Outbreak of cholera caused by Vibrio cholerae O1 El Tor variant strain in Bihar, India.

An outbreak of cholera struck Bihar, an Indian state, in August 2008 following a massive flood. Here we report the phenotypic and genotypic characteristics of Vibrio cholerae strains isolated from patients with diarrhea. Rectal swabs were obtained from patients with diarrhea who were admitted to medical camps or the hospital, and the strains were biochemically and serologically characterized.

Prevalence of ixodid ticks in Nilgiri district of Tamil Nadu state (India).

The Nilgiri hills provides favourable ecological conditions for the propagation of haematophagous arthropods due to its richness in vegetation and animal fauna. A study was undertaken by the NICD during August to November 1996 on the prevalence of ectoparasitic ticks from different localities of the Nilgiris district of Tamil Nadu state. The ticks were hand picked from various domestic animals of the study area and identified.

Feeding pattern of anopheline and culicine mosquitoes in relation to biotopes and seasons in Delhi and environs.

In the studies to know the feeding pattern of various species of mosquitoes, a total of 7461 specimens comprising of Anopheles culicifacies (150), An. stephensi (61), An. subpictus (990), An.