CAMP test for the identification of Vibrio cholerae 0139

The confirmation of the identity of Vibrio cholerae serogroup 01 and serogroup 0139 is usually done by slide agglutination tests using specific antisera. Antiserum to V. cholerae 01 is freely available but not antiserum to V. cholerae 0139, thus making specific identification of the latter more difficult. A modified CAMP (Christie Atkins and Muench - Paterson) test has been described as a possibility in the identification of V. cholerae 0139 and we have evaluated this on 197 strains of organisms including 48 V. cholerae 0139, 50 V. cholerae 01, 49 non-01, non-139 V. cholerae and 50 Aeromonas species. The test had a sensitivity of 98.9 per cent and a specificity of 92.9 per cent in the identification of these strains, when compared with faeces culture as the gold standard.