Vibrio cholerae and Changing of Microbial Resistance Patterns in Sistan and Balouchestan Province

Background : Cholera is a diarrheal disease in tropical regions that exclusively affects humans. This study conducted to compare changes in antibiotic resistance patterns in 2011with that of the period of 2008-2010 on cholera patients in the area covered by Zahedan University of Medical Sciences.
Materials and Methods : In this descriptive study, rectal swab samples within Blair working environment of all suspected patients of each region were sent to the laboratory of each region and diagnostic procedures were performed, and Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing (AST) was performed trough distribution methods on agar disk. Disks were prepared from Iranian Padtan Teb Company and the results were evaluated and reported using NCCLS table and the other experimental antimicrobial susceptibility determination tables.
Results : In this study, antimicrobial susceptibility testing was performed on 81 positive samples including Ogawa or Inaba during 4 years. The samples in 2008, 2009 and 2010 followed a similar susceptibility pattern and all these samples were resistant to co-trimoxazole, nalidixic acid and ampicillin, had intermediate sensitivity to furazolidone, were sensitive to tetracycline, ciprofloxacin, doxycycline, erythromycin and susceptibility pattern of cases in 2011 included sensitivity to erythromycin and ciprofloxacin and have shown no sensitivity to doxycycline and tetracycline and halo of their lack of growth were placed in the intermediate range.
Conclusion : Vast border between the province and Afghanistan and Pakistan and inevitability of the occurrence of regional cholera epidemics may cause a serious problem in control of the possible epidemics and recalls the need to perform drug sensitivity tests during epidemics before any remedial action more than ever.