May, 2018 2018; Vol2; Issue5 http://iamresearcher.online To Cite This Article: Lameck Nyangena Ontweka, Margaret W. Muturi, Francisco Luquero. Prevalence and Antimicrobial Susceptibility Profiles of Vibrio Cholerae Serotypes in Juba, South Sudan. International Annals of Medicine. 2018;2(5). https://doi.org/10.24087/IAM.2018.2.5.448 Prevalence and Antimicrobial Susceptibility Profiles of Vibrio Cholerae Serotypes in Juba, South Sudan Lameck Nyangena Ontweka 1 , Margaret W. Muturi 1 , Francisco Luquero 2 1 Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, Kenyatta University, Nairobi, Kenya 2 Department of International Health, John Hopkins University, Baltimore, Mary Land, USA Corresponding Author: Lameck Nyangena Ontweka nyangena2012@gmail.com ABSTRACT Cholera incidences are escalating in previously non-endemic zones. The situation is exacerbated by defective epidemiological surveillance systems as well as inadequate drug resistance profiling of Vibrio cholerae serotypes. This study assessed prevalence of V. cholerae serotypes and their antimicrobial susceptibility profiles in Juba, South Sudan. A cross-sectional laboratory-based experimental study was conducted on 109 consenting participants. Stool samples were collected and tested for V. cholerae using both conventional stool culture and serological approaches to determine the serotypes present. The latter was undertaken using both polyvalent and monovalent antisera. In addition, antimicrobial susceptibility profiling was conducted on study samples to determine drug sensitivity pattern. Demographic information showed that 70.6% (n=24) of all V. cholerae infections were among males aged (26-30 yrs; 32.4%). Of the total 109 stool samples only 31.2 % (n=34) were positive for V. cholerae; Inaba serotype. Antimicrobial susceptibility pattern revealed that V. cholerae was most sensitive to ceftriaxone, ciprofloxacin, norfloxacin and tetracycline antibiotics. Conversely, V. cholerae demonstrated highest resistance against nalidixic acid. Findings generated from the study inform on optimal selection of antibiotics for management of cholera while also providing up to date epidemiological information on V. cholerae serotypes present in Juba, Southern Sudan. Keywords: Antimicrobial susceptibility, prevalence, Cholera, Serotypes, Vibrio cholerae, Juba 1. INTRODUCTION Cholera is an acute diarrhea disease caused by bacilli Vibrio cholera sero group O1 or O139. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 3–5 million annual cases of cholera occur worldwide, resulting in 100,000– 120,000 deaths [1]. Since its introduction to Africa during the seventh cholera pandemic in 1970, Vibrio cholerae caused regular vast epidemics across the continent with cumulative 3,762,902 case-notifications to WHO by 2013 [1]. In 2013 alone, 22 African countries reported 56,329 cholera cases. However, these numbers are considered to be substantially underestimated due to poorly functioning national epidemiological and laboratory surveillance systems, which are not able to detect the majority of mild disease presentations. Furthermore, systematic underreporting is common to avoid economic and political damage [2].