AUTHOR=Valia Romy , Taviani Elisa , Spagnoletti Matteo , Ceccarelli Daniela , Cappuccinelli Piero , Colombo Mauro M. TITLE=Vibrio cholerae O1 epidemic variants in Angola: a retrospective study between 1992 and 2006 JOURNAL=Frontiers in Microbiology VOLUME=4 YEAR=2013 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/microbiology/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2013.00354 DOI=10.3389/fmicb.2013.00354 ISSN=1664-302X ABSTRACT=
Cholera is still a major public health concern in many African countries. In Angola, after a decade of absence, cholera reemerged in 1987, spreading throughout the country until 1996, with outbreaks recurring in a seasonal pattern. In 2006 Angola was hit by one of the most severe outbreaks of the last decade, with ca. 240,000 cases reported. We analyzed 21 clinical strains isolated between 1992 and 2006 from several provinces throughout the country: Benguela, Bengo, Luanda, Cuando Cubango, and Cabinda. We used two multiplex PCR assays to investigate discriminatory mobile genetic elements (MGE) [Integrative Conjugative Elements (ICEs), VSP-II, GI12, GI14, GI15, K, and TLC phages] and we compared the profiles obtained with those of different reference