Antimicrobial resistance of Vibrio cholerae O1 serotype Ogawa isolated in Manhiça District Hospital, southern Mozambique

Objectives: To describe the antimicrobial susceptibility profile of isolated Vibrio cholerae O1 serotype Ogawa recovered from patients admitted to the cholera facility in the Manhiça District Hospital (MDH), Mozambique. Methods: Rectal swabs were collected from patients with complaints symptomatic of cholera admitted to the MDH cholera facility. Samples were processed for V. cholerae isolation at the Centro de Investigação em Saúde da Manhiça (CISM) and identified by biochemical reaction. Serotypes were determined by slide-agglutination antisera. Susceptibilities were determined by disc diffusion. Results: Seventy-seven isolates were examined for their resistance profile. High incidences of antimicrobial resistance were found for chloramphenicol (57.9%), co-trimoxazole (96.6%) and tetracycline (97.3%). Quinolone resistance remained low (4.2%). Conclusions: Although V. cholerae infections in Africa do not usually require antimicrobial treatment, strains in rural Mozambique show high incidences of resistance to readily available drugs. When appropriate, quinolones or third-generation cephalosporins can be used as treatment options.