Aims: To evaluate the utility of random amplification of polymorphic DNA (RAPD) technique for routine practice in public health laboratories for epidemiological studies of Vibrio cholerae O1 isolates. Materials and Results: Seventy-nine strains were examined by PCR for the toxin genes (ctx A, zot and ace), virulence-associated genes (tcp A and tox T) and RAPD sequences. Except for one strain (no. 1123) from the Amazonas State, all the strains analysed carried the genes ctx A, zot, ace, tcp A and tox T. RAPD fingerprinting revealed variability but no correlation with serotype, biotype or geographical origin of the isolates was found. Conclusion: A standardized RAPD method does not enable the establishment of a pattern data bank for the identification of V. cholerae O1 strains. Sgnificance and Impact of the Study: The simplicity and discriminative capacity of this technique make it useful for detecting genetic diversity among micro-organisms from a defined group or for outbreak investigation.