Objective: To identify the bacterial agent responsible for the surge of cases of acute diarrhoeal disease in Karachi, Pakistan, and assess the antimicrobial susceptibility pattern of the isolates.
Study design: Observational study.
Place and duration of study: Department of Microbiology, Indus Hospital & Health Network, Karachi, Pakistan, from 1st March to 31st May 2022.
Methodology: Vibrio cholerae (V. Cholerae) isolates from stool samples received in the laboratory in the months of March, April, and May were identified and antibiotic susceptibility testing was performed by the Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion method. Serology was performed to identify the serotype causing a surge in cases of acute watery diarrhoea.
Results: A total of three-hundred and seventy-eight stool samples were received during the study period, out of which seventy-eight were positive for V. cholerae serogroup O1 serotype Ogawa. The isolate tested 100% sensitive for Ciprofloxacin, Tetracycline, Doxycycline, and Azithromycin, while 74% resistance was observed in Trimethoprim/Sulfamethoxazole and 25% resistance in Ampicillin.
Conclusion: V. cholerae serogroup O1 serotype Ogawa was the causative agent responsible for cholera outbreak in Karachi during the early summer of 2022. Ciprofloxacin, Tetracycline, Doxycycline, and Azithromycin are appropriate antimicrobials for treatment; whereas resistance to Trimethoprim/Sulfamethoxazole, and Ampicillin was higher.
Key words: Vibrio cholerae, Outbreak, Acute diarrhoeal disease.