Abstract
The article focuses on the genetic basis of the spread of cholera in Haiti which clarifies both the climatic and human transmission hypotheses explaining the origin of the disease after the January 12, 2010 earthquake. Topics include the role of the nonpathogenic Vibrio cholerae in cholera, studies supporting the human transmission hypothesis, and molecular study on the origin of Vibrio cholerae in the country. The use of genome sequencing as a tool for molecular epidemiology is considered.
Highlights
Cholera, caused by V. cholerae, is a disease characterized by very severe diarrhea and dehydration, which can lead to death in less than 48 hours if left untreated
The principal virulence determinant is the potent cholera toxin, encoded by the ctxAB genes on the bacteriophage CTXw [8] found in toxigenic V. cholerae genomes
V. cholerae is of major public health concern because of its potential to cause pandemics
Summary
Rumors spread on October 27, 2010, pointing blame for the outbreak at the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) troops from Nepal who had recently set up camp in Meille, a small village 2 km south of Mirebalais (Figure 2A). This followed revelations by news reporters showing improper sewage waste disposal in the camp [12,13]. A study by Piarroux and colleagues made use of all available epidemiological data, checking hospital records, doing field surveys, and applying statistics for spatiotemporal analysis, to trace the source and spread of the outbreak [15] The findings of their investigation confirmed the news reporters’ claims. Other than that done by the MINUSTAH, no independent testing was done of the troops to confirm the presence or absence of V. cholerae
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