Virulence-associated genes of vibrio alginolyticus Isolated from seabass (lates calcarifer) In east coast, Malaysia

Vibriosis is one of important diseases that can infect both humans and aquatic animals. Virulence genes contribute to the virulence of the pathogens. This study aims to determine the presence of virulence-associated genes of Vibrio alginolyticus isolated from sea bass (Lates calcarifer) in East Coast, Malaysia. A total of 26 samples of V. alginolyticus were retrieved and revived from glycerol stocks. Boiling method was done to extract DNA from the bacteria and then polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was performed using 12 virulence genes associated with Vibrio spp. All 26 samples showed positive results for chiA gene whilst 92.3% (24/26) of the samples contains colA genes. None of the isolates contains toxRvh, hlyA, toxRvc, and trh-tdh-related hemolysin gene (trh). Since atypical virulence genes were detected in V.alginolyticus, the presence of virulence genes may pose a threat to both aquatic animals and humans.
Keywords: Sea bass, Polymerase Chain Reaction V. alginolyticus, virulence-associated genes,