Emergence of <i>Vibrio parahaemolyticus</i> serotype O10:K4 in Thailand
Kazuhisa Okada, Amonrattana Roobthaisong, Suthida Muangnoicharoen Hearn, Pilailuk Akkapaiboon Okada, Pawinee Doung‐Ngern, Warawan Wongboot, Atchareeya Nakkarach, Masatomo Morita, Toshio Kodama, Tetsuya Iida
Abstract
An emerging serotype O10:K4 of Vibrio parahaemolyticus has been predominantly isolated from outbreaks and sporadic cases in China. Herein, we report the first case of infection due to V. parahaemolyticus O10:K4 isolated from a hospitalized patient with acute diarrhea in Thailand. We sequenced the whole genome of the O10:K4 strain and compared it with those of the pandemic O3:K6 strain, O10:K4 strains in China, and other clinical and environmental strains. The results suggested that the O10:K4 strains are not a mere serotype variant diverged from the pandemic O3:K6 strain, confirming that the O10:K4 strain emergence has spread to Southeast Asia.