Bacterium
Vibrio vulnificus
Marine vibrio, wound and shellfish sepsis
VIB-ree-oh vul-NIF-ih-kus
High-yield clue
Marine vibrio causing severe wound infection or sepsis after warm saltwater exposure or raw oysters, notably in chronic liver disease.
Overview
A halophilic marine Gram-negative rod studied as a cause of aggressive wound infection and rapidly progressive sepsis, especially in people with chronic liver disease or iron overload.
Classification
- Gram-negative
- Curved rod
- Vibrionaceae
- Facultative anaerobe
- Halophilic
Lab & identification clues
- Oxidase positive vocabulary
- Lactose fermenter (unusual for vibrios) concept
- Green colonies on TCBS
- Requires salt for growth vocabulary
Associations
- Raw oyster and warm-seawater exposure vocabulary
- Chronic liver disease / iron overload risk vocabulary
- Hemorrhagic bullae presentation vocabulary
Commonly confused with
- Vibrio parahaemolyticus
- Aeromonas hydrophila
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.