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J Med Microbiol 55 (2006), 1559-1562; DOI: 10.1099/jmm.0.46734-0
© 2006 Society for General Microbiology
ISSN 1473-5644

Isolation of Vibrio cholerae O1 strains similar to pre-seventh pandemic El Tor strains during an outbreak of gastrointestinal disease in an island resort in Fiji

G. Balakrish Nair1, Ashrafus Safa1, N. A. Bhuiyan1, Suraia Nusrin1, Denise Murphy2, Carolyn Nicol3, Mary Valcanis4, Steven Iddings5, Ili Kubuabola6 and Hassan Vally5,7

1 International Centre for Diarrhoeal Diseases Research, Bangladesh (ICDDR,B) Dhaka, Bangladesh

2 Public Health Microbiology, Queensland Health Scientific Services, Coopers Plains, Queensland, Australia

3 Institute of Environmental Science and Research Limited (ESR), Kenepuru Science Centre, Poriru, New Zealand

4 Microbiological Diagnostic Unit Public Health Laboratory (MDUPHL), Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

5 World Health Organization (WHO), South Pacific Office, Suva, Fiji

6 Fiji Centre for Communicable Disease Control, Mataika House, Suva, Fiji

7 National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health, ANU College of Medicine and Health Sciences, The Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia

Correspondence
Hassan Vally
Hassan.Vally{at}anu.edu.au

Received 22 May 2006
Accepted 7 July 2006

Five strains of Vibrio cholerae O1, one each from an Australian and a New Zealand tourist with gastrointestinal illness returning from an island resort in Fiji and the remaining three from water sources located in the same resort, were extensively characterized. Conventional phenotypic traits that are used for biotyping of O1 V. cholerae categorized all five strains as belonging to the El Tor biotype. Genetic screening of 11 regions that are associated with virulence in V. cholerae showed variable results. The absence of genes comprising Vibrio seventh pandemic island-I (VSP-I) and VSP-II in all the strains indicated that these strains were very similar to the pre-seventh pandemic V. cholerae O1 El Tor strains. The ctxAB genes were absent in all strains whereas orfU and zot were present in four strains, indicating that the strains were non-toxigenic. Four strains carried a truncated CTX prophage. Although epidemiological and molecular studies suggested that these strains did not cause cholera amongst tourists at the resort, their similarity to pre-seventh pandemic strains, their prior association with gastrointestinal illness and their presence in the island resort setting warrant more attention.






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