Background: Multiple drug resistance has become a threat to treatment of Vibrio cholerae. Studies in Kenya have described the epidemiology, especially risk factors of cholera, however, there is little information on phenotypic and drug susceptibility pattern in outbreaks that recently occurred in western Kenya. Objective: Characterize and determine antibiotics susceptibility profiling of toxigenic V. cholerae isolates from Kisumu County. Methodology: One hundred and nineteen vibrio cholerae O1, biotype El Tor isolates collected during 2017 cholera outbreak in Kisumu County were used for this study. Samples were cultured on TCBS and biochemical tests carried out using standard procedures. Susceptibility tests were done using conventional antibiotics against standard procedures. Results: Of 119 stool isolates, 101 were confirmed to be V. cholerae belonging to serotypes Inaba and Ogawa, with Inaba being predominant serotype (73.95%). Isolates were susceptible to Ciprofloxine (100%), ofloxacin (100%), gentamycin (100%), doxycycline (99%), ceftriaxone (99%) and streptomycin (96.04%), and resistant to erythromycin (53.47%), amoxicillin (64.4%), Nalidixic acid (83.2%), ampicillin (89.11%), with high resistance to cotrimoxazole (99%) and tetracycline (97%). Conclusion: V. cholerae was resistance to multiple antibiotics including those commonly used in management of cholera hence need to carry out regular surveillance on antimicrobial drug resistance during outbreaks.

Keywords: Vibrio cholerae, Antimicrobial Susceptibility, Kenya