Comparative phenotypic characterization of Vibrio cholerae isolates collected from aquatic environments of Georgia

Vibrio cholerae is ubiquitous in aquatic environment inhabiting marine, fresh and brackish waters. V. cholerae serotypes O1 and O139 cause the devastating diarrheal disease cholera, which is often fatal without proper treatment. Little is known regarding the abundance and diversity of clinically important nonhalophilic vibrios in the South Caucasus region, particularly in Georgia. Here we provide the data on the Georgian environmental strains of V. cholerae isolated in 2006-2009 years from the coastal waters of the Black Sea and inland water reservoirs near Tbilisi. In total, 846 V. cholerae strains were collected from the water samples, most of them (705 strains) obtained from fresh water lakes. Isolation pattern of V. cholerae showed obvious seasonality with the highest isolation rates in late summer - early autumn. Twenty-nine isolates of V. cholerae were attributed to the O1 serotype based on serological studies and PCR identification and were further grouped by biochemical properties into classical and El Tor biotypes as well as hybrids. The study of antibiotic susceptibility profiles for V. cholerae isolates showed that 95% were sensitive to tetracycline, 91% to doxycycline, and 91% to ciprofloxacin. Interestingly, the freshwater isolates appeared to be more resistant to antibiotics than the Black Sea isolates. Among Black Sea isolates of V. cholerae toxigenic strains of O1 serotype revealed higher antibiotic resistance compared to non- O1/non-O139 isolates. In addition, V. cholerae O1 and non- O1/non-O139 isolates differed by phage susceptibility profiles, with higher diversity within the population of environmental non-O1/non-O139 V. cholerae isolates.