Altered molecular attributes and antimicrobial resistance patterns of Vibrio cholerae O1 El Tor strains isolated from the cholera endemic regions of India

Sreeja Shaw; Prosenjit Samanta; Goutam Chowdhury; Debjani Ghosh; Tanmoy Kumar Dey; Alok Kumar Deb; Thandavarayan Ramamurthy; Shin-Ichi Miyoshi; Amit Ghosh; Shanta Dutta; Asish Kumar Mukhopadhyay

doi:10.1111/jam.15794

Altered molecular attributes and antimicrobial resistance patterns of Vibrio cholerae O1 El Tor strains isolated from the cholera endemic regions of India

J Appl Microbiol. 2022 Dec;133(6):3605-3616. doi: 10.1111/jam.15794. Epub 2022 Sep 7.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Division of Bacteriology, ICMR-National Institute of Cholera and Enteric Diseases, Kolkata, India.
² Department of Chemistry, School of Basic and Applied Sciences, Adamas University, West Bengal, India.
³ Division of Epidemiology, ICMR-National Institute of Cholera and Enteric Diseases, Kolkata, India.
⁴ Collaborative Research Centre of Okayama University for Infectious Diseases at ICMR-NICED, Kolkata, India.
⁵ Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University, Okayama, Japan.

PMID: 36000378
DOI: 10.1111/jam.15794

Abstract

Aims: The present study aimed to document the comparative analysis of differential hypervirulent features of Vibrio cholerae O1 strains isolated during 2018 from cholera endemic regions in Gujarat and Maharashtra (Western India) and West Bengal (Eastern India).

Methods and results: A total of 87 V. cholerae O1 clinical strains from Western India and 48 from Eastern India were analysed for a number of biotypic and genotypic features followed by antimicrobial resistance (AMR) profile. A novel polymerase chain reaction was designed to detect a large fragment deletion in the Vibrio seventh pandemic island II (VSP-II) genomic region, which is a significant genetic feature of the V. cholerae strains that have caused Yemen cholera outbreak. All the strains from Western India belong to the Ogawa serotype, polymyxin B-sensitive, hemolytic, had a deletion in VSP-II (VSP-IIC) region and carried Haitian genetic alleles of ctxB, tcpA and rtxA. Conversely, 14.6% (7/48) of the strains from Eastern India belonged to the Inaba serotype, polymyxin B-resistant, nonhemolytic, harboured VSP-II other than VSP-IIC type, classical ctxB, Haitian tcpA and El Tor rtxA alleles. Resistance to tetracycline and chloramphenicol has been observed in strains from both regions.

Conclusions: This study showed hypervirulent, polymyxin B-sensitive epidemic causing strains in India along with the strains with polymyxin B-resistant and nonhemolytic traits that may spread and cause serious disease outcomes in future.

Significance and impact of the study: The outcomes of this study can help to improve the understanding of the hyperpathogenic property of recently circulating pandemic Vibrio cholerae strains in India. Special attention is also needed for the monitoring of AMR surveillance because V. cholerae strains are losing susceptibility to many antibiotics used as a second line of defence in the treatment of cholera.

Keywords: Vibrio cholerae; El Tor biotype; cholera; nonhemolytic; polymyxin B; vibrio seventh pandemic island II.

MeSH terms

Anti-Bacterial Agents / pharmacology
Anti-Bacterial Agents / therapeutic use
Cholera Toxin / genetics
Cholera Toxin / therapeutic use
Cholera* / drug therapy
Cholera* / epidemiology
Disease Outbreaks
Drug Resistance, Bacterial / genetics
Genotype
Haiti
Humans
India / epidemiology
Polymyxin B / pharmacology
Vibrio cholerae O1* / genetics

Substances

Anti-Bacterial Agents
Polymyxin B
Cholera Toxin

Abstract

MeSH terms

Substances

Grants and funding