Vibrio vulnificus monitoring along the Coastal Bend and the Rio Grande Valley, Texas

Author

Louay Bachnak, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley

Date of Award

12-2017

Document Type

Thesis

Department

Biology

First Advisor

Dr. Kristine Lowe

Second Advisor

Dr. Joanne Rampersad

Third Advisor

Dr. Luis Materon

Abstract

Vibrio vulnificus is a common opportunistic pathogen found in marine, coastal, and estuarine waters. This one micrometer microorganism is the leading cause of deaths in the United States due to food poisoning after consumption of raw or undercooked seafood. The optimal temperature for survival is between 15.6°C and 35.0°C with moderate salinities – conditions frequently found in the Gulf of Mexico (Lin, Payne, & Schwarz, 2003).

In the United States, V. vulnificus infections are more common in states bordering the Gulf of Mexico, including Texas. However, infections can still occur in individuals consuming infected food more inland or sustain wounds from the infected waters after returning from coastal areas (Hlady & Klontz, 1996). An insect bite or a tiny cut has the potential of putting a person at risk for this “flesh eating bacteria” and once it enters the body, it takes as little as a few hours for the symptoms to appear.

Very little is known about the population structure and molecular evolution of Vibrio vulnificus in its native environment (Lin, Payne, & Schwarz, 2003). Today, there is minimal monitoring of the halophilic bacterium in Texas waters, even though numerous cases have been reported. Additionally, few studies describe the clinical and epidemiological features of Vibrio infections in the United States over a long-time period (Hlady & Klontz, 1996).

The mission of this study was to provide a better understanding of the pathogen’s prevalence in human-trafficked areas in Corpus Christi, Texas and South Padre Island, Texas. Water samples were collected four times a year on a trimonthly basis, and the DNA was extracted and subjected to a polymerase chain reaction to amplify the cth gene, that will be used in a future study to quantify the amount of the V. vulnificus in water samples.

Comments

Copyright 2017 Louay Bachnak. All Rights Reserved.

Recommended Citation

Bachnak, L. (2017). Vibrio vulnificus monitoring along the Coastal Bend and the Rio Grande Valley, Texas [Undergraduate honors thesis]. Scholarworks @ UTRGV. https://scholarworks.utrgv.edu/honors/6