Prevalence and virulence of Vibrio species isolated from raw shrimp from retail markets in Reynosa, Mexico

In this study, the prevalence ofVibrio cholerae,Vibrio parahaemolyticus,Vibrio mimicus,Vibrio vulnificusandVibriospp. in shrimp from retail markets in Reynosa, Mexico was determined. A total of 765 isolates, identified asVibriospp. (59 center dot 1%),V. cholerae(17 center dot 8%), V. mimicus(6 center dot 7%) andV. parahaemolyticus(4 center dot 6%), were obtained;V. vulnificuswas not detected. Most of the strains were isolated from supermarkets (48 center dot 1%), followed by street vendors (37 center dot 3%) and retail stores (14 center dot 6%). Moreover, several virulence genes were identified inV. cholerae:toxR (100%),OmpU (76 center dot 5%),hlyA (76 center dot 5%), VPI (19 center dot 9%) andtcpA (5 center dot 1%); inV. mimicus:vmh(100%),wzb(74 center dot 5%),pilF (54 center dot 9%), VPI (43 center dot 1%),OmpU (29 center dot 4%) andtdh(9 center dot 8%); and inV. parahaemolyticus:toxR (100%),tlh(100%), VP1680 (51 center dot 4%) and VPI (11 center dot 4%). These results show the low safety of this food and the potential risk to consumers' health, since this product in Mexican cuisine is sometimes served raw or semi-cooked.