Prevalence, distribution and phenotypic identification of Vibrio sp. in fishes caught off Chennai, Indian ocean

Vibrio alginolyticus, Vibrio parahaemolyticus and Vibrio harveyi is a notorious seafood borne pathogen with a high mortality rate. This is ubiquitously present in marine environments, particularly in tropical water. In these studies, the prevalence of Vibrio sp. in fishes caught off Chennai coast of Indian Ocean are determined. Commercially important fishes were analyzed for the occurrence of vibrios of which some of them were harbored fishes. The prevalence of Vibrio harveyi constitutes about 14%, 17% and 8% of total vibrio isolated from fish. Other clinical vibrios are also isolated and identified. Vibrio sp. were detected by conventional cultural and molecular methods using PCR and sequencing of 16SrDNA. This study is an initial step to provide a baseline for future molecular research targeting Vibrio sp. food borne illness.