Another study carried

out in India between 1997 and 1998 involving a total number of 94 isolates of V. cholerae reported that 43 strains belonging to non-O1 and non-O139 serogroups contained plasmids that contributed to the multiple antibiotic resistances and exhibited resistances to ampicillin, neomycin, tetracycline, gentamicin, streptomycin, sulfonamide, furazolidone, and chloramphenicol [30]. Selleck BAY 1895344 Our findings corroborate the earlier work of Ramachandran et al. [29] who reported differences in the antibiotics resistance gene cluster in the SXT-like element in V. cholerae O1 and O139. The dfr18 and dfrA1 genes cassettes coding for trimethoprim resistance, found among several of our isolates, have also been detected among the strains PF-02341066 manufacturer isolated in Thailand [10], and India [30]. Similarly, the strB gene for aminoglycoside resistance (streptomycin) found in our collection have been previously detected by Falbo et al. [17] in Albania and Italy in 1994, and Calcutta, India during the period 1997 to 1998 [30]. Previous uses of antibiotics in the earlier outbreaks may be partly responsible for the extensive increase in antibiotics resistances that we have observed in this study. It is unknown whether the isolates responsible for earlier and recent epidemics are of clonal origin. The association

between the developments of resistance to trimethoprim, cotrimoxazole and streptomycin with large-scale use of antibiotics for the CX-4945 datasheet treatment and prophylaxis of cholera is well recognized [13, 31]. Still, our demonstration of multiple-drug resistant non-cholera vibrios isolates showing resistance to all the antibiotics traditionally used to treat cholera is worrisome and could have a direct impact on the treatment of current and future cholera cases in South Africa and other countries to which this isolate may spread. Dalsgaard et al. [13] speculated that recent occasional unusually high mortality rate experienced during cholera outbreaks in some

African countries could be associated with multiple-drug resistant O1 isolates carrying Progesterone resistance gene located in SXT element. Our findings thus showed that SXT element bearing drug resistance markers were fairly widely distributed in the Vibrio strains isolated from our study sites. It also revealed the frequency of occurrence of the gene cassettes, floR, tetA, dfr18, strB, dfrA1, and sul2. Given that there are increasingly reports of cholera-like diarrhoea being caused by non-vibrio cholera strains, it is important to monitor the distribution of SXTs in emerging Vibrio species. Conclusion To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study that describes the detection of antibiotics resistance genes known to confer resistances to common classes of antibiotics in a rural community of South Africa.