antibiotics Article Antibiotic and Heavy Metal Susceptibility of Non-Cholera Vibrio Isolated from Marine Sponges and Sea Urchins: Could They Pose a Potential Risk to Public Health? Wellington Felipe Costa , Marcia Giambiagi-deMarval and Marinella Silva Laport *   Citation: Costa, W.F.; Giambiagi-deMarval, M.; Laport, M.S. Antibiotic and Heavy Metal Susceptibility of Non-Cholera Vibrio Isolated from Marine Sponges and Sea Urchins: Could They Pose a Potential Risk to Public Health? Antibiotics 2021, 10, 1561. https://doi.org/10.3390/ antibiotics10121561 Academic Editors: Olumide Odeyemi and Deyan Stratev Received: 30 November 2021 Accepted: 14 December 2021 Published: 20 December 2021 Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affil- iations. Copyright: © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by/ 4.0/). Instituto de Microbiologia Paulo de Góes, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Av. Carlos Chagas Filho, 373, Cidade Universitária, Rio de Janeiro 21941-902, Brazil; wellfecosta@micro.ufrj.br (W.F.C.); marciagm@micro.ufrj.br (M.G.-d.) * Correspondence: marinella@micro.ufrj.br; Tel.: +55-21-2560-8344 Abstract: Vibrio is an important human and animal pathogen that can carry clinically relevant antibiotic resistance genes and is present in different aquatic environments. However, there is a knowledge gap between antibiotic and heavy metal resistance and virulence potential when it is part of the microbiota from marine invertebrates. Here, we aimed to evaluate these characteristics and the occurrence of mobile genetic elements. Of 25 non-cholera Vibrio spp. from marine sponges and sea urchins collected at the coastlines of Brazil and France analyzed in this study, 16 (64%) were non-susceptible to antibiotics, and two (8%) were multidrug-resistant. Beta-lactam resistance (bla SHV ) and virulence (vhh) genes were detected in sponge-associated isolates. The resistance gene for copper and silver (cusB) was detected in one sea urchin isolate. Plasmids were found in 11 (44%) of the isolates. This new information allows a better comprehension of antibiotic resistance in aquatic environments, since those invertebrates host resistant Vibrio spp. Thus, Vibrio associated with marine animals may pose a potential risk to public health due to carrying these antibiotic-resistant genes. Keywords: beta-lactamase; copper resistant; Darwinella; hemolysin; Paracentrotus lividus; Vibrio alginolyticus; Vibrio harveyi 1. Introduction The genus Vibrio is a group of gram-negative bacilli possessing a curved-rod shape. They are ubiquitously distributed in aquatic environments, such as coastal seawater, sed- iments and estuaries, and are associated with marine invertebrate organisms [1]. Some species can be pathogenic for humans and aquatic animals (e.g., Vibrio cholerae, Vibrio alginolyticus, Vibrio parahaemolyticus, Vibrio vulnificus and Vibrio harveyi)[1,2]. In humans, Vibrio can cause mild to severe gastroenteritis, extra-gastrointestinal infections and sepsis, which can be fatal [2]. The bacteria are generally susceptible to antibiotics used in medical and veterinary practice. However, an increased number of resistant strains, non-cholera Vibrio, have been observed around the world [3]. Antibiotic-resistant Vibrio spp. strains, carrying clinically relevant antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), have been isolated from marine environments [4–6]. Sometimes, these bacteria can also harbor virulence genes that increase their pathogenic potential [7,8]. These ARGs and virulence genes can be present on mobile genetic elements associated with heavy metal resistance genes (HMRGs). This mechanism allows the co-selection of bacteria carrying all three, ARGs, virulence genes and HMRGs, and facilitates their persistence and dissemination in environments contaminated with antibiotics and heavy metals [5–9]. Vibrio spp. is an essential member of the microbiota from marine sponges and sea urchins [10,11]. Information on the antibiotic resistance status of Vibrio spp. isolated from these invertebrates is still scarce. The “One Health” concept claims that the health of humans, animals and the environment be intrinsically connected [12]. Considering the Antibiotics 2021, 10, 1561. https://doi.org/10.3390/antibiotics10121561 https://www.mdpi.com/journal/antibiotics