1. A Characterization of Potentially Pathogenic Vibrio vulnificus Isolates Found
in the New Hampshire Great Bay Estuary
Sarah E. Sanders, Stephen Jones, Loren Launen
Department of Biology, Keene State College; Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Science,
University of New Hampshire
Introduction
 Use whole genomic sequencing to categorize isolates
into biotypes by genomic analysis.
 Create phylogenies between GBE isolates and other
Vibrio vulnificus bacteria, including known pathogens.
 Determine if the rising numbers of GBE isolates are
due to increased numbers of diverse Vibrio vulnificus
or to expansion of a particular biotype.
Research Goals
A pathogen is any microorganism that
causes disease. Staphylococcus aureus and
Mycobacterium tuberculosis are examples
of pathogenic bacteria. Determining
bacterial pathogenicity is accomplished by
characterizing aspects of bacterial structure
as potential virulence factors. For instance,
many pathogenic bacteria produce
phenotypic capsules in order to protect
themselves from the host’s immune system.
Method
Acknowledgements
Return to lab to test ideas
Design experiments to assess phenotype
Comparative genomics
Sequence gDNA and assemble chromosomes
Isolate gDNA from strains
Isolate Vibrio vulnificus from oysters (UNH)
 Explore human or environmental
interaction as potential drivers for
biotype selection in the Great Bay
Estuary.
 Design experiments that link bacterial
phenotype to genotype to assess
potential bacterial pathogenicity.
Vibrio vulnificus is a prevalent bacterium
found in both seawater and brackish areas
of the United States, such as the Great Bay
Estuary (GBE) of New Hampshire.
Infections by Vibrio vulnificus are caused
by wound exposure to seawater or by
consumption of raw seafood such as
oysters. Symptoms range from abdominal
pain and vomiting to more severe effects
such as septicemia, wound necrosis and
gastroenteritis. Infections are especially
deadly toward persons who have
immunocompromised conditions or who
suffer from liver cirrhosis due to alcohol
toxicity. Interestingly, although the number
of Vibrio vulnificus bacteria has risen
markedly in recent years in the GBE, there
have been no known infections.
In our lab, we hope to characterize Vibrio
vulnificus isolates from the GBE at the
genetic and phenotypic levels in order to
better determine their potential
pathogenicity and understand why their
levels are rising.
Future Directions
Research students handling
Vibrio vulnificus bacteria using biosafety
level 2 procedures
Wound necrosis caused by
a Vibrio vulnificus infection
(Photo by Bayou Woman)
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
2007 2008 2009 2012 2013 2014
Number of Vibrio vulnificus Isolated From the
Great Bay Estuary in Years Sampled
Capsule showing structural support in bacteria
Support for this project is provided through the NH EPSCoR
Program via the National Science Foundation’s Research
Infrastructure Improvement Award # IIA-1330641. Support
for student research salaries was provided in part by the
IDeA Program, NIH Grant No. P20GM103506 (National
Institute of General Medical Sciences).
We thank Chantale Lacroix and Katie Featherston for
technical support, Will Wroebel for photography support,
Dana Gibson for poster support, Marianne O’Brien, Emma
Wilson, and Brooke Miller, as well as the Keene State Office
of Sponsored Projects and the School of Science and Social
Science for administrative support.