Molecular evolution of Vibrio cholerae O1 strains isolated in Lima, Peru, from 1991 to 1995

Following the emergence of cholera in Lima, Peru, in 1991, isolates of Vibrio cholerae O1 biotype El Tor recovered from patients in various parts of Lima were selected and characterized. Ribotyping and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) revealed four BglI ribotypes and eight NotI PFGE types among 50 V. cholerae O1 strains recovered from patients with cholera in Lima from 1991 to 1995, with certain genotypes appearing to cluster geographically. While differences in ribotype and PFGE type patterns suggest that genetic changes are occurring in the strain responsible for the Latin American cholera epidemic, more frequently than previously reported, 40 (80%) O1 strains showed an identical ribotype pattern and 41 (82%) strains showed closely related PFGE types, types 1, 2, or 3, that differed by less than three restriction fragments. All strains were susceptible to nine antibacterial agents studied. In 1991, more than 95% of the clinical V. cholerae O1 strains were serotype Inaba, whereas from 1992, serotype Ogawa began to predominate, with more than 90% of the isolates being of the Ogawa serotype in 1995. The small differences in genotypes of V. cholerae O1 is remarkable because cholera is highly seasonal in coastal areas of Peru and support the hypothesis that the epidemic strain reemerges from an environmental source. However, the relative high rate of genetic changes within V. cholerae O1 as shown by ribotyping and PFGE should be taken into consideration when typing patterns of V. cholerae O1 associated with cholera in Latin America are evaluated.