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Vibrio parahaemolyticus
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Vibrio parahaemolyticus
See Also
Food-borne Diarrheal Infection
Vibrionaceae
Cholera
Epidemiology
Incidence
(U.S.)
Vibrio parahaemolyticus causes 35,000
Gastroenteritis
cases/year
Results in 100 hospitalizations and 4 deaths (0.011 mortality) per year
In contrast, Vibrio parahaemolyticus is the most common cause of
Food Poisoning
in Japan
Pathophysiology
Characteristics
Vibrio parahaemolyticus is a facultative Anaerobic
Gram Negative Rod
in
Vibrionaceae
family
All
Vibrio
genus
Bacteria
are curved (crescent shaped) and motile with a single polar flagellum
Vibrio parahaemolyticus grows best in warm waters, but outbreaks have occurred in Alaska
Other species with similar presentations to Vibrio parahaemolyticus
Gastroenteritis
Vibrio
fluvialis
Vibrio
mimicus
Non-toxigenic
Vibrio Cholerae
Contrast with toxigenic
Vibrio Cholerae
which causes profuse, life threatening
Diarrhea
(
Cholera
)
VIrulence Factors
Thermostable Direct Hemolysin (TDH)
TDH is a pore-forming toxin responsible for the clinical manifestations of V. parahaemolyticus
Gastroenteritis
TDH is found in most pathogenic strains of Vibrio parahaemolyticus (but only in 2-3% of natural sources)
Findings
Presentations
Wound Infection
(from
Marine Trauma
)
See
Marine Trauma
See
Cellulitis
Food Poisoning
See
Food-borne Diarrheal Infection
Sources
Shellfish or raw seafood (esp. mussels)
Incubation Period
4 to 96 hours (mean 17 hours)
Course is typically self-limited
Gastroenteritis
(except for
Immunocompromised
patients)
Sepsis
Rare and typically limited to
Immunocompromised
patients
Risk Factors
Liver
disease
Diabetes Mellitus
Alcoholism
Symptoms
Low-grade fever
Nausea
and
Vomiting
Diarrhea
Abdominal Pain
Labs
Stool Culture
Grows well on Thiosulfate Citrate Bile-Salt Sucrose (TCBS) Media
Management
See
Acute Diarrhea
Supportive Care
Oral Rehydration
Antibiotic
s may be considered in more severe cases (see
Sepsis
risk factors above)
Doxycycline
Minocycline
References
Rezny (2025) Vibrio parahaemolyticus Infection, StatPearls +PMID: 29083695 [PubMed]
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK459164/
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