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Climate change is having increasingly profound effects on human health, notably those associated with the occurrence, distribution, and transmission of infectious diseases. The number of disparate ecological parameters and pathogens affected by climate change are vast and expansive. Disentangling the complex relationship between these variables is critical for the development of effective countermeasures against its effects. The pathogenVibrio vulnificus, a naturally occurring aquatic bacterium that causes fulminant septicemia, represents a quintessential climate-sensitive organism. In this review, we useV.vulnificusas a model organism to elucidate the intricate network of interactions between climatic factors and pathogens, with the objective of identifying common patterns by which climate change is affecting their disease burden. Recent findings indicate that in regions native toV.vulnificusor related pathogens, climate-driven natural disasters are the chief contributors to their disease outbreaks. Concurrently, climate change is increasing the environmental suitability of areas non-endemic to their diseases, promoting a surge in their natural populations and transmission dynamics, thus elevating the risk of new outbreaks. We highlight potential risk factors and climatic drivers aggravating the threat ofV.vulnificustransmission under both scenarios and propose potential measures for mitigating its impact. By defining the mechanisms by which climate change influencesV.vulnificusdisease burden, we aim to shed light on the transmission dynamics of related disease-causing agents, thereby laying the groundwork for early warning systems and broadly applicable control measures. 

A Gram-stain-negative, rod-shaped bacterial strain, designatedVibrio floridensisIRLE0018 (=NRRL B-65642=NCTC 14661), was isolated from a cyanobacterial bloom along the Indian River Lagoon (IRL), a large and highly biodiverse estuary in eastern Florida (USA). The results of phylogenetic, biochemical, and phenotypic analyses indicate that this isolate is distinct from species of the genusVibriowith validly published names and is the closest relative to the emergent human pathogen,Vibrio vulnificus. Here, we present the complete genome sequence ofV. floridensisstrain IRLE0018 (4 535 135 bp). On the basis of the established average nucleotide identity (ANI) values for the determination of different species (ANI <95 %), strain IRLE0018, with an ANI of approximately 92 % compared with its closest relative,V. vulnificus, represents a novel species within the genusVibrio. To our knowledge, this represents the first time this species has been described. The results of genomic analyses ofV. floridensisIRLE0018 indicate the presence of antibiotic resistance genes and several known virulence factors, however, its pathogenicity profile (e.g. survival in serum, phagocytosis avoidance) reveals limited virulence potential of this species in contrast toV. vulnificus.