Vibrio cholerae O139 in Calcutta, 1992-1998:: Incidence, antibiograms, and genotypes

We report results of surveillance for cholera caused by Vibrio cholerae O139 from September 1992, when it was first identified, to December 1998. V. cholerae O139 dominated as the causative agent of cholera in Calcutta during 1992-93 and 1996-97, while the O1 strains dominated during the rest of the period. Dramatic shifts in patterns of resistance to cotrimoxazole, neomycin, and streptomycin were observed. Molecular epidemiologic studies showed clonal diversity among the O139 strains and continuous emergence of new epidemic clones, reflected by changes in the structure, organization, and location of the CTX prophages in the V. cholerae O139 chromosome.