Hybrid strain detected by RMRC experts for first time in India

Newindpress, 25th March, 2008

BHUBANESWAR: Cholera outbreak in KBK region of Orissa last year and its recurrence has brought to light a virulent hybrid strain which has been reported in India for the first time ever.The Regional Medical Research Centre (RMRC) here which has been working on the disease has come to the conclusion. The mutating strain is yet to get a name for itself though.In July 2007, an acute diarrhoea swept across southern Orissa districts of Rayagada, Koraput and Kalahandi inhabited by tribals. By the end of August, over 1,04,872 persons were affected in 306 villages with a fatality rate of 8.6 percent. The official death roll was 159 but unofficially, it was close to 500.It prompted the health researchers to analyse whether it was just one form of severe diarrhoea or cholera. Although the State Government never admitted it because of its wider ramifications, the culprit was the killer cholera.According to sources, the RMRC analysis found that it was Vibrio cholera O1 Ogawa biotype El Tor with classical phenotypic characteristics. ‘To our knowledge, emergence of this hybrid strain is the first report in India and needs to be analysed using molecular tools with other known hybrid strains prevailing over other parts of the world,’ the report stated.The analysis revealed that the strain was very active in releasing cholera toxin and clinically severe. The strain was first reported from Tanzania in Africa and then Bangladesh.It’s the resistance profile of the hybrid strain which is the cause of concern. The RMRC analysis found that the strain was resistant to tetracycline (15.6 percent), ampicili (100 percent), chloramphenicol (35.3 percent), furazolidone (100 percent), cotromoxazole (98 percent), nalidixic acid (98 percent), stretptomycin (94 percent), gentamicin (9.8 percent), ciprofolxacin (58.5 percent) and norfloxacin (66.6 percent).It meant the strain was adapting to the drugs quickly and resulted in heavy casualties.