Strom, M. S., Northwest Fisheries Science Ce, Seattle, USA, mark.strom@noaa.gov
Landis, E. D., Northwest Fisheries Science Center, NOAA Fisheries Service, Seattle, USA, eric.landis@noaa.gov
Paranjpye, R. N., Northwest Fisheries Science Center, NOAA Fisheries Service, Seattle, USA, rohinee.paranjpye@noaa.gov
Sokurenko, E. V., University of Washington, Seattle, USA, evs@u.washington.edu
Moseley, S. L., University of Washington, Seattle, USA, moseley@u.washington.edu
Chattopadhyay, S. ., University of Washington, Seattle, USA, sujayc@u.washington.edu

EMERGING PATHOGENESIS OF VIBRIO PARAHAEMOLYTICUS

Vibrio parahaemolyticus (Vp) is a ubiquitous marine bacterium capable of causing severe gastroenteritis in humans, usually through the consumption of raw oysters. Prior to 1995, Vp-vibriosis was sporadic and caused by a relatively heterogeneous population of the bacterium. In the last decade, Vp-vibriosis outbreaks have become more epidemic, with foci of clinical infections attributed to oysters harvested from single or geographically-linked sites. While initial Vp food poisioning outbreaks were attributed to a single pandemic O3:K6 serotype, other serotypes have been implicated in distinct geographical areas, including O4:K12 in the U. S. Pacific Northwest and O6:K18 in Alaska. Current risk assessment models are based on the presence of the virulence-associated gene tdh, yet illnesses have been attributed to tdh- isolates or have occurred in the apparent absence of significant numbers of Vp. We are using phenotypic, genetic, and genomic comparison methods, along with corresponding environmental parameters, to test the hypothesis that Vp clones with increased pathogenic potential have recently emerged, and to examine whether this emergence is connected to specific environmental changes in the Vp natural habitat.

Oral presentation

Presentation is given by student: No
Session #:120
Date: 03-03-2008
Time: 09:00