Antibiotic Resistance Pattern of Cholera Epidemy in Guilan Province

Cholera is an infectious disease caused by a gram negative facultatively anaerobic bacterium called Vibrio Cholera from contaminated food or water. Cholera may be asymptomatic or indicated by mild to severe diarrhea. The main treatment of diarrhea is the replacement of water and electrolytes and if needed, antibiotic therapy. Antibiotic resistance varies in different parts of Iran. This study seeks. To determine the antibiotic resistance of V. Cholerae strains in Guilan province, summer 1390 (2011). This descriptive study was performed on Vibrio Cholera isolates from the respective patients in 1390 summer epidemic in Guilan province. All samples were inoculated to Carry-Blair medium, then to alkaline peptone water (APW). After incubation, a loopful of the culture was taken from the surface of APW on TCBS medium. After incubation the yellow colonies were cultured in KIA medium. Serologic tests were carried out by o1 polyvalent antisera, and if positive, the test was performed by Inaba and Ogawa monovalent antiserum. Disk diffusion antibiogram was done for the 7 antibiotics by Kirby Bauer method. Data were analyzed descriptively by Excel 2007 software. From the 161 samples, 142 were positive for cholera of which 140 (98.5%) were related to Ogawa serotypes. Eighty samples (57%) were from the females. The mean age of the infected people was 38 yrs (range 3-84 yrs). The largest number of samples were sent from Lahijan(n=39). All the isolated samples were positive for motility, indole, citrate and oxides tests. Antibiogram study revealed 97%, 90%, 23.5%, 20%, 11%, 10%, 1.2% of the samples were resistant to Nitrofurantoin, Co-trimoxazole, Chloramphenicol, Tetracycline, Doxycycline, Erythromycin, and Ciprofloxacin, respectively. In this study, resistance to Ciprofloxacine was 1.2% and 57% of the isolates were intermediate. It seems that resistance is low in IRAN. Regarding the high sensitivity of separated vibrio to Tetracycline and Doxycycline (76%), they may be useful in the treatment of cholera.