Characteristics and Phylogeny of Shewanella haliotis Isolated from Cultivated Shellfish in Taiwan

Abstract

Shewanella haliotis is an emerging human pathogen. Many infectious cases were linked to shellfish ingestion or aquatic exposure. Therefore, it is important to study the phylogeny and distribution of S. haliotis in shellfish aquaculture. We investigated the distribution of S. haliotis in cultivated shellfish farming in Taiwan in which S. haliotis was found in the shellfish from all sampling sites. S. haliotis was identified in cultivated shellfish by 16S rRNA gene sequencing, such as abalone (Haliotis diversicolor), clam (Meretrix lusoria), and oyster (Crassostrea gigas). This study highlighted the contamination of S. haliotis in cultivated shellfish and importance of further study regarding the biodiversity and pathogenesis of S. haliotis.