Research Progress on Virulence Factors of <em>Vibrio alginolyticus</em>: A Key Pathogenic Bacteria of Sepsis

As an opportunistic pathogen, V. alginolyticus is commonly found in people with weak immune systems or open wounds. The history of seafood exposure is a major feature of V. alginolyticus infection. V. alginolyticus can infect marine economic animals such as fish, shrimp, and shellfish, and is also one of the key pathogens that cause sepsis in human. Because of its rapid progress and extremely high mortality after the infection, it has received more and more attention in clinical practice. At present, there is no effective method to completely control the incidence of V. alginolyticus. Therefore, it is particularly important to study the virulence factors and pathogenic mechanisms of V. alginolyticus. This article reviews recent studies on virulence factors of V. alginolyticus, such as quorum sensing, virulence proteins, ferroportin hemolysin, flagella, lipopolysaccharide system and biofilm formation, with the hope of providing further insights into aquaculture and public health