title: Prevalence of Vibrio cholerae O1 El Tor variant in a cholera-endemic zone of Kenya.
abstract: Since 2007, Kenya has experienced an increase in cholera outbreaks characterized by a high fatality rate. In this study, we characterized 81 Vibrio cholerae isolates from diarrhoeal stool samples in Nyanza, a cholera-endemic lake region of Kenya, for virulence properties, clonality and antibiotic susceptibility. Eighty of these isolates were V. cholerae O1 El Tor variants carrying the classical ctxB gene sequence, while one isolate was V. cholerae non-O1/O139. All of the El Tor variants were of clonal origin, as revealed by PFGE, and were susceptible to ampicillin, tetracycline, ciprofloxacin, fosfomycin, kanamycin and norfloxacin. However, the isolates showed resistance to sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprim and streptomycin, and intermediate resistance to nalidixic acid, chloramphenicol and imipenem. The non-O1/O139 isolate carried the cholix toxin II gene (chxA II) and was susceptible to all antimicrobials tested except ampicillin. We propose that an El Tor variant clone caused the Nyanza cholera outbreak of 2007-2008.
authors.affiliation: Medical Sciences Department, Technical University of Mombasa, Mombasa, Kenya.|International Prevention of Epidemics, Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Osaka Prefecture University, Osaka, Japan.
authors.forename: Suleiman M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Saidi
authors.affiliation: International Prevention of Epidemics, Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Osaka Prefecture University, Osaka, Japan.
authors.forename: Nityananda
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Chowdhury
authors.affiliation: International Prevention of Epidemics, Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Osaka Prefecture University, Osaka, Japan.
authors.forename: Sharda P
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Awasthi
authors.affiliation: International Prevention of Epidemics, Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Osaka Prefecture University, Osaka, Japan.
authors.forename: Masahiro
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Asakura
authors.affiliation: International Prevention of Epidemics, Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Osaka Prefecture University, Osaka, Japan.
authors.forename: Atsushi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hinenoya
authors.affiliation: Kobe Institute of Health, Kobe, Japan.
authors.forename: Yoshio
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Iijima
authors.affiliation: International Prevention of Epidemics, Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Osaka Prefecture University, Osaka, Japan.
authors.forename: Shinji
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yamasaki
mesh_terms: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D015373:Bacterial Typing Techniques; D001483:Base Sequence; D002771:Cholera / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology; D002772:Cholera Toxin / Q000235:genetics; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D003967:Diarrhea / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology; D004196:Disease Outbreaks; D024901:Drug Resistance, Multiple, Bacterial; D019353:Endemic Diseases; D005243:Feces / Q000382:microbiology; D005798:Genes, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D007630:Kenya / Q000453:epidemiology; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D060885:Multiplex Polymerase Chain Reaction; D015995:Prevalence; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D041241:Vibrio cholerae O1 / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D002772:Cholera Toxin