Hostname: page-component-7c8c6479df-5xszh Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-03-27T16:49:53.403Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

An epidemiological study of Vibrio cholerae O1 in the Australian environment based on rRNA gene polymorphisms

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 May 2009

P. M. Desmarchelier*
Affiliation:
Tropical Health Program and the Department of Microbiology, University of Queensland, Australia
F. Y. K. Wong
Affiliation:
Tropical Health Program and the Department of Microbiology, University of Queensland, Australia
K. Mallard
Affiliation:
Tropical Health Program and the Department of Microbiology, University of Queensland, Australia
*
* Corresponding author and current address: Dr P. M. Desmarchelier, CSIRO Division of Food Science and Technology, Cnr Creek and Wynnum Roads, Cannon Hill, Queensland 4170, Australia.
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Summary

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

Since 1977, Vibrio cholerae O1 has been isolated from the Australian aquatic environment and periodically cholera cases have occurred following exposure to these environments. To study the relationships between clinical isolates and environmental isolates from rivers and aquatic life, widely distributed throughout the country, a wide range of molecular typing methods were employed. In this paper we report the analysis of the 180 Australian isolates (10 clinical and 170 environmental) using ribotyping. Seven ribotype patterns were observed among the Australian inaba isolates, 2 of which included all clinical inaba isolates and 84% environmental inaba isolates collected from 9 rivers and creeks in eastern Australia during an 8-year period. Isolates from epidemiologically related clinical cases, asymptomatic household contacts and sewage were indistinguishable. The ogawa isolates were more diverse, with 9 ribotypes observed among 24 isolates from 8 rivers during the same period. Ribotype patterns were not shared between the serotypes with the exception of one ogawa isolate which could be distinguished using PFGE. Ribotyping has been useful in confirming an association between epidemiologically related clinical isolates and the aquatic environment and the persistence of several clones of the O1 serovar in the Australian environment during an 8-year period.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1995

References

1.Newton-John, HF, Gilbert, G, Sandland, AM et al. , Cholera: an imported case in Australia, 1969. Med J Aust 1971; 1: 135–8.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
2.Cumpston, JHL, McCallum, F, eds. The history of the intestinal infections (and typhoid fever) in Australia 1788–1923, Commonwealth of Australia. Department of Health Service Publication No. 36. 1927; 6: 293–4.Google Scholar
3.Desmarchelier, PM. Human isolations of Vibrio species at Cholera Reference Centre. C.I.H. Com Dis Intell 1984; 15: 24.Google Scholar
4.Rao, A, Stockwell, BA. The Queensland cholera incident of 1977. 1. The index case. Bull WHO 1980; 58: 663–4.Google ScholarPubMed
5.Burke, ATC, Cossins, YN, Gray, BRW et al. , Investigation of cholera from the riverine environment in Queensland. Med J Aust 1986; 144: 229–34.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
6.Desmarchelier, PM, Reichelt, JL. Phenotypic characterisation of clinical and environmental isolates of Vibrio cholerae from Australia. Curr Microbiol 1981; 5: 123–7.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
7.Desmarchelier, PM, Reichelt, JL. Genetic relationships among clinical and environmental isolates of Vibrio cholerae from Australia. Curr Microbiol 1982; 7: 53–7.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
8.Desmarchelier, PM, Reichelt, JL. A phenotypic and genetic study of sucrose non-fermenting strains of Vibrio mimicus and V. cholerae. Curr Microbiol 1984; 10: 41–8.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
9.Desmarchelier, PM, Senn, CR. A molecular epidemiological study of Vibrio cholerae in Australia. Med J Aust 1989; 150: 631–4.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
10.Desmarchelier, PM, Salles, CA, Momen, H. A zymovar analysis of Vibrio cholerae isolated in Australia. Trans Roy Soc Trop Med Hyg 1988; 82: 914–7.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
11.Pitcher, DG, Saunders, NA, Owen, RJ. Rapid extraction of bacterial genomic DNA with guanidium thiocyanate. Lett Appl Microbiol 1989; 8: 151–6.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
12.Lew, A, Desmarchelier, P. Molecular typing of Pseudomonas pseudomallei: restriction fragment length polymorphisms of the rRNA genes. J Clin Microbiol 1993: 31: 533–9.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
13.Cameron, DN, Khambaty, FM, Wachsmuth, IK, Tauxe, RV, Barrett, TJ. Molecular characterisation of Vibrio cholerae O1 strains by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis. J Clin Microbiol 1994; 32: 1685–90.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
14.Wachsmuth, IK. Molecular epidemiology of cholera. In: Wachsmuth, IK, Blake, PA, Olsvik, O. eds. Vibrio cholerae and cholera: Molecular to global perspective. Washington: ASM Press. 1994; 357–70.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
15.Salles, CA, Momen, H. Identification of Vibrio cholerae by enzyme electrophoresis. Trans R Soc Trop Med Hyg 1991; 85: 544–7.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
16.Wachsmuth, IK, Evins, GM, Fields, PI et al. , The molecular epidemiology of cholera in Latin America. J Infect Dis 1993; 167: 621–6.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
17.Koblavi, S, Grimont, F, Grimont, PAD. Clonal diversity of Vibrio cholerae Ol as evidenced by rRNA gene restriction patterns. Res Microbiol 1990; 141: 645–57.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
18.Popovic, T, Bopp, C, Olsvik, O, Wachsmuth, K. Epidemiologic application of a standardised ribotype scheme for Vibrio cholerae Ol. J Clin Microbiol 1993; 31: 2474–82.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
19.Karaolis, DKR, Lan, RT, Reeves, PR. Molecular evolution of the 7th pandemic clone of Vibrio cholerae and its relationship to other pandemic and epidemic Vibrio cholerae isolates. J Bacteriol 1994; 176: 6199–206.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
20.Stroeher, UH, Karageorgos, LE, Morona, R, Manning, PA. Serotype conversion in Vibrio cholerae Ol. Proc Nat Acad Sci USA 1992; 89: 2566–70.CrossRefGoogle Scholar