Vibrio vulnificus infections in humans via either the consumption of contaminated seafood or contact of a wound with seawater generally cause mild gastroenteritis with diarrhea, vomiting, and abdominal pain [
1]. In addition, this pathogen in the human gut can cause life-threatening systemic septicemia with a mortality rate of 61 % when it crosses the intestinal mucosal barrier to enter the bloodstream, suggesting that
V. vulnificus is one of many pathogenic bacteria in the human gut microbiota [
2,
3].
Vibrio vulnificus has been frequently detected in sea water as well as various kinds of seafood [
4].
Vibrio vulnificus was detected in 66 of 68 oyster samples (97 %) and 27 of 30 clam samples (90 %) from Long Island Sound, California [
5]. The consumption of
V. vulnificus-contaminated seafood causes clinical food-borne outbreaks. In South Korea (2000–2011), 34 individuals who consumed
V. vulnificus-contaminated seafood were hospitalized and 16 died, which suggests that this pathogen is widespread and highly virulent and causes food-borne outbreaks [
6]. Therefore, virulence traits of this pathogen should be understood at the genomic level. Although outbreaks of this pathogen have been reported for many years, only five strains of
V. vulnificus have had their whole genomes sequenced and analyzed to date (NCBI;
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov). Genome information has revealed the presence of various virulence factors in the genomes, such as an extracellular hemolysin/cytolysin, iron uptake receptors, capsular polysaccharide related to antiphagocytosis, and secretion systems [
7]. To extend our understanding of the pathogen’s further pathogenicity and virulence factors at the genomic level, more genomes of
V. vulnificus need to be sequenced and analyzed.