Genomes of Vibrio metoecus co-isolated with Vibrio cholerae extend our understanding of differences between these closely related species

Abstract Background Vibrio cholerae, the causative agent of cholera, is a well-studied species, whereas Vibrio metoecus is a recently described close relative that is also associated with human infections. The availability of V. metoecus genomes provides further insight into its genetic differences from V. cholerae. Additionally, both species have been co-isolated from a cholera-free brackish coastal pond and have been suggested to interact with each other by horizontal gene transfer (HGT). Results The genomes of 17 strains from each species were sequenced. All strains share a large core genome (2675 gene families) and very few genes are unique to each species (