Abstract: Objective To explore pathogenic characteristics of Vibrio parahaemolyticus in Dongguan City, to provide experimental basis for disease control and prevention. Methods According to GB 4789.7-2013, forty-three strains of Vibrio parahaemolyticus, isolated from food monitoring, patients with food poisoning and sporadic patients in 2012 and 2013, were tested for biochemistry and serological identification. The drug resistance to 12 antibiotics was tested by K-B method. tdh and trh genes of the strains were detected by real-time PCR and digested by restriction endonuclease Not I. Then, molecular typing was performed by the pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). Results The main serotype of the strains isolated from patients was O3∶K6, accounting for 83.3% of all patients (15/18), while serotype of 25 strains isolated from food showed diversification, without predominant serotype. The drug resistance of strains had low sensitivity to ampicillin (sensitive rate, 0.0%, 0/43) and keflin (sensitive rate, 20.9%, 9/43), while high sensitivity to ciprofloxacin, guanimycin and imipenem (sensitive rate, 100.0%, 43/43). Strains isolated from patients carried tdh gene, while the strains isolated from food had neither tdh nor trh gene. The result of PFGE indicated that the bands of strains isolated from patients were relatively concentrated, while the bands of the strains from food were relatively disperse. Strains of the same serotype were highly homologous and PFGE type was found to be consistent with different patients with food poisonings. Conclusion The strains isolated from food had disperse bands and low pathogenicity and those from patients had high homology and pathogenicity.