A highly homologous 68 kbp plasmid found in Vibrio vulnificus strains virulent for eels.

Vibrio vulnificus serovar E (biotype 2) strains are virulent for eels and have also been reported to cause illness in humans. Studies on the plasmid content of serovar E strains revealed the existence of a plasmid of approximately 70 kbp present in most of these strains. In this study we characterized the 70 kbp plasmids of seven biotype 2 strains isolated from seawater, diseased eels and wound infections in humans. We determined the exact size of the high molecular weight plasmids to be 68 kbp. A comparison of the plasmids of the seven strains by restriction length polymorphism and hybridization analysis showed them to be almost identical.