Bacterium
Vibrio parahaemolyticus
Salt-loving seafood gastroenteritis vibrio
VIB-ree-oh pah-ruh-hee-moh-LIT-ih-kus
High-yield clue
Halophilic curved rod causing watery diarrhea after raw seafood, with the Kanagawa phenomenon (TDH hemolysin) as a virulence clue.
Overview
A curved Gram-negative marine rod that is a leading study example of seafood-associated gastroenteritis, especially from raw or undercooked shellfish.
Classification
- Gram-negative
- Curved rod
- Vibrionaceae
- Facultative anaerobe
- Halophilic
Lab & identification clues
- Oxidase positive vocabulary
- Green colonies on TCBS (sucrose non-fermenter)
- Kanagawa phenomenon / TDH hemolysin concept
- Requires salt for growth vocabulary
Associations
- Raw or undercooked shellfish transmission vocabulary
- Warm coastal water exposure association
- Self-limited gastroenteritis presentation vocabulary
Commonly confused with
- Vibrio vulnificus
- Vibrio cholerae
Your notes
Original student-study summary. Sources checked: OpenStax Microbiology 2e, NCBI Bookshelf Medical Microbiology, and CDC topic pages where applicable; reviewed 2026-06. Educational only; no diagnosis, treatment, dosing, or specimen-handling guidance.