Molecular identification, typing and tracking of Vibrio harveyi in aquaculture systems: Current methods and future prospects

Vibrio harveyi is an economically significant pathogen for the aquaculture industry and methods to identify, type and track V. harveyi-related populations are therefore of interest. Due to phenotypic similarities and genome plasticity, traditional phenotypic identification and typing methods are not always able to resolve V. harveyi from closely related species. This review provides an overview and evaluation of molecular methods currently used to identify and type V. harveyi related species in taxonomic and epidemiological studies and presents prospects and challenges for developing molecular methods for direct detection of V. harveyi in complex samples.