Detection of Clinical Isolates of Vibrio cholerae by Dot Blot Hybridization

Vibrio cholerae, the causative agent of cholera, has attracted a great deal of attention as one of the major causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide, especially in developing countries. In most laboratories, biochemical assays are primarily performed for possible detection of these strains, which are then followed by a PCR (polymerase chain reaction) test to verify their identity. This study aimed to optimize dot blot technique to detect Vibrio cholerae bacteria for V. cholera as an easy-to-use and beneficial method.

 A dot blot hybridization test was developed in this study to identify V. cholerae isolates as well as to assess the sensitivity and specificity of this test compared whit biochemical and PCR tests routinely performed for V. cholerae screening and detection in clinical specimens.

Herein, the dot blot hybridization test was optimized to detect V. cholerae. A combination of three biochemical assays and PCR test confirmed the results of dot blot hybridization test. This test was able to identify V. cholerae strains with a high sensitivity and specificity of 100%. Using the newly developed method, a set of 26 V. cholerae isolates collected from clinical samples were accurately identified.

This study optimized dot blot technique as a simple and useful assay that could be employed in V. cholerae monitoring programs and strategies to effectively detect V. cholerae strains in surface water and fecal specimens.