First findings of potentially human pathogenic bacteria Vibrio in the south-eastern Baltic Sea coastal and transitional bathing waters

Greta Gyraite; Marija Katarzyte; Gerald Schernewski

doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2019.110546

First findings of potentially human pathogenic bacteria Vibrio in the south-eastern Baltic Sea coastal and transitional bathing waters

Mar Pollut Bull. 2019 Dec:149:110546. doi: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2019.110546. Epub 2019 Sep 5.

Authors

Greta Gyraite¹, Marija Katarzyte², Gerald Schernewski³

Affiliations

¹ Klaipeda University, Marine Research Institute, University Avenue 17, 92295 Klaipeda, Lithuania; Leibniz Institute for Baltic Sea Research Warnemünde, Seestrasse 15, 18119 Rostock, Germany. Electronic address: greta.gyraite@apc.ku.lt.
² Klaipeda University, Marine Research Institute, University Avenue 17, 92295 Klaipeda, Lithuania.
³ Klaipeda University, Marine Research Institute, University Avenue 17, 92295 Klaipeda, Lithuania; Leibniz Institute for Baltic Sea Research Warnemünde, Seestrasse 15, 18119 Rostock, Germany.

PMID: 31543486
DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2019.110546

Abstract

Vibrio spp. are bacteria that inhabit fresh and marine waters throughout the world and can cause severe infections in humans. This study aimed to investigate the presence of potentially pathogenic Vibrio bacteria in the coastal waters of the Lithuanian Baltic Sea and the Curonian Lagoon. The results of cultivation on TCBS media showed that total abundance of Vibrio spp. varied from 1.2 × 10² to 6 × 10⁴ CFU L^-1. Real-time PCR revealed that the V. vulnificus vvhA gene varied from 2.8 × 10³ to 3.7 × 10⁴ copies L^-1, with the highest amounts in sites with average water salinity of 7.1 PSU. Both green and blue-green algae and lower salinity play a role in the growth and spread of total Vibrio spp. Although potential infection risk was low at the time of this study, regular monitoring of Vibrio spp. and infection risk assessments are recommended.

Keywords: Baltic Sea; Bathing waters; Infection; Risk assessment; Vibrio.

MeSH terms

Bathing Beaches
Cyanobacteria
Environmental Monitoring
Humans
Lithuania
Phytoplankton
Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction
Risk Assessment
Salinity
Seawater / microbiology*
Temperature
Vibrio Infections / microbiology
Vibrio cholerae / genetics
Vibrio cholerae / isolation & purification*
Vibrio vulnificus / genetics
Vibrio vulnificus / isolation & purification*
Water Microbiology