Production of bactericidal substances by a marine vibrio isolated from cultures of the scallop Argopecten purpuratus

A marine vibrio (strain C33) having inhibitory effects on the growth of the pathogen Vibrio anguillarum-VAR was isolated from seawater used in mass culture of the north-Chilean scallop Argopecten purpuratus. This bacterial isolate demonstrated broad inhibitory activity on several bacterial strains, including some pathogenic vibrios. Ethyl acetate extracts of extracellular products of strain C33 were separated by thin layer chromatography (TLC), and three fractions thus obtained were found to have antimicrobial activity when tested using microplate bioassays. One of the fractions (A2) having marked antimicrobial activity, was further purified using TLC and analyzed by IR spectrophotometry and NMR'H and was characterized on a preliminary basis as an aliphatic hydroxyl ether. This compound demonstrated bacteriostatic activity against the important marine pathogens Vibrio parahaemolyticus and V. splendidus, and as discussed in the paper, may be useful in developing natural strategies for the control of pathogens in mass cultures of Argopecten purpuratus and possibly other molluscs affected by these bacteria.