Characterization of a Toxigenic <i>Vibrio cholerae</i> O139 Strain Belonging to a New Ribotype and Isolated from a Diarrheal Patient

Abstract

We characterized a Vibrio cholerae O139 strain isolated from a diarrheal patient admitted to Taluk Hospital, Cherthala, Alleppey, Kerala, India, on 9 June 2000. The V. cholerae O139 strain possesses the core of the CTX genetic element, colonization toxin-coregulated pilus, the adherence outer membrane protein, and the central regulatory protein encoded by toxR and produces cholera toxin (200 pg/ml). We provide molecular evidence showing that toxigenic V. cholerae O139 strain ALO95 belongs to a distinct genotype characterized by a unique ribotype designated B-VII and has a unique enterobacterial repetitive intergenic consensus sequence PCR fingerprint profile designated E-V.