Vibrio cholerae

Vibrio cholerae has been recognised as one of the common causes of bacterial diarrhoea throughout developing world. Cholera is a self-limiting illness. However it is changing epidemiologically. In recent cholera outbreaks from various places, severity of the disease appears to be intensifying and have run a more protracted course. Multiple antibiotic resistant strains of V. cholerae have emerged. The emergence of these has added a new dimension to the variability in pathogenicity and potential virulence in precipitating diarrhoeal illness. To isolate and identify Vibrio cholerae from stool specimens and to know their antibiotic susceptibility pattern. Faecal specimens collected from 240 patients with acute diarrhoeal disease were subjected to culture & sensitivity as per standard protocol. Vibrio cholerae was isolated from 72/240 (30%) stool samples. All isolates belonged to biotype El Tor. Serotype Ogawa was seen in 66(91.67%) and Hikojima 6(8.33%). Resistance pattern of Ogawa was nalidixic acid (100%), co-trimoxazole(97%), Ampicillin(79%), tetracycline(29%), ciprofloxacin(25%), gentamycin(18%). Resistant pattern of Hikojima was nalidixic acid (100%), co-trimoxazole(100%), Ampicillin & ciprofloxacin(67%), gentamycin(33%), tetracycline(16%). All isolates were sensitive to Amikacin. Tetracycline is still an effective drug. Hikojima serotype was more resistant than Ogawa so susceptibility pattern for vibrio is essential to avoid emergence of resistant strains by empirical treatment.