Vibrio ecology in PNW - The Ecology of Vibrio parahaemolyticus in the Pacific Northwest: Implications for risk assessment and early warning systems

Over the past decade, there has been a significant increase in Vibrio parahaemolyticus-related gastroenteritis from the consumption of raw oysters harvested in Washington state, partly attributed to increases in water temperatures. Such illnesses/outbreaks pose a threat to public health and result in severe economic losses to the shellfish growers. Increases in Vibrio populations due to changes in environmental conditions have been previously reported but the ecology of these bacteria and their interactions with the aquatic environment are not clearly understood.

We are investigating the influence of environmental variables on concentrations of potentially pathogenic and avirulent strains of V. parahaemolyticus in oysters as well as in water and plankton, focusing on harvest areas with historically higher incidences of the bacteria. In addition, we are examining the association of V. parahaemolyticus with co-isolated phytoplankton species. The goal of these studies is to gain a better understanding of the spatial, temporal, environmental, and bacterial genetic relationships that promote the selection of strains responsible for clinical V. parahaemolyticus infections, which may assist in the improvement of risk assessment strategies and mitigation tools to prevent disease outbreaks.
Time series data on pathogen abundance, temperature, salinity and sampling locations.