Genomic characterization of the Vibrio parahaemolyticus strain CIBGEN003 and mid-stage RNA-Seq analysis during phage vB_Vp_PvVp04_M infection

Vibrio parahaemolyticus is a primary etiological agent of acute hepatopancreatic necrosis disease (AHPND), which has caused substantial economic losses in the global aquaculture systems. Nowadays, antimicrobial resistance is a significant problem that makes producers search for alternative treatments to eradicate these infections; phages are an excellent strategy to address this issue. This study reported the genomic characterization of V. parahaemolyticus strain identified as V. parahaemolyticus CIBGEN003, isolated from a shrimp farm. We tested this strain against a Vibrio phage, to identify the genes involved in the infection of the phage vB_PvVP04_M in V. parahaemolyticus CIBGEN003 at 10 min after phage infection and before the lysis process. Phage genes transcribed at 10 min were associated to nucleotide metabolism and gene expression regulation; however, the expression of genes involved in virion structure and lysis remained unchanged. In addition, 22 bacterial genes were differentially transcribed at this time point, where upregulated genes are involved in cellular processes, including electron transfer and protein folding. In contrast downregulated genes were associated with nitrate assimilation and oxidative stress. This approach provided a better understanding of the transcriptional response to the bacterial-phage interaction before bacterial lysis.