Table 2. Ribotypes of environmental V. cholerae isolates carrying different combinations of horizontally acquired gene clusters and possessing virulence characteristics.
| Serotype | Ribotypes | Presence of horizontally acquired gene clusters | Fluid accumulation in rabbit ileal loops* | Colonization of infant mice† |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| O1 | R-1, R-2, R-3, R-4, | TCP+ CTX+ RTX+ | + | + |
| O1 | R-8 | TCP+ CTX− RTX+ | − | + |
| O1 | R-26, R-34 | TCP− CTX− RTX+ | − | − |
| O139 | R-14, R15 | TCP+ CTX+ RTX+ | + | + |
| Non-O1 non-O139 | R-11, R-12, R-13, R-33 | TCP+ CTX+ RTX+ | + | + |
| Non-O1 non-O139 | R-5, R-10, R-25, R-27, R-28, R-30, R-32 | TCP+ CTX− RTX+ | + | + |
| Non-O1 non-O139 | R-22, R-23, R-29, R-30, R-31, R-35, R-36, R-37, R-38, R-39, R-42 | TCP− CTX− RTX+ | + | + |
| Non-O1 non-O139 | R-40, R-41, R-43 | TCP− CTX− RTX+ | − | + |
| Non-O1 non-O139 | R-24 | TCP− CTX− RTX− | + | + |
*
The fluid accumulation varied between 0.75 and 2.96 ml/cm of ileal loop for different strains.
†
Colonization of infant mice was assayed in competition with a known TCP− CT− strain Bah-2 (see text for details). The competitive index of colonization varied between 0.57 and 2.45 for different strains.