title: Demonstration of viable but nonculturable Vibrio cholerae O1 in fresh water environment of India using ciprofloxacin DFA-DVC method.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To demonstrate the presence of culturable and nonculturable viable pathogenic Vibrio cholerae O1 in fresh water environments of a cholera-endemic region in India.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Conventional culture and ciprofloxacin DFA-DVC were utilized to investigate the existence of V. cholerae O1. We isolated pathogenic culturable V. cholerae O1 from water samples collected from cholera-affected areas. No culturable V. cholerae O1 was isolated from water and plankton samples from natural fresh water bodies. Ciprofloxacin was used for DFA-DVC as V. cholerae O1 are 100% resistant to nalidixic acid in our region. The viable but nonculturable O1 cells were demonstrated in 2.21 and 40.69% samples from natural water bodies and cholera-affected areas, respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Vibrio cholerae O1 VBNC could be demonstrated using modified DFA-DVC technique. Ciprofloxacin is preferable to nalidixic acid for DVC in view of existing high-level resistance to nalidixic acid in cholera-endemic areas.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We endorse that for public health surveillance, cholera outbreak investigation and disease control water samples in addition to culture should be tested for V. cholerae using DFA-DVC.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Microbiology, Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mishra
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Taneja
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sharma
mesh_terms: D001431:Bacteriological Techniques / Q000379:methods*; D002771:Cholera / Q000382:microbiology; D002939:Ciprofloxacin; D005453:Fluorescence; D005618:Fresh Water / Q000382:microbiology*; D007194:India; D041241:Vibrio cholerae O1 / Q000302:isolation & purification*
chemical_list: D002939:Ciprofloxacin