[Molecular subtyping of Vibrio cholerae isolates by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis in Shenzhen from 1993].

OBJECTIVE: To determine the genetic relationships between different Vibrio cholerae isolates in Shenzhen from 1993 to 2002. METHODS: Chromosomal DNA from 60 isolates was digested in seakem gold agrose with restriction enzyme Not I and plugs were then analyzed by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) patterns of V. cholerae isolates were clustered using BioNumerics software. RESULTS: 39 distinctive PFGE patterns were identified with each pattern having 20 to 30 bands. Most PFGE patterns were divided into cluster A or cluster B. CONCLUSION: The closely related pandemic clone clusters of V. cholerae strains did exist in Shenzhen. PFGE of V. cholerae could be used for active surveillance and tracking for cholerae.