Genes identified that contribute to Vibrio parahaemolyticus colonization of the intestines

Using transposon-insertion sequencing, Dr. Waldor and colleagues identified genes of V. parahaemolyticus, the most common cause of seafood-borne gastroenteritis, that contribute to viability of the pathogen in vitro and in the mammalian small intestine. They show that the V. parahaemolyticus toxR locus is required for fitness of the pathogen in animals. ToxR is required because it activates expression of one of the type 3 secretion systems in this organism. Hubbard TP, et al, Proc Natl Acad Sci 2016.

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