TogetabetterunderstandingofthestarvationsurvivalstrategyofpathogenicVibrioalginolyticus,log-phasecellswereinoculatedintosterilenaturalseawaterforstarvationstudies.Theresultsshowedthatalloftotalbacterianumber,viablebacterianumberandCFUnumberofV.alginolyticusincreasedremarkablyattheinitialstarvationstage;afterreachingtheirpeaksat5d,bothtotalbacterianumberandviablebacterianumberofV.alginolyticusfellslowly,whiletheCFUnumberfellmorequicklyafterreachingitspeakat10d;V.alginolyticuselongatedtheircellsattheprophaseofstarvation,andthenshrunktheirvolumeandturnedtheirshapesintoovalsfromrodsattheanaphaseofstarvation;starvedcellsshowedmoresensitivitytoheatingandUV;starvedcellsshowednosignificantdifferencefromunstarvedonesatthelowestdetectionlimitdeterminedbyindirectenzyme-linkedimmunosorbentassay(ELISA);starvedcells'abilitytoadheretotheskinmucusoflargeyellowcroaker(Pseudosciaenacrocea)showedasharpdeclineasthestarvationtimeincreases;thecellularproteinofV.alginolyticusincreasedremarkablyattheanaphaseofstarvation.TheresultsindicatedthatpathogenicV.alginolyticuscouldsurviveinstarvationforrelativelylongperiodsoftime(≥2months)in28℃naturalseawaterduetothemorphologicalandphysiologicalchanges;however,starvedV.alginolyticuscellsshowedlessvirulenceandhighersensitivityunderenvironmentalstresses.
