Cholera: Foodborne transmission and its prevention

Abstract

The last several years have witnessed a tremendous increase in reported cholera cases across the globe. The explosive arrival of the seventh cholera pandemic in Latin American in 1991, dramatic epidemics of cholera on the Indian subcontinent and in Southeast Asia due to the newly recognized Vibrio cholerae O139 strain, and the often deadly presence of cholera among populations affected by political and social upheaval in Africa and Eastern Europe are evidence that many countries have failed to adopt effective measures for cholera prevention and control. Foodborne transmission of cholera has been well documented by epidemiologic investigations in nearly every continent, and its interruption is a critical component to any integrated programme for cholera prevention and control. We emphasize clear and effective guidelines for the prevention of foodborne cholera transmission that are drawn from a comprehensive review of relevant epidemiologic and laboratory data.

Faecal contamination and enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli in street-vended chili sauces in Mexico and its public health relevance

“…Certain food items make excellent vehicles of disease as the infectious dose needed to cause illness is greatly reduced when the organisms are ingested together with food but not with water. Such is the case with Vibrio cholerae [4] where, in order to produce high attack rates of cholera, normal volunteers need to ingest as many as 10"" cholera vibrios in water. In contrast, when the stomach acid is neutralized or vibrios are ingested with certain food items, the infectious dose is reduced to as low as 10#-10$ organisms.…”

Fecal Indicator Bacteria Contamination of Fomites and Household Demand for Surface Disinfection Products: A Case Study from Peru

“…These findings suggest one or more of the following: reported cleaning methods do not reflect methods used to clean the sampled plate, cleaning methods do not effectively disinfect tableware, surfaces may be rapidly recontaminated after cleaning or disinfection, or survey responses were biased to over report bleach use. Following the 1991 cholera outbreak in the region, disinfection of fruits and vegetables using a bleach solution was widely recommended 19 ; the households that reported bleach use on tableware may be doing so because of their previous education on disinfection practices.…”

Managing molluscan shellfish-borne microbial diseases

“…Seafood is the most commonly implicated vehicle in foodborne cholera outbreaks worldwide (Estrada-Garcia and Mintz, 1996). Cholera has been a cause of human mortalities in North America into early twentieth century, and it has not been extirpated from the continent (Morris and Black, 1985).…”