Three-dimensional (3D) computer-generated image of a number of oblong-shaped, Vibrio parahaemolyticus bacteria. The artistic recreation was based upon scanning electron microscopic (SEM) imagery. Vibrio parahaemolyticus is a curved, rod-shaped, Gram-negative bacterium found in brackish saltwater, which, when ingested, causes gastrointestinal illness in humans. Vibrio parahaemolyticus is oxidase positive, facultatively aerobic, and does not form spores. Like other members of the genus Vibrio, this species is motile, with a single, polar flagellum.