title: Genetic relatedness of selected clinical and environmental non-O1/O139 Vibrio cholerae.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  In an attempt to better understand the non-O1/O139 isolates of Vibrio cholerae, a systematic study of clinical and environmental isolates collected from various geographical locations between the years 1932 and 1998 was conducted.
  
  
  METHODS
  Ninety-nine V. cholerae isolates collected from clinical and environmental sources from various geographical regions between 1932 and 1998 were studied by sequencing seven housekeeping genes. Genetic relatedness was defined by multiple methods that allow for the observed high levels of recombination.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Four V. cholerae subpopulations were determined. One subpopulation contained mostly environmental isolates, a second contained the cholera toxin-positive serogroup O1/O139 isolates, and the other two subpopulations were enriched for non-O1/O139 clinical isolates that were frequently clonally related to each other.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The data suggest that many of these non-O1/O139 clinical isolates were phylogenetically related to common ancestors, even though the isolates had been collected up to 36 years apart and from different countries or continents.
authors.affiliation: FDA, Bethesda, Maryland, USA.
authors.forename: Antonina
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Aydanian
authors.affiliation: University of Maryland College of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
authors.forename: Li
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.affiliation: University of Maryland College of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
authors.forename: Yuansha
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Emerging Pathogens Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA.
authors.forename: J Glenn
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Morris
authors.affiliation: Department of Computer Science, University of Maryland Baltimore County, Catonsville, MD, USA.
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Olsen
authors.affiliation: Emerging Pathogens Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA.
authors.forename: Judith A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Johnson
authors.affiliation: Translational Health Science and Technology Institute, Gurgaon, Haryana, India.
authors.forename: G Balakrish
authors.initials: GB
authors.lastname: Nair
authors.affiliation: University of Maryland College of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
authors.forename: O Colin
authors.initials: OC
authors.lastname: Stine
mesh_terms: D004783:Environmental Microbiology; D006801:Humans; D014735:Vibrio Infections / Q000382:microbiology; D044163:Vibrio cholerae non-O1 / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification
keywords: Phylogenetically related; Recombination; Subpopulations; Vibrio cholerae