[Research on V. cholerae anti-antibodies (agglutinating and vibriocidal) in patients affected by cholera-like gastroenteritis. Studies performed during the cholera epidemic occurred in Apulia in August-September 1973].

Agglutinating and vibriocidal antibody titers anti-V. cholerae of the serotypes Ogawa and Inaba, were determined in sera from 189 patients with cholera-like diarrheas during the epidemic of cholera occurred in August-September 1973, in Bari. Antibodies were determined in 74,2% of 70 patients, whose in the faeces and vomiting were isolated strains identified as V. cholerae, biotype El Tor, serotype Ogawa. This frequency was higher against the serotype Ogawa. The antibodies could be proved very early, 4-6 days from the beginning of symptomatology, but they disappeared as rapidly; really, at 2.3 months antibodies were determined in 7,7% only of the above mentioned subjects. As regards the other 119 patients with non-vibrio, cholera-like diarrheas, antibodies were determined in 28 subjects only; 27 of these has received cholera-vaccine some weeks before. One single case remained which was bacteriological negative, but showed signifcant agglutinating and vibriocidal antibody titers against the serotypes Ogawa and Inaba.