Abstract:[Objective] Vibrio parahaemolyticus is a common foodborne pathogen in aquatic products. The formation of biofilm is essential for the survival and spread of Vibrio parahaemolyticus. The aim of this study was to evaluate the structural diversity of biofilms formed by 44 strains of Vibrio parahaemolyticus isolated under clinical and environmental conditions. [Methods] This study proposed a high-throughput method based on confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM), using 96-well microtiter plates compatible with high-resolution imaging, combined with structural analysis software ISA-2 to study biofilm formation and structure, the biofilm structure parameters (Biovolume, Average thickness, Biofilmroughness) formed by 22 clinical strains and 22 environmental strains were analyzed. [Results] CLSM images showed that 44 strains of Vibrio parahaemolyticus could form 3D structure after 48 h incubation, and further analyzed the similarities and differences of biofilm formation between clinically derived strains and environmentally derived strains, showed that the coefficient of variation in the clinical strains were smaller than that of the environmental strains, and the strains BF with both tdh and trh virulence factors had the smallest variability. Agglomerative hierarchical clustering (AHC) showed that biofilm can be divided into dense and smooth surface (39%), mottled and rough surface (27%) and loose and uneven surface (34%), the clinical strain formed a biofilm which is easy to form dense and smooth surface, mottled and rough surface, whereas the environmental strain formed a biofilm which is easy to dense and smooth surface and loose and uneven surface. [Conclusion] This study provides an in-depth understanding of the biofilm structure of Vibrio parahaemolyticus, it provides theoretical support for different prevention and control measures for Vibrio parahaemolyticus biofilms from clinical and environmental sources.
WeChat ID 
Mobile Terminal