Restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLP) of cholera toxin genes in Vibrio cholerae O139 recovered from patients in Thailand, India and Bangladesh

Genotypic characterization of Vibrio cholerae isolates using several DNA fingerprint techniques

Serious pandemics of cholera have occurred throughout the known history of mankind, especially in India, which is a motherland for cholera disease. For the last 20 years several DNA-based typing methods have been employed to study the clonal relatedness between Vibrio cholerae isolates irrespective of their geographical locations. Traditional typing methods, such as biochemical tests, phage typing, serotyping, biotyping and antimicrobial susceptibility tests, have produced reliable and informative data regarding V. cholerae for a long time. Gradually molecular typing techniques have taken the place of traditional typing methods because they produce the same results upon repeat testing of V. cholerae strain. In this article we focus on the discriminatory power of different DNA fingerprint techniques that are generally used to know the homogeneity and heterogeneity among different V. cholerae isolates.

Genomic diversity among Vibrio cholerae O139 strains isolated in Bangladesh and India between 1992 and 1998

In order to assess the extent of genomic diversity among Vibrio cholerae O139 strains, restriction fragment length polymorphisms in two genetic loci, rrn and ctx, were studied. Analysis of 144 strains isolated from different regions of Bangladesh and India between 1992 and 1998 revealed the presence of at least six distinct ribotypes (B-I through B-VI) of which three were new ribotypes, and one of these was represented by a nontoxigenic O139 strain. Strains of ribotypes B-I through B-V shared 11 different CTX genotypes (A through K). Antimicrobial resistance patterns of the strains varied independently of their ribotypes and CTX genotypes. Results of this study suggest that V. cholerae O139 is undergoing rapid genetic changes leading to the origination of new variants, and temporal changes in antimicrobial resistance patterns may be contributing to the selection of different variants.

Comparison of molecular methods for typing Vibrio parahaemolyticus

An outbreak of Vibrio parahaemolyticus gastroenteritis on Canada's west coast in 1997 emphasized the need to develop molecular methods for differentiation and typing of these organisms. Isolates were analyzed by enterobacterial repetitive intergenic consensus sequence (ERIC) PCR, detection of restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLP) in rRNA genes (ribotyping), pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE), and RFLP analysis of the genetic locus encoding the polar flagellum (Fla locus RFLP analysis). ERIC PCR and ribotyping were the most informative typing methods, especially when used together, while Fla locus RFLP analysis was the least discriminatory. PFGE exhibited good discrimination but suffered from a high incidence of DNA degradation. ERIC PCR and ribotyping will be useful for the evaluation of genetic and epidemiological relationships among V. parahaemolyticus strains.