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- Microbiological, biochemical, and molecular characterization of Vibrio spp. isolated from environmental samples collected from Namibe (Angola)Publication . Tebeje, Mekonnen Girma; Cardoso, João; Power, DeborahFoodborne diseases have a major impact on public health, increasing rates of illness, death, and medical costs. Consumption of bivalves like mussels provide known health benefits but consuming them without knowing associated health risks can expose consumers to harmful microbes like pathogenic Vibrio species. The goal of this work was to identify and characterize Vibrio species from environmental seawater and mussel samples that might pose the risk of foodborne infections in Namibe (Angola) a province where there is a high risk of food poisoning and food insecurity. A combination of microbiological, molecular, bioinformatics, biochemical, and toxin analysis techniques were employed. The Vibrio isolates characterized in this study exhibited varied phenotypic traits, including differences in sucrose fermentation and colony characteristics on TCBS agar. The combination of 16S rRNA gene sequencing and species-specific amplification of genes, ToxR, tdh, and gyrB initially revealed all the isolates were V. alginolyticus but subsequent genome sequencing of three candidates species revealed that two were different V. alginolyticus strains and another was a different species V. diabolicus. Growth kinetics at 24°C and 37°C demonstrated the adaptability of the isolated species, with faster growth and shorter duplication times at 37°C, highlighting their growth optimum. Partial lysis of erythrocyte on blood agar and detection of proteolytic and lipolytic activities on agar plates indicated that these strains are likely to be virulent. Genome analysis revealed the presence of 128 virulence-related genes, involved in adherence, biofilm formation, motility, and effector delivery, and toxicity were identified and antibiotic resistant genes that differed between the genomes of the three candidates sequenced. In summary the study suggested that the Vibrio isolates that were characterized in this study are likely to be virulent and may represent a risk to the population when contaminated foods are consumed. This multidisciplinary approach underlines the importance of genomic and phenotypic analyses for precise identification, identification of pathogenic mechanisms, and monitoring of antibiotic resistance in Vibrio species which is crucial for the development of targeted strategies to manage vibriosis and mitigate public health risks.