African Journal of
Microbiology Research

  • Abbreviation: Afr. J. Microbiol. Res.
  • Language: English
  • ISSN: 1996-0808
  • DOI: 10.5897/AJMR
  • Start Year: 2007
  • Published Articles: 5225

Full Length Research Paper

Adhesive properties and antibacterial susceptibility of Vibrio alginolyticus strains isolated from a Tunisian Ruditapes decussatus hatchery

  Mechri Badreddine1,2*, Rim Mabrouki Charfeddine1, Amel Medhioub2, Mohamed Nejib Medhioub2 and Aouni Mahjoub1
  1Laboratoire des Maladies Transmissibles et Substances Biologiquement Actives, Université de Monastir, Faculté de Pharmacie, rue Avicenne 5000 Monastir, Tunisie. 2Laboratoire d’Aquaculture- Institut National des Sciences et Technologies de la Mer, Route de Khniss 5000 Monastir – B.P. 59, Tunisie.
Email: [email protected]

  •  Accepted: 22 July 2013
  •  Published: 02 August 2013

Abstract

 

Vibrio alginolyticus has been reported to cause several damages to reared bivalve molluscan larva. In the present work, we characterized fifty four phenotypic and genetic V. alginolyticus strains isolated from a Ruditapes decussatus hatchery in the National Institute of Marine Sciences and Technologies, Monastir, Tunisia, then we studied the antibiotics susceptibility and the antibacterial activity of clam hemolymph against the tested isolates. We also investigated the adherence ability of these strains to abiotic materials (glass, polyethylene, polystyrene, polyvinyl-chloride and stainless steel) and to biotic surfaces (epithelial cell lines: Hep-2 and Vero). Vibrio cells showed high levels of resistance to many antibiotics and produced several hydrolytic exoenzymes. Vibrio strains isolated from broodstock showed the highest resistance to clam hemolymph. The majority of V. alginolyticus strains were able to adhere to all abiotic surfaces tested to varying degrees. The highest cell density was observed on polyvinyl-chloride surface followed by that on the glass slides, polyethylene, polystyrene and stainless steel materials. Adherence properties were found in 64% of the analyzed strains in Hep-2 cells and in 73% when using Vero cells. These results explain how V. alginolyticus manage to persist and proliferate in the entire hatchery.

 

Key words: Vibrio alginolyticusRuditapes decussatus, hatchery, biofilm, antimicrobials.