Molecular epidemiological characteristics of 25 strains of Vibrio parahemolyticus

Objective To analyze Vibrio parahemolyticus isolated from the outbreaks in Chengdu during 2008 - 2009 by using pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and PCR typing, and trace the infection sources. Methods Virulence genes tdh and trh were detected by PCR, PFGE was used for subtyping of isolates. Patterns were compared by using the software BioNumerics. Results Of the 25 isolates,20 were tdh positive and 1 were trh positive. The 25 strains were clustered into 16 PFGE patterns when digested with SfiⅠ. The PFGE patterns of isolates from the environment varied. Conclusion The infection sources of the outbreaks in Chengdu were complex. PFGE may be used to analyze and identify isolates in outbreak.