THE APPEARANCE AND SPREAD OF VIBRIO-CHOLERAE-0139 IN INDIA

A new clone of non-01 V. cholerae designated as serogroup 0139, which produces cholera toxin, was detected first in south India in September 1992 and has spread to many parts of India since then. It was identif ied in Bangladesh in December 1992 and in Thailand in April 1993. By M ay 1993 it was found in Haryana and Punjab. Its clinical manifestation s are typical of cholera, occurring in outbreaks. This clone has large ly replaced the previously prevalent 01 V. cholerae in several cholera endemic areas indicating that a new cholera pandemic has begun.