Detection of <i>trh</i> Positive <i>Vibrio parahaemolyticus</i> Serotype O1:K56 with Possible Eco‐pathological Impact from Freshwater Sediments around Dhaka City, Bangladesh

<jats:sec><jats:label /><jats:p><jats:italic>Vibrio parahaemolyticus</jats:italic> is a well‐known marine bacterium with a pandemic effect of causing enteric diseases. Present study attempted to detect the possible presence of this enteropathogen in the freshwater sediments with an objective to demonstrate its pathogenic divergence as well as the dissemination potential within the aquatic environment. Isolates of <jats:italic>V. parahaemolyticus</jats:italic> were screened from freshwater sediments by the river sides around Dhaka City, and their genotypic traits were chalked out through <jats:italic>toxR</jats:italic>, <jats:italic>tdh</jats:italic>, and <jats:italic>trh</jats:italic> gene‐specific amplification. Isolates were serotyped as O10:K66 (<jats:italic>N</jats:italic> = 1), O10:KUT (<jats:italic>N</jats:italic> = 1), and O1:K56 (<jats:italic>N</jats:italic> = 5), of which two of the O1:K56 serovariants showed the presence of <jats:italic>trh</jats:italic> gene. Pulsed field gel electrophoresis analysis detected 65% similarity between the reference strain <jats:italic>V. parahaemolyticus</jats:italic> O3:K6 and the O1:K56 isolates. Since O1:K56 is known to be a serovariant of O3:K6 which imparts the pandemic potential, the unlikely presence of O1:K56 strains in the freshwater samples in our study further demonstrates the possible eco‐pathological impact.</jats:p></jats:sec>