RT Journal Article SR Electronic(1) A1 Serichantalergs, Oralak A1 Bhuiyan, Nurul Amin A1 Nair, Gopinath Balakrish A1 Chivaratanond, Orapan A1 Srijan, Apichai A1 Bodhidatta, Ladaporn A1 Anuras, Sinn A1 Mason, Carl J.YR 2007 T1 The dominance of pandemic serovars of Vibrio parahaemolyticus in expatriates and sporadic cases of diarrhoea in Thailand, and a new emergent serovar (O3 : K46) with pandemic traits JF Journal of Medical Microbiology, VO 56 IS 5 SP 608 OP 613 DO https://doi.org/10.1099/jmm.0.47006-0 PB Microbiology Society, SN 1473-5644, AB Vibrio parahaemolyticus is a major cause of gastroenteritis worldwide. A total of 95 V. parahaemolyticus isolates belonging to 23 different serovars were identified in a case–control study of expatriates and Thai adults from 2001 to 2002 in Thailand. Fifty-two per cent of isolates (49/95) were resistant to ampicillin and sulfisoxazole, but all isolates were susceptible to ciprofloxacin and trimethoprim–sulfamethoxazole, two antibiotics commonly used to treat traveller’s diarrhoea. All isolates were positive for the species-specific toxR gene, and 91 and 5 were positive for the thermostable direct haemolysin (tdh) gene and the tdh-related (trh) gene, respectively. Sixty-five isolates were assigned to the pandemic group of V. parahaemolyticus by a group-specific PCR and the presence of the orf8 gene. The pandemic isolates belonged to three recognized serovars (O3 : K6, O1 : K25, O1 : KUT) and a new serovar, O3 : K46. This new serovar harboured pandemic traits. PFGE analysis revealed that all pandemic isolates including serovar O3 : K46 were closely related and clearly distinct from the non-pandemic isolates. In summary, three well-known serovars of pandemic V. parahaemolyticus isolates were identified as a major cause of diarrhoea in Thailand and a new V. parahaemolyticus isolate, serovar O3 : K46, with pandemic traits was detected., UL https://www.microbiologyresearch.org/content/journal/jmm/10.1099/jmm.0.47006-0