Genetic characterization of Vibrio cholerae O1 strains isolated in Zambia during 1996-2004 possessing the unique VSP-II region of El Tor variant.

New variants of Vibrio cholerae O1 have appeared in different time-frames in various endemic regions, especially in Asia and Africa. Sixty-nine strains of V. cholerae O1 isolated in Zambia between 1996 and 2004 were investigated by various genotypic techniques to determine the lineage of virulence signatures and clonality.