Genome sequence of the clinical O4:K12 serotype Vibrio parahaemolyticus strain 10329

Vibrio parahaemolyticus is the leading cause of food-borne illnesses worldwide. Here, we report a draft genome of V. parahaemolyticus strain 10329 of the O4:K12 serotype. It belongs to the main U.S. West Coast clonal complex of V. parahaemolyticus (sequence type 36 [ST36]) causing oyster-associated human illness. It contains the virulence determinants tdh and trh but appears to infect at much lower doses than V. parahaemolyticus strains with these same determinants from other areas, such as the U.S. Gulf and Atlantic coasts. Vibrio parahaemolyticus is a natural inhabitant of coastal waters and is the leading cause of seafood-borne gastroenteri-tis (12). Since 1996, V. parahaemolyticus infections and out-breaks have increased in numbers throughout the world, caused mostly by strains belonging to the V. parahaemolyticus pandemic clonal complex (VpPCC) (4, 9–11). The emergence of this VpPCC has elevated public health concerns regarding worldwide spread of V. parahaemolyticus, previously uncharac-teristic for this pathogen. Serology, the historic hallmark for V