Pulsed-Field Gel Electrophoresis-Based Molecular Typing Reveals a Shift in the Major Type of Vibrio cholerae O1 Isolated in Korea

Vibrio cholerae 01 El Tor isolates (n=242), collected in Korea between 1991 and 2002, were classified by NotI-digested pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). The major types were A1 before 1998 and B after 1999, among both domestic and imported cases. The prevalent PFGE types among domestic cases were consistent with the prevalent types among imported cases in the same year. These results suggest a close relationship between the domestic and imported cases of cholera in Korea.