Assessing toxicity and competitive fitness of <i>Vibrio</i> isolates from coastal waters in Israel

The ocean's surface water temperatures have increased in the past decades due to climate change. This increase correlates with the spread of <i>Vibrio</i>, a genus of aquatic bacteria, many of which are pathogens of humans and marine animals. Since <i>Vibrio</i>-associated illnesses are rising in Israel, we set out to investigate the <i>Vibrio</i> population in Israel's coastal environments and monitor their pathogenic potential. We found diverse repertoires of predicted toxins, the ability to kill mammalian immune cells, and traits that enhance bacterial fitness, such as antibacterial toxicity and resistance to antibiotics commonly used to treat <i>Vibrio</i> infections. These findings indicate that pathogenic traits are circulating within the environmental <i>Vibrio</i> population in Israel's coastal waters and suggest that continued monitoring is essential to identify emerging pathogenic strains.