APPLICATION OF RIBOTYPING FOR DIFFERENTIATING VIBRIO-CHOLERAE NON-01 ISOLATED FROM SHRIMP FARMS IN THAILAND

A collection of 143 Vibrio cholerae non-01 strains isolated from shrim p farms in Thailand were characterized and grouped by ribotyping. Sixt y-four ribotypes were distinguished following digestion of chromosomal DNA with the restriction enzyme BglI, and the reproducibility of the method was 100%. There was no correlation between specific ribotype di stributions and the locations of the shrimp farms. Rihotype similarity was examined by cluster analysis, and two main groups with 10 and 54 ribotypes, respectively, were found. Correlation between ribotype and O-antigen expression was shown to exist among those isolates tested. R ibotyping appears to be a suitable method for differentiating environm ental V. cholerae non-O1 strains, and comparison of ribotype patterns showed a high degree of genetic divergence within V. cholerae non-O1.