Vibrio Species

The genus Vibrio contains 130 confirmed species, of which a dozen have been demonstrated to cause infections in humans. As vibrios are natural inhabitants of aquatic environments, infections are usually associated with wound exposure to seawater or consumption of raw seafood. As estimated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, vibriosis causes approximately 80,000 illnesses and 100 deaths in the United States every year, mostly during the summer months, when water temperatures are warmer, and in contrast to infections caused by other major foodborne pathogens, the number of Vibrio infections is steadily increasing. Several reports have recently indicated that human Vibrio illnesses are increasing worldwide, as well as the species responsible for these infections. Besides “the big four- (Vibrio cholerae, Vibrio vulnificus, Vibrio parahaemolyticus, and Vibrio alginolyticus), additional Vibrio species [Vibrio fluvialis, Vibrio mimicus, Grimontia (Vibrio) hollisae, Vibrio metschnikovii, Vibrio metoecus, and Vibrio furnissii] have recently been associated with food consumption. These 10 Vibrio species are the subject of this chapter.