The fimbriae-like structures on V. cholerae isolated in Kenya.

For Vibrio cholerae 01 to overcome the normal intestinal clearing mechanisms and facilitate colonization in the host gut, fine filamentous structures covering the surface of all the cell must exist. These fimbriae-like structures were investigated in this study. Selection of the K23 V. cholerae 01 biotype el-tor isolated in Kisumu, Kenya, was based on its proteinase activity and ability to agglutinate 0.2M ammonium sulphate. This strain was cultured in modified tryptone broth pH 8.4, at 37 degrees C overnight. Electron microscopy of the strain revealed the presence of fimbriae-like structures which varied in number. Some cells showed more than 200, whereas in other cells only several filamentous structures were detected. It is suggested that these structures could be a possible candidate for a cholera vaccine.