Fitness and transcriptomic analysis of pathogenic Vibrio parahaemolyticus in seawater at different shellfish harvesting temperatures.

Importance: Given the involvement of Vibrio parahaemolyticus ( Vp ) in a wide range of seafood outbreaks, a systematical characterization of Vp fitness and transcriptomic changes at temperatures of critical importance for seafood production and storage is needed. In this study, one of each virulent Vp strain ( tdh + and trh +) was tested. While no difference in survival behavior of the two virulent strains was observed at 10°C, the tdh + strain had a faster growth rate than the trh + strain at 30°C. Transcriptomic analysis showed that a significantly higher number of genes were upregulated at 30°C than at 10°C. The majority of differentially expressed genes of Vp at 30°C were annotated to functional categories supporting cellular growth. At 10°C, the downregulation of the biofilm formation and histidine metabolism indicates that the current practice of storing seafood at low temperatures not only protects seafood quality but also ensures seafood safety.
Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest.