Abstract
The marine bacteria
Vibrio parahaemolyticus
and
V. alginolyticus
were incubated in seawater for 8 months to evaluate their adaptative responses to starvation. The starved cells showed an altered biochemical and enzymatic profiles, respectively, on Api 20E and Api ZYM systems and an evolution to the filterable minicells state capable to pass membrane pore size 0.45 μm. Outer membrane proteins patterns of stressed bacteria were also altered. Indeed, these modifications were manifested by the appearance and/or disappearance of bands as well as in the level of expression of certain proteins. Plasmids profiles analysis showed that
V. alginolyticus
ATCC 33787 lost three plasmids, whereas other tested strains conserved their initial profiles.