Characterization of Vibrio cholerae isolates from freshwater sources in northwest Ohio

Abstract

Vibrio cholerae is a natural inhabitant of aquatic ecosystems worldwide, typically residing in coastal or brackish water. While more than 200 serogroups have been identified, only serogroups O1 and O139 have been associated with epidemic cholera. However, infections other than cholera can be caused by nonepidemic, non-O1/non-O139 V. cholerae strains, including gastroenteritis and extraintestinal infections. While V. cholerae can also survive in freshwater, that is typically only observed in regions of the world where cholera is endemic. We recently isolated V. cholerae from several locations in lakes and rivers in northwest Ohio. These isolates were all found to be non-O1/non-O139 V. cholerae strains, that would not cause cholera. However, these isolates contained a variety of virulence genes, including ctxA, rtxA, rtxC, hlyA, and ompU. Therefore, it is possible that some of these isolates have the potential to cause gastroenteritis or other infections in humans. We also investigated the relative motility of the isolates and their ability to form biofilms as this is important for V. cholerae survival in the environment. We identified one isolate that forms very robust biofilms, up to 4x that of our laboratory strains. Finally, we investigated the susceptibility of these isolates to a panel of antibiotics. We found that many of the isolates showed decreased susceptibility to some of the antibiotics tested, which could be of concern. While we do not know if these isolates are pathogenic to humans, increased surveillance to better understand the public health risk to the local community should be considered.

Analysis of metatranscriptomic methods to enable wastewater-based biosurveillance of all infectious diseases

“…As this organism is generally a pathogen found in more tropical regions near the ocean, literature was again reviewed to determine if there was precedence for V. cholerae in Ohio. Indeed, V. cholerae isolates have been found in freshwater sources in northwest Ohio ( 31 ). While these strains are not from the serogroups (O1 and O139) that cause epidemic cholera, the isolates characterized in Daboul et al contained a variety of virulence genes that could cause gastroenteritis or other human infections.…”

Food, Beverage, and Feedstock Processing Facility Wastewater: a Unique and Underappreciated Source of Contaminants to U.S. Streams

“…Vibrio spp. presence is not commonly studied in non-coastal areas of the United States; however, a recent study isolated Vibrio cholerae from lakes and rivers in northwest Ohio, with several isolates showing resistance to antibiotics . Vibrio organisms have been isolated in 75–100% of MWWTF effluents sampled in South Africa, Italy, and France. ,, Species of Mycobacterium spp., such as M.…”

Vibrio cholerae was found in cultured bullfrog

“…Vibrio cholerae widely exists in all types of waterbodies [ 19 , 20 ] and it has been reported that V. cholerae can infect aquatic animals including fish [ 21 , 22 ], shrimps [ 23 , 24 ] and other aquaculture animals [ 25 , 26 ]. The cause of cholera epidemics is extraordinarily complex, and it is unclear how it spreads, while the reason for seasonal epidemic peaks in epidemic areas are also unknown.…”