The occurrence of non-01 Vibrio cholerae in non-potable water samples in Barbados

Fourteen freshwater or brackish-water samples taken from different sites were examined for the presence of Vibrio cholerae. Standard enrichment techniques, using pre-incubation in alkaline peptone water and plating on thiosulfate citrate bile sucrose agar (TCBS) followed by biochemical, physiological and morphological characterization of the isolates, revealed the presence of Vibrio cholerae at nine of the sites examined. Serotyping for type 01 only was performed. All the strains isolated were non-01 Vibrio cholerae.