ORIGINAL ARTICLE Vibrio spp. from Yesso scallop (Patinopecten yessoensis) demonstrating virulence properties and antimicrobial resistance B. C. J. De Silva | Sabrina Hossain | P. S. Dahanayake | Tae-Myung Kang | Gang-Joon Heo Veterinary Medical Center and College of Veterinary Medicine, Chungbuk National University, Cheongju, South Korea Correspondence Gang-Joon Heo, Laboratory of Aquatic Animal Medicine, Veterinary Medical Center and College of Veterinary Medicine, Chungbuk National University, Chungdae-ro 1, Seowon- gu, Cheongju, Chungbuk 28644, South Korea. Email: gjheo@cbu.ac.kr Abstract We report the prevalence and characterization of Vibrio spp. isolated from marketed Yesso scallop (Patinopecten yessoensis) in Korea. A total of 30 isolates including, V. parahaemolyticus (n = 2), V. alginolyticus (n = 9), V. fluvialis (n = 7), V. diabolicus (n = 7), V. anguillarum (n = 4) and V. aestuaria- nus (n = 1) were isolated and identified. The phenotypic pathogenicity tests demonstrated that, 18 (60%), 21 (70%), 18 (60%), 7 (23%), 22 (73%), 21 (70%), 9 (30%), and 11 (33%) of the isolates were positive for DNase, protease, gelatinase, lipase, phospho-lipase, amylase, slime production, and hae- molysis, respectively. PCR assays revealed the prevalence of toxR, tlh, VAC, vfh, hupO, and VPI genes among the isolates with varying combinations. A close genetic affinity among V. alginolyticus and V. diabolicus strains was observed. Also the virulence genes specific to one Vibrio species were detected among other species as well. In addition, 29/30 (97%) isolates were multidrug resistant, while higher resistance rates were shown for ampicillin, colistin, vancomycin, and cephalothin. The results imply that the scallops in Korean markets harbor Vibrio spp., which are potentially virulent and multidrug resistant, thus their public health implications should not be underrated. Practical applications For many decades, vibrios are known for its importance in seafoodborne illnesses. Yesso scallop is the most popular and extensively cultured scallop variety in Korea. Therefore, we sought to assess the marketed fresh Yesso scallops for the prevalence and molecular characterization of Vibrio spe- cies. A total of 30 strains were isolated and identified by a series of biochemical tests, subsequent gyrB gene sequencing and phylogenetic analyses. Six Vibrio spp. were identified with V. alginolyticus as the most prevalent. Interestingly, V. alginolyticus was genetically similar to V. diabolicus. Besides, the virulence genes specific to V. alginolyticus and V. parahaemolyticus were observed in other species as well. It suggests that the detection of the species-specific genes does not ensure the correct iden- tification of pathogenic vibrios. Further, the occurrence of V. parahaemolyticus-specific virulence genes in other Vibrio spp. potentially complicates the correct tracking of V. parahaemolyticus infec- tions. In addition, 73% of these Vibrio spp. isolates showed multiple antibiotic resistance (MAR) indi- ces higher than 0.2, which signifies their high risk of infection. Collectively, these results provide important evidence that not only the well-known pathogenic vibrios like V. parahaemolyticus, but also other Vibrio spp. can act alike because of their similar characteristics. 1 | INTRODUCTION Vibrio spp. are highly motile, slightly curved, Gram-negative rods that thrive in marine and estuarine environments and aquaculture settings worldwide (Thompson, Iida, & Swings, 2004). There are 12 Vibrio spe- cies pathogenic to humans, where eight of these may be associated with foodborne infections of the gastrointestinal tract (Oliver & Japer, 1997). V. cholerae and V. parahaemolyticus are among frequently Received: 22 June 2018 Revised: 2 December 2018 Accepted: 5 December 2018 DOI: 10.1111/jfs.12634 J Food Saf. 2019;39:e12634. wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/jfs © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. 1 of 10 https://doi.org/10.1111/jfs.12634