Characteristics and Phylogeny ofShewanella haliotisIsolated from Cultivated Shellfish in Taiwan

Shewanella haliotisis an emerging human pathogen. Many infectious cases were linked to shellfish ingestion or aquatic exposure. Therefore, it is important to study the phylogeny and distribution ofS. haliotisin shellfish aquaculture. We investigated the distribution ofS. haliotisin cultivated shellfish farming in Taiwan in whichS. haliotiswas found in the shellfish from all sampling sites.S. haliotiswas identified in cultivated shellfish by 16S rRNA gene sequencing, such as abalone (Haliotis diversicolor), clam (Meretrix lusoria), and oyster (Crassostrea gigas). This study highlighted the contamination ofS. haliotisin cultivated shellfish and importance of further study regarding the biodiversity and pathogenesis ofS. haliotis.