Successful application of enzyme-labeled oligonucleotide probe for rapid and accurate cholera diagnosis in a clinical...

Two cholera cases were diagnosed using an enzyme-labeled oligonucleotide probe (ELONP) hybridization test for detection of cholera toxin gene (ctx) in a clinical laboratory at Osaka Airport Quarantine Station. The ELONP test with suspicious colonies of Vibrio cholerae O1 grown on TCBS or Vibrio agar plates gave positive result for ctx within 3 hr. We also tried to apply the ELONP test for direct detection of ctx in their stool and their non-selective culture. Specimens from Case #1, which contained 5.9 x 10(5) CFU/g of V. cholerae O1 in the stool, cultured for 7-8 hr or longer in alkaline peptone water or Marine broth at 37C, became positive for ctx. On the other hand, specimens from Case #2, which contained 8.7 x 10(8) CFU/ml (of V. cholerae O1 in the stool), gave positive result in this stool itself without any further culture. These data suggest that the ELONP test provides successfully a more rapid and accurate means of identifying "toxigenic" V. cholerae O1 in a clinical laboratory.