Abstract
An epidemic of cholera infections was documented in Haiti for the first time in more than 100 years during October 2010. Cases have continued to occur, raising the question of whether the microorganism has established environmental reservoirs in Haiti. We monitored 14 environmental sites near the towns of Gressier and Leogane during April 2012–March 2013. Toxigenic Vibrio cholerae O1 El Tor biotype strains were isolated from 3 (1.7%) of 179 water samples; nontoxigenic O1 V. cholerae was isolated from an additional 3 samples. All samples containing V. cholerae O1 also contained non-O1 V. cholerae. V. cholerae O1 was isolated only when water temperatures were ≥31°C. Our data substantiate the presence of toxigenic V. cholerae O1 in the aquatic environment in Haiti. These isolations may reflect establishment of long-term environmental reservoirs in Haiti, which may complicate eradication of cholera from this coastal country.
Highlights
An epidemic of cholera infections was documented in Haiti for the first time in more than 100 years during October 2010
To understand patterns of ongoing cholera transmission and seasonality of cholera in Haiti, and to assess the likelihood of future epidemics, it is essential to know whether environmental reservoirs of toxigenic V. cholerae O1 have been established, where these reservoirs are located, and what factors affect the occurrence and growth of the microorganism in the environment
V. cholerae O1 serogroup Ogawa biotype El Tor was isolated from 6 (3.4%) of the 179 water samples and 1 (0.7%) of the 144 aquatic animal and plant samples by using modified alkaline peptone water (APW) enrichment techniques. Of those 7 environmental isolates, 3 (43%) were confirmed as ctxpositve toxigenic V. cholerae O1 strains, and 4 (57%) were confirmed as ctx-negative V. cholerae O1 strains by using genetic analysis as described below
Summary
An epidemic of cholera infections was documented in Haiti for the first time in more than 100 years during October 2010. Our data substantiate the presence of toxigenic V. cholerae O1 in the aquatic environment in Haiti These isolations may reflect establishment of long-term environmental reservoirs in Haiti, which may complicate eradication of cholera from this coastal country. To understand patterns of ongoing cholera transmission and seasonality of cholera in Haiti, and to assess the likelihood of future epidemics, it is essential to know whether environmental reservoirs of toxigenic V. cholerae O1 have been established, where these reservoirs are located, and what factors affect the occurrence and growth of the microorganism in the environment. We report the results of an initial year of monitoring of environmental sites in the Ouest Department of Haiti, near the towns of Leogane and Gressier, where the University of Florida (Gainesville, FL, USA) has established a research laboratory and field area
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