 1994 and 2005

To gain an understanding of the outbreaks of bacterial foodborne diseases and the subsequent health impact, we reviewed 2447 papers from journals published in China that reported 1082 bacterial foodborne disease cases occurring between 1994 and 2005. Among the 1082 outbreaks of bacterial foodborne disease for which the etiology was determined, Vibrio parahaemolyticus caused the most outbreaks, followed by Salmonella, and Clostridium botulinum led to the most deaths. Most of the outbreaks occurred between May and October, except for Clostridium botulinum, which mainly occurred in January and February. In littoral provinces, Vibrio parahaemolyticus caused the most events, whereas in inland provinces, the largest percentage of events was caused by Salmonella. This review provides a background and analysis of Chinese foodborne disease caused by bacteria. We hope that this review can be compared to reviews from other regions of the world, in an attempt to prevent future outbreaks from occurring.     

'Bright-red' syndrome in Pacific white shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei is caused by Vibrio harveyi

Since July 2005, recurrent outbreaks of vibriosis have occurred in shrimp farms in northwestern Mexico. Moribund Litopenaeus vannamei associated with mass mortalities were lethargic and displayed red discoloration spots on their abdomen, and hence were called 'bright-reds' by farmers. Shrimp submitted for diagnosis were examined using wet tissue mounts, bacteriological assays and their respective minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), and histology. A dominant yellow bacterial colony was isolated in thiosulphate citrate bile salts-sucrose (TCBS) agar and identified by molecular methods as Vibrio harveyi strain CAIM 1792. Pathogenicity of the V. harveyi strain was demonstrated in L. vannamei. The lowest MIC against Vibrio isolates from bright-red shrimp was obtained with enrofloxacine (3.01, SD = 5.96 pg ml(-1)). Histology detected severe necrosis in lymphoid organ tubules, muscle fibers, and connective tissue, as well as melanization and hemocytic nodules associate with microcolonies of Gram-negative bacilli. Bacteria from severely affected shrimp were dispersed from the haemocoel to other tissues causing a systemic vibriosis. The data indicate that V. harveyi strain CAIM 1792 is the cause of bright-red syndrome (BRS) and represents a threat to the Mexican shrimp farming industry.     

海水及海产品中溶藻弧菌的分离与鉴定

从上海东海海域随机采集海水样品50份及各市场购买海产品95份,参照国标中副溶血性弧菌的检验方法,对采集样品进行了分离与鉴定。样品增菌后选用TCBS及科玛嘉弧菌显色培养对其进行初步分离,挑取可疑单菌落进行生理生化验证和分子生物学方法鉴定,其中从9份海水、24份海产品中分离出溶藻弧菌菌株,分离率分别为18.0%与25.3%。     

九龙江口沉积物TCBS(Thiosulfate Citrate Bile Salts Sucrose)菌群的分布

【目的】调查九龙江流域对厦门海域潜在的病原菌"污染",为相关侵染性病害的预防和控制提供有价值的资料。【方法】通过TCBS(Thiosulfate Citrate Bile Salts Sucrose)培养基从九龙江河口沉积物中分离到158株细菌,应用16S rRNA基因-RFLP(限制性酶切图谱多样性分析)及16S rRNA基因序列分析等方法对158株细菌进行分子鉴定。【结果】研究结果表明九龙江口沉积物中分布的TCBS菌群分别属于7个属,其中假单胞菌属(Pseudomonas)占28%,气单胞菌属(Aeromonas)占24%,假交替单胞菌属(Pseudoalteromonas)占19%,希瓦氏菌属(Shewanella)占13%,芽孢杆菌属(Bacillus)占11%,弧菌属(Vibrio)占4%,嗜冷杆菌属(Psychrobacter)占1%。不同站位TCBS菌群的组成及各菌群的相对差异明显,其中上游区域以非嗜盐或耐盐细菌为主,下游区域以嗜盐细菌和耐盐细菌为主,具有典型的河口细菌分布特征。盐度对各TCBS菌群的分布具有重要的影响。弧菌在整个河口区所占的比例不大(6%-19%)且集中在下游区域。【结论】九龙江口存在大量的条件致病菌,其中以气单胞菌属为代表的耐盐菌,对厦门海域存在陆源性污染的风险;绝大多数弧菌属于海洋土著细菌,正常情况下(非流行性弧菌病期间)非来源于九龙江冲淡水的直接污染。     

Vibrio alginolyticus associated with white spot disease of Penaeus monodon

In February 2000, white spot disease outbreaks occurred among cultured Penaeus monodon in extensive shrimp farms on the southwest coast of India. Bacteria were isolated from infected shrimp that showed reddish body coloration and white spots in the cuticle. The isolates were screened on thiosulfate citrate bile salt sucrose (TCBS) agar plates for the selection of Vibrio species. The primary isolate (QS7) was characterized as V. alginolyticus based on morphological, biochemical and physiological characteristics. Antibiotic sensitivity tests of QS7 indicated that the isolate was highly sensitive to chloramphenicol, ciprofloxacin, nalidixic acid and streptomycin. Pathogenicity tests confirmed that the isolate was virulent for P. monodon. Based on the lethal dose (LD50) value (5 x 10(6) cfu per shrimp), it was inferred that shrimp weakened by white spot syndrome virus would succumb to secondary infection by QS7.     

A threat to coral reefs multiplied? Four species of crown-of-thorns starfish

In the face of ever-increasing threats to coral reef ecosystems, it is essential to understand the impact of natural predators in order to devise appropriate management strategies. Destructive population explosions of the crown-of-thorns starfish Acanthaster planci have devastated coral reefs throughout the Indo-Pacific for decades. But despite extensive research, the causes of outbreaks are still unclear. An important consideration in this research is that A. planci has been regarded as a single taxonomic entity. Using molecular data from its entire distribution, we find that A. planci is in fact a species complex. This discovery has important consequences for future coral reef research, and might prove critical for successful reef conservation management.     

副溶血性弧菌显色培养基检测效果初步评价

副溶血性弧菌(Vibrio parahaemolyticus)是一种重要的食源性致病菌, 广泛存在于各种海产品中。由于传统培养基和检测方法费时费力, 本研究设计开发了一种新型显色培养基HKC vibrio, 通过应用于人工污染样品和实际样品检验, 以法国科玛嘉弧菌显色平板CHROMagar vibrio和柠檬酸钠-硫代硫酸钠-氯化钠-蔗糖琼脂平板(TCBS)为对照, 对显色培养基HKC vibrio的灵敏性、特异性和检测效果进行了初步评价。结果表明, HKC vibrio的灵敏性与CHROMagar vibrio和TCBS相当, 并具有较好的特异性, HKC vibrio是非常有价值的分离平板, 可大大提高副溶血性弧菌的检测效率。     

The isolation of Vibrio parahaemolyticus and related vibrios from moribund aquarium lobsters.

Vibrios were isolated in pure culture from the hemolymph of 7 out of 28 dead or dying aquarium lobsters which had been acclimated to 20-22 degrees C. One isolate was identified as Vibrio parahaemolyticus, one as a related marine Vibrio (probably V. marinus), and five as Vibrio alginolyticus. No isolates of halophilic Vibrio species were made from healthy lobsters using thiosulfate citrate bile salts sucrose agar (TCBS).     

How Microbial Community Composition Regulates Coral Disease Development

Reef coral cover is in rapid decline worldwide, in part due to bleaching (expulsion of photosynthetic symbionts) and outbreaks of infectious disease. One important factor associated with bleaching and in disease transmission is a shift in the composition of the microbial community in the mucus layer surrounding the coral: the resident microbial community—which is critical to the healthy functioning of the coral holobiont—is replaced by pathogenic microbes, often species of Vibrio. In this paper we develop computational models for microbial community dynamics in the mucus layer in order to understand how the surface microbial community responds to changes in environmental conditions, and under what circumstances it becomes vulnerable to overgrowth by pathogens. Some of our model''s assumptions and parameter values are based on Vibrio spp. as a model system for other established and emerging coral pathogens. We find that the pattern of interactions in the surface microbial community facilitates the existence of alternate stable states, one dominated by antibiotic-producing beneficial microbes and the other pathogen-dominated. A shift to pathogen dominance under transient stressful conditions, such as a brief warming spell, may persist long after environmental conditions have returned to normal. This prediction is consistent with experimental findings that antibiotic properties of Acropora palmata mucus did not return to normal long after temperatures had fallen. Long-term loss of antibiotic activity eliminates a critical component in coral defense against disease, giving pathogens an extended opportunity to infect and spread within the host, elevating the risk of coral bleaching, disease, and mortality.     

副溶血性弧菌显色培养基检测效果初步评价

副溶血性弧菌(Vibrio parahaemolyticus)是一种重要的食源性致病菌,广泛存在于各种海产品中.由于传统培养基和检测方法费时费力,本研究设计开发了一种新型显色培养基HKC vibrio,通过应用于人工污染样品和实际样品检验,以法国科玛嘉弧菌显色平板CHROMagar vibrio和柠檬酸钠-硫代硫酸钠-氯化钠-蔗糖琼脂平板(TCBS)为对照,对显色培养基HKC vibrio的灵敏性、特异性和检测效果进行了初步评价.结果表明,HKC vibrio的灵敏性与CHROMagar vibrio和TCBS相当,并具有较好的特异性,HKC vibrio是非常有价值的分离平板,可大大提高副溶血性弧菌的检测效率.     

Occurrence and seasonality of Vibrio aestuarianus in sediment and Crassostrea gigas haemolymph at two oyster farms in France

Vibrio aestuarianus is frequently found in coastal areas and can infect and induce mortalities in the pacific oyster Crassostrea gigas. However, nothing is known about its distribution and seasonality in the estuarine environment, especially where oyster farming is practiced. Its occurrence was investigated in sediment and oyster haemolymph at 2 oyster farms in Brittany (France) over 2 yr during 2 periods, from June to September 2007 and from February to June 2008. Total heterotrophic bacteria (HB) were cultured on marine agar while total Vibrio spp. and V aestuarianus were selectively numerated using thiosulfate citrate bile salts sucrose agar (TCBS agar) and the species-specific hybridisation method, respectively. PCR was performed to detect V aestuarianus in sediment when it became unculturable. Both total Vibrio spp. and V aestuarianus had a seasonal trend. The highest concentrations were recovered in the warmest months. Its abundance ranged from 10(2) to 4 x 10(5) CFU ml(-1) in haemolymph and from 10(3) to 1 x 10(4) CFU g(-1) in the sediment. Temperature was the main factor influencing the concentration of Vibrio spp. and V. aestuarianus in the sediment. Thus V aestuarianus might subsist during the cold seasons in the sediment, from which it can emerge when environmental conditions became favourable.