SUMMARY: An outbreak of cholera struck Bihar, an Indian state, in August 2008 following a massive flood. Here we report the phenotypic and genotypic characteristics of Vibrio cholerae strains isolated from patients with diarrhea. Rectal swabs were obtained from patients with diarrhea who were admitted to medical camps or the hospital, and the strains were biochemically and serologically characterized. V. cholerae was isolated from 21 (65.6z) of 32 rectal swabs. Serological studies revealed that all the 21 isolates belonged to V. cholerae O1 Ogawa. Mismatch amplification mutation assay (MAMA)-PCR showed that the isolates belonged to El Tor variant group, and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) proved that these isolates were of a different lineage than the conventional El Tor variant strains. These isolates were resistant to several drugs, including ampicillin, streptomycin, tetracycline, nalidixic acid, and furazolidone. The uniqueness of the current report arises from the fact that records of cholera in Bihar are availiable for the early 1960s but not for the next 4 decades. Moreover, the present study is the first to report a cholera outbreak in Bihar that was caused by an El Tor variant strain.

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In the area of international relations, people to people connection is an important form of interactions, which is essential for building a meaningful and long-term partnership between nations. It includes a wide gamut of exchanges and relations in areas such as culture, arts, history, education, media, diaspora, and tourism. With regard to India’s relations with countries of East African Community (EAC) and Southern African Development Cooperation (SADC), it is observed that though the relations between business and governments of both sides have deepened and diversified there is still so much lack of awareness about each other. In this context, the paper focuses on the significance of education collaboration, media interactions and diaspora linkages in strengthening people to people relations between both sides. It examines the imperatives for building these connections, the initiatives that have been taken so far and the ways how these connections can be further enhanced.