Relaciones fenotípicas y moleculares entre cepas de vibrio cholerae 01 aisladas en Chile, Perú y Bolivia: comparación con cepas de reservorios ambientales / Phenotypical and molecular relation between vibrio cholerae 01 strains, isolated in Chile, Perú and Bolivia: comparison with strains from environmental reservoirs

ABSTRACT

The phenotype, biotype and susceptibility to nine antimicrobials was determined for each isolated strain. Also, the genes of cholera and termolabile toxins were determined using DNA probes and a chromosomal restriction profile was done using HindIII, EcoRI and NotI enzymes. Features studied were similar in the 53 strains isolated from patients. Those isolated from environmental reservoirs had different antimicrobial susceptibility, showing ampicillin resistance and the GT gene was detected in one of 20 strains, compared to clinical samples were it was present in all. Strains isolated from patients and envirinment had similar chromosomal restriction profiles. The chromosomal restriction profile gives an image of bacterial genome and it is a useful and reliable tool for the epidemiological surveillance of cholera