Accumulating evidence suggests that some waterbird species are potential vectors of Vibrio cholerae

Abstract

Vibrio cholerae is the causative agent of cholera, a life-threatening diarrheal disease. Cholera causes epidemics and pandemics, but the ways this disease spreads worldwide is still unclear. This review highlights a relatively new hypothesis regarding the way V . cholerae can be globally dispersed. Copepods and chironomids are natural reservoirs of V . cholerae and are part of different fish species’ diet. Furthermore, V . cholerae inhabits marine and freshwater fish species. Waterbird species feed on fish or on small invertebrates such as copepods and chironomids. Waterbirds have also been found to carry living copepods and/or chironomids internally or externally from one waterbody to another. All of the above points to the fact that some waterbird species might be vectors of V . cholerae . Indeed, we and others have found evidence for the presence of V . cholerae non-O1 as well as O1 in waterbird cloacal swabs, feces, and intestine samples. Moreover, hand-reared cormorants that were fed on tilapia, a fish that naturally carries V . cholerae , became infected with this bacterial species, demonstrating that V . cholerae can be transferred to cormorants from their fish prey. Great cormorants as well as other waterbird species can cover distances of up to 1,000 km/day and thus may potentially transfer V . cholerae in a short time across and between continents. We hope this review will inspire further studies regarding the understanding of the waterbirds' role in the global dissemination of V . cholerae .

Assessment and Antibiotic Resistance Profiling in Vibrio Species Isolated from Wild Birds Captured in Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve, Romania

“…Besides other Vibrio spp., our results indicated the presence of V. cholerae in both sedentary and migratory birds, but with a higher frequency in migratory birds. Wild birds possess an important role in the epidemiology of Vibrio spp.-associated outbreaks [ 56 , 57 ] due to the particularities of their habitat and the interrelations with human activities (boat fishing, fish processing areas, and shellfish beds). Prolonged survival and persistence of Vibrio spp.…”

Comparative Analysis of Intestine Microbiota of Four Wild Waterbird Species

“…Using cloning methods, Ryu et al (2014) showed that migratory shorebirds are potential reservoirs of pathogenic Campylobacter species. Halpern et al (2008) suggested that migratory waterbirds are able to disseminate Vibrio cholerae , and explained the dispersal in that some waterbird species feed on copepods, chironomids and/or fish, all of which are reservoirs of the cholera bacterium (Laviad-Shitrit et al, 2019). Halpern and Senderovich (2015) suggested a novel concept regarding the predator–prey scenario.…”

Quorum‐sensing signaling by chironomid egg masses’ microbiota, affects haemagglutinin/protease (HAP) production by Vibrio cholerae

“…In aquatic environments, V. cholerae cells are associated with zooplankton, particularly copepods (Huq et al., 1983) and chironomids (Broza & Halpern, 2001; Halpern et al., 2006). Recent evidence also supports the hypothesis that fish and waterbirds may be intermediate V. cholerae reservoirs and may promote its dispersal (Halpern & Izhaki, 2017; Hounmanou et al., 2019; Laviad‐Shitrit et al., 2018, 2019; Mitchell et al., 2017; Runft et al., 2014; Senderovich et al., 2010; Xu et al., 2019; Zago et al., 2017).…”