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1. Long-term analysis of Vibrio vulnificus and Vibrio parahaemolyticus virulence factors and their environmental associations in the Chesapeake Bay, Maryland, US

   https://doi.org/10.1093/jambio/lxaf145  

   Morgado, Michele E; Brumfield, Kyle D; Chattopadhyay, Suhana; Malayil, Leena; Huq, Anwar; Colwell, Rita R; Sapkota, Amy R (July 2025, Journal of Applied Microbiology)

   Abstract AimsThe present study analyzed long-term trends in Vibrio spp. virulence factors associated with pathogenicity in Chesapeake Bay waters (in Maryland) across two 3-year sampling periods (2009–2012 and 2019–2022). Methods and resultsVibrio parahaemolyticus (n = 1476) and V. vulnificus (n = 806) isolates were recovered from 13 sampling stations and tested for species-specific and virulence markers. Across both sampling periods, detection of V. parahaemolyticus tdh+/trh+ isolates was similar and more frequently observed in the spring and fall, and the upper sampling stations. However, significant differences were observed in the detection of V. vulnificus pilA+ and rtxA+ isolates, with a higher percentage of pilA+ in 2019–2022 and rtxA+ in 2009–2012. VcgC+ isolates were most frequently detected during the fall (n = 24%) in 2019–2022. Interestingly, a greater prevalence of V. vulnificus isolates harboring virulence markers was observed in the mid and lower stations. ConclusionsVibrio vulnificus isolates displayed greater changes in virulence marker frequency across sampling periods compared to V. parahaemolyticus and these markers were detectable throughout the year. 

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2. Hybridization capture sequencing for Vibrio spp. and associated virulence factors

   https://doi.org/10.1128/mbio.00516-25  

   Brumfield, Kyle D; Enke, Sana; Swan, Brandon K; Carrasquilla, Lakeshia; Lee, Michael D; Stern, David B; Gieser, Linn; Hasan, Nur A; Usmani, Moiz; Jutla, Antarpreet S; et al (August 2025, mBio)

   Hinton, Deborah (Ed.)

   ABSTRACT Proliferation ofVibriospp. in aquatic ecosystems is associated with climate change and, concomitantly, increased incidence of vibriosis. They are autochthonous to aquatic environments globally, but traditional metagenomic methods for detecting and typing pathogenicVibriospp. are challenged by their presence in relatively low abundance and ability to persist in a viable but nonculturable state. In the study reported here, hybridization capture sequencing (HCS) was employed to profile low-abundanceVibriospp. in environmental samples. The HCS panel targeted a family of molecular chaperones (CPN60) specific to 69Vibriospp. and 162Vibrio-specific virulence factors. This approach was evaluated in parallel with traditional whole-community shotgun sequencing in a metagenomic analysis of water and oyster samples collected from the Chesapeake Bay. In addition,Vibrio parahaemolyticusandVibrio vulnificusstrains isolated from the samples were subjected to whole-genome sequencing to determine the genetic characteristics of pathogenicVibriospp. circulating in an aquatic environment. HCS, employed to determine the incidence and characterization of specificVibriospp., yielded significantly greater metagenomic insight, notably a variety of otherVibriospp., including detection ofVibrio cholerae,Vibrio fluvialis, andVibrio aestuarianus, in addition toVibrio parahaemolyticusandVibrio vulnificus, and also important virulence factors not detectable using traditional molecular methods. Thus, pathogenicVibriospp. in aquatic ecosystems may be far more common than currently understood. It is concluded that environmental surveillance should include HCS, a valuable tool for the detection and characterization of pathogenic agents in aquatic ecosystems, notably vibrios.IMPORTANCEThe increasing prevalence of pathogenicVibriospp. in aquatic ecosystems, driven by climate change, is closely linked to a rise in cholera and vibriosis cases, emphasizing the need for improved environmental surveillance. Vibrios are naturally occurring in aquatic environments globally, but traditional metagenomic methods for detecting and typing pathogenicVibriospp. are challenged by their presence in relatively low abundance and ability to persist in a viable but nonculturable state. In the study reported here, hybridization capture sequencing was employed to profile low-abundanceVibriospp. in metagenomic samples, namely water and oysters collected from the Chesapeake Bay. This approach was evaluated in parallel with traditional whole-community shotgun sequencing and whole-genome sequencing ofVibrio parahaemolyticusandVibrio vulnificusstrains isolated from the samples. Results suggest pathogenicVibriospp. in aquatic ecosystems may be far more common than currently understood, when multiple methods are considered for environmental surveillance. 

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3. Machine learning in understanding environmental variability of vibriosis in coastal waters

   https://doi.org/10.1128/aem.00716-25  

   Magers, Bailey M; Brumfield, Kyle D; Kumar, Sunil; Colwell, Rita R; Jutla, Antarpreet S (September 2025, Applied and Environmental Microbiology)

   van_Kessel, Julia C (Ed.)

   ABSTRACT Vibrio spp.comprise ecologically significant bacteria that thrive in warm, moderately saline water, and their incidence and proliferation are strongly influenced by environmental factors. In recent years,Vibrio spp. infections have been reported more frequently and over a greater geographical area along the US eastern seaboard. This study provides an analysis ofVibrio spp. infections, notably caused byVibrio alginolyticus,Vibrio choleraenon-O1/non-O139,Vibrio fluvialis,Vibrio mimicus,V. parahaemolyticus, andV. vulnificus, extracted from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Cholera and OtherVibrioIllness Surveillance system, located within 200 km of the eastern US coast, to analyze latitudinal distribution trends between 1990 and 2019. For eachVibrio spp., case incidence (presence/absence) was modeled, including environmental data and employing extreme gradient boosting machine learning algorithms (XGBoost). Environmental parameters associated with the incidence of vibriosis were clustered using k-means clustering. The northern limit of total cases of vibriosis was found to have increasedca. 40 km/year, withV. alginolyticus(ca. 70 km/year),V. fluvialis(ca. 60 km/year), andVibrio parahaemolyticus(ca. 60 km/year) showing the greatest latitudinal shifts. These changes were found to be linked to environmental parameters that enhance the proliferation ofVibrio spp. The average accuracy of the XGBoost models was 60.9%–71.0%, with temperature and salinity being the most significant predictors. Relationships among other environmental parameters were complex and nonlinear, but phytoplankton and precipitation served to differentiate the models. Clustering using k-means yielded results that supported temperature, salinity, and phytoplankton as important environmental parameters. Research in progress will aid in developing global predictive risk models forVibrio spp. infections.IMPORTANCEVibrio spp. are ecologically significant bacteria, and their incidence and proliferation are strongly influenced by environmental factors. In recent years,Vibrio spp. infections have been reported more frequently and over a greater geographical area along the US eastern seaboard. This study provides an analysis of latitudinal distribution trends ofVibrio spp. infections, notably caused byVibrio alginolyticus,Vibrio choleraenon-O1/non-O139,Vibrio fluvialis,Vibrio mimicus,Vibrio parahaemolyticus, andV. vulnificus, within 200 km of the eastern US coast. The northern limit of total cases of vibriosis was found to have increasedca. 40 km/year. These changes were found to be linked to environmental parameters that enhance the proliferation ofVibrio spp. Temperature and salinity were the most significant predictors of vibriosis case presence and absence. Phytoplankton and precipitation changes served to differentiateVibrio sp. presence. Research in progress will aid in developing global predictive risk models forVibrio spp. infections. 

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4. Quantification of Climate Footprints of Vibrio vulnificus in Coastal Human Communities of the United States Gulf Coast

   https://doi.org/10.1029/2023GH001005  

   Jamal, Yusuf; Usmani, Moiz; Brumfield, Kyle D; Singh, Komalpreet; Huq, Anwar; Nguyen, Thanh Huong; Colwell, Rita; Jutla, Antarpreet (August 2024, GeoHealth)

   Abstract The incidence of vibriosis is rising globally with evidence of climate variability influencing environmental processes that support growth of pathogenicVibrio spp. The waterborne pathogen,Vibrio vulnificuscan invade wounds and has one of the highest case fatality rates in humans. The bacterium cannot be eradicated from the aquatic environment, hence climate driven environmental conditions enhancing growth and dissemination ofV.vulnificusneed to be understood to provide preemptive assessment of its presence and distribution in aquatic systems. To achieve this objective, satellite remote sensing was employed to quantify the association of sea surface temperature (SST) and chlorophyll‐a(chl‐a) in locations with reportedV.vulnificusinfections. Monthly analysis was done in two populated regions of the Gulf of Mexico—Tampa Bay, Florida, and Galveston Bay, Texas. Results indicate warm water, characterized by a 2‐month lag in SST, high concentration of phytoplankton, proxied for zooplankton using 1 month lagged chl‐avalues, was statistically linked to higher odds ofV.vulnificusinfection in the human population. Identification of climate and ecological processes thresholds is concluded to be useful for development of an heuristic prediction system designed to determine risk of infection for coastal populations. 

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5. Analysis of virulence phenotypes and antibiotic resistance in clinical strains of Acinetobacter baumannii isolated in Nashville, Tennessee

   https://doi.org/10.1186/s12866-020-02082-1  

   Boone, Ranashia L.; Whitehead, Briana; Avery, Tyra M.; Lu, Jacky; Francis, Jamisha D.; Guevara, Miriam A.; Moore, Rebecca E.; Chambers, Schuyler A.; Doster, Ryan S.; Manning, Shannon D.; et al (December 2021, BMC Microbiology)

   null (Ed.)

   Abstract Background Acinetobacter baumannii is a gram-negative bacterium which causes opportunistic infections in immunocompromised hosts. Genome plasticity has given rise to a wide range of strain variation with respect to antimicrobial resistance profiles and expression of virulence factors which lead to altered phenotypes associated with pathogenesis. The purpose of this study was to analyze clinical strains of A. baumannii for phenotypic variation that might correlate with virulence phenotypes, antimicrobial resistance patterns, or strain isolation source. We hypothesized that individual strain virulence phenotypes might be associated with anatomical site of isolation or alterations in susceptibility to antimicrobial interventions. Methodology A cohort of 17 clinical isolates of A. baumannii isolated from diverse anatomical sites were evaluated to ascertain phenotypic patterns including biofilm formation, hemolysis, motility, and antimicrobial resistance. Antibiotic susceptibility/resistance to ampicillin-sulbactam, amikacin, ceftriaxone, ceftazidime, cefotaxime, ciprofloxacin, cefepime, gentamicin, levofloxacin, meropenem, piperacillin, trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, ticarcillin- K clavulanate, tetracyclin, and tobramycin was determined. Results Antibiotic resistance was prevalent in many strains including resistance to ampicillin-sulbactam, amikacin, ceftriaxone, ceftazidime, cefotaxime, ciprofloxacin, cefepime, gentamicin, levofloxacin, meropenem, piperacillin, trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, ticarcillin- K clavulanate, tetracyclin, and tobramycin. All strains tested induced hemolysis on agar plate detection assays. Wound-isolated strains of A. baumannii exhibited higher motility than strains isolated from blood, urine or Foley catheter, or sputum/bronchial wash. A. baumannii strains isolated from patient blood samples formed significantly more biofilm than isolates from wounds, sputum or bronchial wash samples. An inverse relationship between motility and biofilm formation was observed in the cohort of 17 clinical isolates of A. baumannii tested in this study. Motility was also inversely correlated with induction of hemolysis. An inverse correlation was observed between hemolysis and resistance to ticarcillin-k clavulanate, meropenem, and piperacillin. An inverse correlation was also observed between motility and resistance to ampicillin-sulbactam, ceftriaxone, ceftoxamine, ceftazidime, ciprofloxacin, or levofloxacin. Conclusions Strain dependent variations in biofilm and motility are associated with anatomical site of isolation. Biofilm and hemolysis production both have an inverse association with motility in the cohort of strains utilized in this study, and motility and hemolysis were inversely correlated with resistance to numerous antibiotics. 

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