Adaptation ofVibrio choleraeto Hypoxic Environments

Bacteria can colonize virtually any environment on Earth due to their remarkable capacity to detect and respond quickly and adequately to environmental stressors.Vibrio choleraeis a cosmopolitan bacterium that inhabits a vast range of environments. TheV. choleraelife cycle comprises diverse environmental and infective stages. The bacterium is found in aquatic ecosystems both under free-living conditions or associated with a wide range of aquatic organisms, and some strains are also capable of causing epidemics in humans. In order to adapt between environments,V. choleraepossesses a versatile metabolism characterized by the rapid cross-regulation of energy-producing pathways. Low oxygen concentration is a key environmental factor that governsV. choleraephysiology. This article reviews the metabolic plasticity that enablesV. choleraeto thrive on low oxygen concentrations and its role in environmental and host adaptation.