title: Genome sequence of Vibrio parahaemolyticus: a pathogenic mechanism distinct from that of V cholerae.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Vibrio parahaemolyticus, a gram-negative marine bacterium, is a worldwide cause of food-borne gastroenteritis. V parahaemolyticus strains of a few specific serotypes, probably derived from a common clonal ancestor, have lately caused a pandemic of gastroenteritis. The organism is phylogenetically close to V cholerae, the causative agent of cholera.
  
  
  METHODS
  The whole genome sequence of a clinical V parahaemolyticus strain RIMD2210633 was established by shotgun sequencing. The coding sequences were identified by use of Gambler and Glimmer programs. Comparative analysis with the V cholerae genome was undertaken with MUMmer.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The genome consisted of two circular chromosomes of 3288558 bp and 1877212 bp; it contained 4832 genes. Comparison of the V parahaemolyticus genome with that of V cholerae showed many rearrangements within and between the two chromosomes. Genes for the type III secretion system (TTSS) were identified in the genome of V parahaemolyticus; V cholerae does not have these genes.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The TTSS is a central virulence factor of diarrhoea-causing bacteria such as shigella, salmonella, and enteropathogenic Escherichia coli, which cause gastroenteritis by invading or intimately interacting with intestinal epithelial cells. Our results suggest that V parahaemolyticus and V cholerae use distinct mechanisms to establish infection. This finding explains clinical features of V parahaemolyticus infections, which commonly include inflammatory diarrhoea and in some cases systemic manifestations such as septicaemia, distinct from those of V cholerae infections, which are generally associated with non-inflammatory diarrhoea.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Microbiology, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan.
authors.forename: Kozo
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Makino
authors.forename: Kenshiro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Oshima
authors.forename: Ken
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kurokawa
authors.forename: Katsushi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yokoyama
authors.forename: Takayuki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Uda
authors.forename: Kenichi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Tagomori
authors.forename: Yoshio
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Iijima
authors.forename: Masatomo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Najima
authors.forename: Masayuki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nakano
authors.forename: Atsushi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Yamashita
authors.forename: Yoshino
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kubota
authors.forename: Shigenobu
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kimura
authors.forename: Teruo
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yasunaga
authors.forename: Takeshi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Honda
authors.forename: Hideo
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Shinagawa
authors.forename: Masahira
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hattori
authors.forename: Tetsuya
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Iida
mesh_terms: D002771:Cholera / Q000382:microbiology*; D002874:Chromosome Mapping; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics*; D004270:DNA, Circular / Q000235:genetics; D005517:Foodborne Diseases / Q000382:microbiology*; D005759:Gastroenteritis / Q000382:microbiology*; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D012703:Serotyping; D014734:Vibrio cholerae / Q000235:genetics* / Q000472:pathogenicity; D014736:Vibrio parahaemolyticus / Q000235:genetics* / Q000472:pathogenicity; D014774:Virulence / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D004270:DNA, Circular