Design ofVibrio 16S rRNA gene specific primers and their application in the analysis of seawaterVibrio community

The pathogenic species of genusVibrio cause vibriosis, one of the most prevalent diseases of maricultured animals and seafood consumers. Monitoring their kinetics in the chain of seafood production, processing and consumption is of great importance for food and mariculture safety. In order to enrichVibrio-representing 16S ribosomal RNA gene (rDNA) fragments and identify these bacteria further real-timely and synchronously among bacterial flora in the chain, a pair of primers that selectively amplifyVibrio 16S rDNA fragments were designed with their specificities and coverage testified in the analysis of seawaterVibrio community. The specificities and coverage of two primers, VF169 and VR744, were determined theoretically among bacterial 16S rDNAs available in GenBank by using BLAST program and practically by amplifying,Vibrio 16S rDNA fragments from seawater DNA. More than 88.3% of sequences in GenBank, which showed identical matches with VR744, belong toVibrio genus. A total of 33 clones were randomly selected and sequenced. All of the sequences showed their highest similarities to and clustered around those of diverse knownVibrio species. The primers designed are capable of retrieving a wide range ofVibrio 16S rDNA fragments specifically among bacterial flora in seawater, the most important natural environment of seafood cultivation.[PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]