Occurrence, diversity, and pathogenicity of halophilic Vibrio spp. and non-O1 Vibrio cholerae from estuarine waters along the Italian Adriatic Coast

The occurrence, diversity, and pathogenicity of Vibrio spp. were investigat ed in two estuaries along the Italian Adriatic coast.. Vibrio alginolyticus was the, predominant species, followed by Vibrio parahaemolyticus, non-O1 Vibrio cholerae, and Vibrio vulnificus. By using a biochemical fingerprinti ng method, all isolates were grouped into nine phenotypes with similarity l evels of 75 to 97.5%. The production of toxins capable of causing cytoskele ton-dependent changes was detected in a large number of Vibrio strains. The se findings indicate a significant presence of potentially pathogenic Vibri o strains, along the Adriatic coast.