To understand the characteristics of Vibrio isolates in aquatic environments in China and their public health significance, this study investigated water samples in six cities in China in 2020. A total of 88 sampling locations were included and Vibrio isolates were identified in 81 of them. A total of 143 Vibrio isolates belonging to 16 species were selected for characterization. The population structure of Vibrio species showed great differences among the six cities, indicating regional specificity. The presence of virulence genes was examined for the isolates (n = 78) of five pathogenic Vibrio species. All isolates except one (n = 77) contained at least one virulence gene and isolates belonging to the same species showed very similar virulence gene profiles. Then, 26 isolates from 12 species were examined by multilocus sequence typing and were assigned to 25 STs, of which 24 STs were new. Also, the presence of antibiotic-resistant genes was investigated for all 143 isolates and only three isolates were found to contain genes from aminoglycosides, phenicols, beta-lactams or the tetracycline family. Our results provide valuable insights into the Vibrio community in Chinese aquatic environments and can be applied as guidance for the environmental surveillance of the risk of Vibrio isolates.
Keywords: China; Vibrio species; aquatic environment; distribution; molecular characteristics.