131 results on '"Anwar Huq"'
Search Results
2. Variability and the odds of Total and Pathogenic Vibrio abundance in Chesapeake Bay
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Mayank Gangwar, Kyle Brumfield, Moiz Usmani, Yusuf Jamal, Antar Jutla, Anwar Huq, and Rita Colwell
- Abstract
Vibrio spp. is typically found in salty waters and is indigenous to coastal environments. V. vulnificus and V. parahaemolyticus frequently causes food-borne and non-food-borne infections in the United States. Vibrio spp. is sensitive to changes in environmental conditions and various studies have explored their relationship with the environment and have identified water temperature as the strongest environmental predictor with salinity also affecting the abundance in some cases. It is unclear how additional environmental factors will affect intra-seasonal variance as well as the seasonal cycle. This study investigated the intra-seasonal variations in total and pathogenic V. parahaemolyticus and V. vulnificus organisms in oysters and surrounding waters from 2009 to 2012 at a few locations in the Chesapeake Bay. V. Vulnificus is always pathogenic, but it has been observed that there was greater sample-to-sample variability in pathogenic V. parahaemolyticus than in total V. parahaemolyticus. To determine the increase in the likelihood of vibrio presence when the value of a certain environmental parameter has changed, the odds ratio is examined for various values of environmental factors. The odds ratio that we employed measures the likelihood that the desired outcome would occur in samples with the vibrio in comparison to the likelihood that the desired outcome will occur in samples without the vibrio. This technique will give us the threshold value of the environmental variable above which the likelihood of vibrio spp. presence has increased drastically. With changing climate and environmental conditions, vibrio is posing increasing risks to human health. The findings of this study will demonstrate the effectiveness of the odds ratio technique in estimating the likelihood that vibrio abundance would increase when environmental conditions change, which can then be incorporated into prediction models to reduce the danger to the public's health.
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- 2023
3. Genomic attributes of Vibrio cholerae O1 responsible for 2022 massive cholera outbreak in Bangladesh
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Md Mamun Monir, Mohammad Tarequl Islam, Razib Mazumder, Dinesh Mondal, Kazi Sumaita Nahar, Marzia Sultana, Masatomo Morita, Makoto Ohnishi, Anwar Huq, Haruo Watanabe, Firdausi Qadri, Mustafizur Rahman, Nicholas Thomson, Kimberley Seed, Rita R. Colwell, Tahmeed Ahmed, and Munirul Alam
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Multidisciplinary ,General Physics and Astronomy ,General Chemistry ,General Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology - Abstract
In 2022, one of its worst cholera outbreaks began in Bangladesh and the icddr,b Dhaka hospital treated more than 1300 patients and ca. 42,000 diarrheal cases from March-1 to April-10, 20221. Here, we present genomic attributes of V. cholerae O1 responsible for the 2022 Dhaka outbreak and 960 7th pandemic El Tor (7PET) strains from 88 countries. Results show strains isolated during the Dhaka outbreak cluster with 7PET wave-3 global clade strains, but comprise subclade BD-1.2, for which the most recent common ancestor appears to be that responsible for recent endemic cholera in India. BD-1.2 strains are present in Bangladesh since 2016, but not establishing dominance over BD-2 lineage strains2 until 2018 and predominantly associated with endemic cholera. In conclusion, the recent shift in lineage and genetic attributes, including serotype switching of BD-1.2 from Ogawa to Inaba, may explain the increasing number of cholera cases in Bangladesh.
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- 2023
4. Loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assay for rapid detection of viable but non-culturable Vibrio cholerae O1
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Parastoo Chamanrokh, Rita R. Colwell, and Anwar Huq
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biology ,Chemistry ,Immunology ,Loop-mediated isothermal amplification ,General Medicine ,biology.organism_classification ,medicine.disease_cause ,Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology ,Microbiology ,Rapid detection ,law.invention ,Environmental water ,law ,Vibrio cholerae ,Genetics ,Waterborne pathogen ,medicine ,Molecular Biology ,Polymerase chain reaction ,Bacteria - Abstract
Vibrio cholerae, an important waterborne pathogen, is a rod-shaped bacterium that naturally exists in aquatic environments. When conditions are unfavorable for growth, the bacterium can undergo morphological and physiological changes to assume a coccoid morphology. This stage in its life cycle is referred to as viable but non-culturable (VBNC) because VBNC cells do not grow on conventional bacteriological culture media. The current study compared polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) to detect and identify VBNC V. cholerae. Because it is difficult to detect and identify VBNC V. cholerae, the results of the current study are useful in showing that LAMP is more sensitive and rapid than PCR in detecting and identifying non-culturable, coccoid forms of V. cholerae. Furthermore, the LAMP method is effective in detecting and identifying very low numbers of coccoid VBNC V. cholerae in environmental water samples, with the added benefit of being inexpensive to perform.
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- 2022
5. Genomic attributes of Vibrio cholerae responsible for a massive cholera outbreak in Bangladesh, 2022
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Munirul Alam, Md Mamun Monir, Mohammad Tarequl Islam, Razib Mazumder, Dinesh Mondal, Kazi Sumaita Nahar, Marzia Sultana, Masatomo Morita, Makoto Ohnishi, Anwar Huq, Haruo Watanabe, Firdausi Qadri, Mustafizur Rahman, Nick Thomson, Kimberley Seed, Rita R. Colwell, and Tahmeed Ahmed
- Abstract
Bangladesh is currently experiencing one of the worst cholera outbreaks in its history. The icddr,b hospital has treated a record number of patients, more than 1400 per day and ca. 40,000 diarrheal cases from the end of March through April 20221. A recent genomic study showed temporal progression of two lineages, BD-1 and BD-2, with the former linked to the 7th pandemic wave-3 global clade and the latter predominant in endemic cholera in Dhaka during 2013 and 20172. Here, we present genomic attributes of V. cholerae O1 responsible for the 2022 Dhaka cholera epidemic and genome phylogeny of 960 7th pandemic El Tor strains from 88 countries. Results show the Dhaka cholera etiological agent clustered with the 7th pandemic El Tor wave-3 global clade, but comprises a new subclade, BD-1.2, for which the most recent common ancestor appears to be of the globally distributed sublineage predominantly associated with recent endemic cholera in India. Results also suggest BD-1.2 was present in Bangladesh since 2016. However, it was not until 2018 that strains of the subclade successfully established dominance over the BD-2 during an expansion of the wave-3 global clade. It is concluded that the recent shift in predominant lineage and the observed genetic changes including serotype switch in BD-1.2 from Ogawa to Inaba may explain the increasing number of infections and massive outbreak of cholera during 2022 in Bangladesh.
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- 2022
6. Predictive Intelligence for Cholera in Ukraine?
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Moiz Usmani, Kyle D. Brumfield, Bailey M. Magers, Anwar Huq, Rosa Barciela, Thanh H. Nguyen, Rita R. Colwell, and Antarpreet Jutla
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Global and Planetary Change ,climate ,environmental ,Ukraine ,vibrios ,cholera ,infectious disease ,Epidemiology ,Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis ,Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health ,Management, Monitoring, Policy and Law ,Pollution ,Waste Management and Disposal ,Water Science and Technology - Abstract
Cholera, an ancient waterborne diarrheal disease, remains a threat to public health, especially when climate/weather processes, microbiological parameters, and sociological determinants intersect with population vulnerabilities of loss of access to safe drinking water and sanitation infrastructure. The ongoing war in Ukraine has either damaged or severely crippled civil infrastructure, following which the human population is at risk of health disasters. This editorial highlights a perspective on using predictive intelligence to combat potential (and perhaps impending) cholera outbreaks in various regions of Ukraine. Reliable and judicious use of existing earth observations inspired mathematical algorithms integrating heuristic understanding of microbiological, sociological, and weather parameters have the potential to save or reduce the disease burden.
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- 2022
7. Microbiome Analysis for Wastewater Surveillance during COVID-19
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Kyle D. Brumfield, Menu Leddy, Moiz Usmani, Joseph A. Cotruvo, Ching-Tzone Tien, Suzanne Dorsey, Karlis Graubics, Brian Fanelli, Isaac Zhou, Nathaniel Registe, Manoj Dadlani, Malinda Wimalarante, Dilini Jinasena, Rushan Abayagunawardena, Chiran Withanachchi, Anwar Huq, Antarpreet Jutla, and Rita R. Colwell
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Wastewater-Based Epidemiological Monitoring ,COVID-19 Testing ,SARS-CoV-2 ,Microbiota ,Virology ,COVID-19 ,Humans ,RNA, Viral ,Wastewater ,Microbiology - Abstract
Wastewater surveillance (WS), when coupled with advanced molecular techniques, offers near real-time monitoring of community-wide transmission of SARS-CoV-2 and allows assessing and mitigating COVID-19 outbreaks, by evaluating the total microbial assemblage in a community. Composite wastewater samples (24 h) were collected weekly from a manhole between December 2020 and November 2021 in Maryland, USA. RT-qPCR results showed concentrations of SARS-CoV-2 RNA recovered from wastewater samples reflected incidence of COVID-19 cases. When a drastic increase in COVID-19 was detected in February 2021, samples were selected for microbiome analysis (DNA metagenomics, RNA metatranscriptomics, and targeted SARS-CoV-2 sequencing). Targeted SARS-CoV-2 sequencing allowed for detection of important genetic mutations, such as spike: K417N, D614G, P681H, T716I, S982A, and D1118H, commonly associated with increased cell entry and reinfection. Microbiome analysis (DNA and RNA) provided important insight with respect to human health-related factors, including detection of pathogens and their virulence/antibiotic resistance genes. Specific microbial species comprising the wastewater microbiome correlated with incidence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA, suggesting potential association with SARS-CoV-2 infection. Climatic conditions, namely, temperature, were related to incidence of COVID-19 and detection of SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater, having been monitored as part of an environmental risk score assessment carried out in this study. In summary, the wastewater microbiome provides useful public health information, and hence, a valuable tool to proactively detect and characterize pathogenic agents circulating in a community. In effect, metagenomics of wastewater can serve as an early warning system for communicable diseases, by providing a larger source of information for health departments and public officials.
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- 2022
8. Using Metagenomic Analysis to Assess Water Quality
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Kyle D. Brumfield, Rita R. Colwell, Joseph A. Cotruvo, Anwar Huq, and Menu B. Leddy
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Waste management ,Metagenomics ,Environmental science ,General Chemistry ,Water quality ,Bottled water ,Water Science and Technology - Published
- 2020
9. Gut microbiome insights from 16S rRNA analysis of 17-year periodical cicadas (Hemiptera: Magicicada spp.) Broods II, VI, and X
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Kyle D. Brumfield, Michael J. Raupp, Diler Haji, Chris Simon, Joerg Graf, John R. Cooley, Susan T. Janton, Russell C. Meister, Anwar Huq, Rita R. Colwell, and Nur A. Hasan
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Hemiptera ,Soil ,Multidisciplinary ,Bacteria ,RNA, Ribosomal, 16S ,Animals ,United States ,Gastrointestinal Microbiome - Abstract
Periodical cicadas (Hemiptera: Magicicada) have coevolved with obligate bacteriome-inhabiting microbial symbionts, yet little is known about gut microbial symbiont composition or differences in composition among allochronic Magicicada broods (year classes) which emerge parapatrically or allopatrically in the eastern United States. Here, 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing was performed to determine gut bacterial community profiles of three periodical broods, including II (Connecticut and Virginia, 2013), VI (North Carolina, 2017), and X (Maryland, 2021, and an early emerging nymph collected in Ohio, 2017). Results showed similarities among all nymphal gut microbiomes and between morphologically distinct 17-year Magicicada, namely Magicicada septendecim (Broods II and VI) and 17-year Magicicada cassini (Brood X) providing evidence of a core microbiome, distinct from the microbiome of burrow soil inhabited by the nymphs. Generally, phyla Bacteroidetes [Bacteroidota] (> 50% relative abundance), Actinobacteria [Actinomycetota], or Proteobacteria [Pseudomonadota] represented the core. Acidobacteria and genera Cupriavidus, Mesorhizobium, and Delftia were prevalent in nymphs but less frequent in adults. The primary obligate endosymbiont, Sulcia (Bacteroidetes), was dominant amongst core genera detected. Chryseobacterium were common in Broods VI and X. Chitinophaga, Arthrobacter, and Renibacterium were common in Brood X, and Pedobacter were common to nymphs of Broods II and VI. Further taxonomic assignment of unclassified Alphaproteobacteria sequencing reads allowed for detection of multiple copies of the Hodgkinia 16S rRNA gene, distinguishable as separate operational taxonomic units present simultaneously. As major emergences of the broods examined here occur at 17-year intervals, this study will provide a valuable comparative baseline in this era of a changing climate.
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- 2022
10. Genomic Characteristics of Recently Recognized Vibrio cholerae El Tor Lineages Associated with Cholera in Bangladesh, 1991 to 2017
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Md Mamun Monir, Talal Hossain, Masatomo Morita, Makoto Ohnishi, Fatema-Tuz Johura, Marzia Sultana, Shirajum Monira, Tahmeed Ahmed, Nicholas Thomson, Haruo Watanabe, Anwar Huq, Rita R. Colwell, Kimberley Seed, and Munirul Alam
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Microbiology (medical) ,Bangladesh ,Cholera Toxin ,General Immunology and Microbiology ,Ecology ,Physiology ,Vibrio cholerae O1 ,Bayes Theorem ,Cell Biology ,Genomics ,Infectious Diseases ,Cholera ,Genetics ,Humans ,Genome-Wide Association Study - Abstract
Comparative genomic analysis of Vibrio cholerae El Tor associated with endemic cholera in Asia revealed two distinct lineages, one dominant in Bangladesh and the other in India. An in-depth whole-genome study of V. cholerae El Tor strains isolated during endemic cholera in Bangladesh (1991 to 2017) included reference genome sequence data obtained online. Core genome phylogeny established using single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) showed V. cholerae El Tor strains comprised two lineages, BD-1 and BD-2, which, according to Bayesian phylodynamic analysis, originated from paraphyletic group BD-0 around 1981. BD-1 and BD-2 lineages overlapped temporally but were negatively associated as causative agents of cholera during 2004 to 2017. Genome-wide association study (GWAS) revealed 140 SNPs and 31 indels, resulting in gene alleles unique to BD-1 and BD-2. Regression analysis of root to tip distance and year of isolation indicated early BD-0 strains at the base, whereas BD-1 and BD-2 subsequently emerged and progressed by accumulating SNPs. Pangenome analysis provided evidence of gene acquisition by both BD-1 and BD-2, of which six crucial proteins of known function were predominant in BD-2. BD-1 and BD-2 diverged and have distinctively different genomic traits, namely, heterogeneity in VSP-2, VPI-1, mobile elements, toxin encoding elements, and total gene abundance. In addition, the observed phage-inducible chromosomal island-like element (PLE1), and SXT ICE elements (ICE
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- 2022
11. Genomic characteristics of recently recognized Vibrio cholerae El Tor lineages associated with cholera in Bangladesh, 1991-2017
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Md Mamun Monir, Talal Hossain, Masatomo Morita, Makoto Ohnishi, Fatema-Tuz Johura, Marzia Sultana, Shirajum Monira, Tahmeed Ahmed, Nicholas Thomson, Haruo Watanabe, Anwar Huq, Rita R. Colwell, Kimberley Seed, and Munirul Alam
- Abstract
Comparative genomic analysis of Vibrio cholerae El Tor associated with endemic cholera in Asia revealed two distinct lineages, one dominant in Bangladesh and the other in India. An in depth whole genome study of V. cholerae El Tor clinical strains isolated during endemic cholera in Bangladesh (1991 – 2017) included reference genome sequence data obtained online. Core genome phylogeny established using single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) showed V. cholerae El Tor strains comprised two lineages, BD-1 and BD-2, which, according to Bayesian phylodynamic analysis, originated from paraphyletic group BD-0 around 1981. BD-1 and BD-2 lineages overlapped temporally but were negatively associated as causative agents of cholera 2004-2017. Genome wide association study (GWAS) revealed 140 SNPs and 31 indels, resulting in gene alleles unique to BD-1 and BD-2. Regression analysis of root to tip distance and year of isolation indicated early BD-0 strains at the base, whereas BD-1 and BD-2 subsequently emerged and progressed by accumulating SNPs. Pangenome analysis provided evidence of gene acquisition by both BD-1 and BD-2, of which six crucial proteins of known function were predominant in BD-2. BD-1 and BD-2 diverged and have distinctively different genomic traits, namely heterogeneity in VSP-2, VPI-1, mobile elements, toxin encoding elements, and total gene abundance. In addition, the observed phage-inducible chromosomal island-like element (PLE1), and SXT ICE elements (ICETET) in BD-2 presumably provided a fitness advantage for the lineage to outcompete BD-1 as the etiological agent of the endemic cholera in Bangladesh, with implications for global cholera epidemiology.ImportanceCholera is a global disease with specific reference to the Bay of Bengal Ganges Delta where Vibrio cholerae O1 El Tor, causative agent of the disease showed two circulating lineages, one dominant in Bangladesh and the other in India. Results of in-depth genomic study of V. cholerae associated with endemic cholera during the past 27 years (1991 – 2017) indicate emergence and succession of the two lineages, BD-1 and BD-2, arising from a common ancestral paraphylatic group, BD-0, comprising the early strains and short-term evolution of the bacterium in Bangladesh. Among the two V. cholerae lineages, BD-2 supersedes BD-1 and is predominant in the most recent endemic cholera in Bangladesh. The BD-2 lineage contained significantly more SNPs and indels, and showed richness in gene abundance, including antimicrobial resistance genes, gene cassettes, and PLE to fight against bacteriophage infection, acquired over time. These findings have important epidemic implications at a global scale.
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- 2021
12. Loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assay for rapid detection of viable but non-culturable
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Parastoo, Chamanrokh, Rita R, Colwell, and Anwar, Huq
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Molecular Diagnostic Techniques ,Vibrio cholerae O1 ,Nucleic Acid Amplification Techniques ,Polymerase Chain Reaction - Published
- 2021
13. Environmental parameters associated with incidence and transmission of pathogenic Vibrio spp
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Kristine M. Chen, Rita R. Colwell, Mayank Gangwar, Anwar Huq, Kyle D. Brumfield, M. Usmani, and Antarpreet Jutla
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education.field_of_study ,Vibrio parahaemolyticus ,Incidence ,Population ,Outbreak ,Context (language use) ,Vibrio vulnificus ,Biology ,Environment ,biology.organism_classification ,medicine.disease ,medicine.disease_cause ,Microbiology ,Cholera ,Vibrio ,Vibrio cholerae ,Environmental health ,Vibrio Infections ,medicine ,Humans ,education ,Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics - Abstract
Vibrio spp. thrive in warm water and moderate salinity, and they are associated with aquatic invertebrates, notably crustaceans and zooplankton. At least twelve Vibrio spp. are known to cause infection in humans, and Vibrio cholerae is well documented as the etiological agent of pandemic cholera. Pathogenic non-cholera Vibrio spp., e.g., Vibrio parahaemolyticus and Vibrio vulnificus, cause gastroenteritis, septicemia, and other extra-intestinal infections. Incidence of vibriosis is rising globally, with evidence that anthropogenic factors, primarily emissions of carbon dioxide associated with atmospheric warming and more frequent and intense heatwaves, significantly influence environmental parameters, e.g., temperature, salinity, and nutrients, all of which can enhance growth of Vibrio spp. in aquatic ecosystems. It is not possible to eliminate Vibrio spp., as they are autochthonous to the aquatic environment and many play a critical role in carbon and nitrogen cycling. Risk prediction models provide an early warning that is essential for safeguarding public health. This is especially important for regions of the world vulnerable to infrastructure instability, including lack of 'water, sanitation, and hygiene' (WASH), and a less resilient infrastructure that is vulnerable to natural calamity, e.g., hurricanes, floods, and earthquakes, and/or social disruption and civil unrest, arising from war, coups, political crisis, and economic recession. Incorporating environmental, social, and behavioral parameters into such models allows improved prediction, particularly of cholera epidemics. We have reported that damage to WASH infrastructure, coupled with elevated air temperatures and followed by above average rainfall, promotes exposure of a population to contaminated water and increases the risk of an outbreak of cholera. Interestingly, global predictive risk models successful for cholera have the potential, with modification, to predict diseases caused by other clinically relevant Vibrio spp. In the research reported here, the focus was on environmental parameters associated with incidence and distribution of clinically relevant Vibrio spp. and their role in disease transmission. In addition, molecular methods designed for detection and enumeration proved useful for predictive modeling and are described, namely in the context of prediction of environmental conditions favorable to Vibrio spp., hence human health risk. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
- Published
- 2021
14. Metagenomic Sequencing and Quantitative Real-Time PCR for Fecal Pollution Assessment in an Urban Watershed
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Kyle D. Brumfield, Joseph A. Cotruvo, Orin C. Shanks, Mano Sivaganesan, Jessica Hey, Nur A. Hasan, Anwar Huq, Rita R. Colwell, and Menu B. Leddy
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Pollution ,Veterinary medicine ,rainfall–runoff ,media_common.quotation_subject ,Microorganism ,fecal indicator bacteria ,Indicator bacteria ,Biology ,lcsh:TD1-1066 ,Article ,03 medical and health sciences ,Microbiome ,quantitative real-time PCR ,lcsh:Environmental technology. Sanitary engineering ,Feces ,030304 developmental biology ,media_common ,Pollutant ,0303 health sciences ,030306 microbiology ,metagenomic analysis ,culture ,Fecal coliform ,whole metagenome sequence ,Metagenomics ,microbial source tracking - Abstract
Microbial contamination of recreation waters is a major concern globally, with pollutants originating from many sources, including human and other animal wastes often introduced during storm events. Fecal contamination is traditionally monitored by employing culture methods targeting fecal indicator bacteria (FIB), namely E. coli and enterococci, which provides only limited information of a few microbial taxa and no information on their sources. Host-associated qPCR and metagenomic DNA sequencing are complementary methods for FIB monitoring that can provide enhanced understanding of microbial communities and sources of fecal pollution. Whole metagenome sequencing (WMS), quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR), and culture-based FIB tests were performed in an urban watershed before and after a rainfall event to determine the feasibility and application of employing a multi-assay approach for examining microbial content of ambient source waters. Cultivated E. coli and enterococci enumeration confirmed presence of fecal contamination in all samples exceeding local single sample recreational water quality thresholds (E. coli, 410 MPN/100 mL; enterococci, 107 MPN/100 mL) following a rainfall. Test results obtained with qPCR showed concentrations of E. coli, enterococci, and human-associated genetic markers increased after rainfall by 1.52-, 1.26-, and 1.11-fold log10 copies per 100 mL, respectively. Taxonomic analysis of the surface water microbiome and detection of antibiotic resistance genes, general FIB, and human-associated microorganisms were also employed. Results showed that fecal contamination from multiple sources (human, avian, dog, and ruminant), as well as FIB, enteric microorganisms, and antibiotic resistance genes increased demonstrably after a storm event. In summary, the addition of qPCR and WMS to traditional surrogate techniques may provide enhanced characterization and improved understanding of microbial pollution sources in ambient waters.
- Published
- 2021
15. Dynamics, Diversity, and Virulence of Aeromonas spp. in Homestead Pond Water in Coastal Bangladesh
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Abdus Sadique, Sucharit Basu Neogi, Tanvir Bashar, Marzia Sultana, Fatema-Tuz Johura, Saiful Islam, Nur A. Hasan, Anwar Huq, Rita R. Colwell, and Munirul Alam
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Aeromonas caviae ,Veterinary medicine ,Virulence ,010501 environmental sciences ,01 natural sciences ,diversity ,03 medical and health sciences ,Animals ,Ponds ,Original Research ,0105 earth and related environmental sciences ,Bangladesh ,0303 health sciences ,Genetic diversity ,biology ,seasonality ,030306 microbiology ,Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health ,Water ,Outbreak ,biology.organism_classification ,Aeromonas schubertii ,virulence ,Aeromonas hydrophila ,Aeromonas ,coastal pond ,Public Health ,Public aspects of medicine ,RA1-1270 ,toxigenic genes ,Aeromonas veronii - Abstract
Aeromonads are aquatic bacteria associated with frequent outbreaks of diarrhea in coastal Bangladesh, but their potential risks from environmental sources have remained largely unexplored. This study, over 2 years, examined homestead pond waters in the region for monthly dynamics and diversity of Aeromonas spp. The bacterial counts showed bi-modal annual growth peak, pre- and post-monsoon, strongly correlating (p < 0.0005) with temperature. Of 200 isolates characterized, Aeromonas veronii bv. sobria (27%) was predominant among co-existent Aeromonas schubertii (20%), Aeromonas hydrophila (17%), Aeromonas caviae (13%), and three more. PCR screening of virulence-related genes identified 15 genotypes (I to XV), however, enterotoxigenicity in animal model was observed for five genotypes, ca. 18% (nine of 50) strains, prevalent in A. veronii bv. sobria, A. hydrophila, and A. caviae. Pathogenic strains were distinguishable by possessing at least three of the major virulence genes: ascV, hlyA, ela, ast, and alt, together with accessory virulence factors. PFGE of XbaI-digested genomic DNA revealed high genetic diversity and distant lineage of potentially toxigenic clones. Therefore, along with increased global warming, Aeromonas spp. having multi-factorial virulence potential in coastal ponds that serve as drinking water sources pose a potential health risk, and underscores the need for routine monitoring.
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- 2021
16. Estimating cholera risk from an exploratory analysis of its association with satellite-derived land surface temperatures
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Y. Gao, Rita R. Colwell, Antarpreet Jutla, Claire McDonald, Ali S. Akanda, Haidar Aldaach, Munirul Alam, Anwar Huq, and Rakibul Khan
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010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences ,0211 other engineering and technologies ,02 engineering and technology ,Exploratory analysis ,Biology ,medicine.disease ,medicine.disease_cause ,biology.organism_classification ,01 natural sciences ,Cholera ,Vibrio cholerae ,Climatology ,medicine ,General Earth and Planetary Sciences ,Satellite (biology) ,021101 geological & geomatics engineering ,0105 earth and related environmental sciences - Abstract
Occurrence and growth of Vibrio cholerae, the causative agent of cholera, is linked to modalities of elevated temperatures and heavy precipitation. Previous studies have employed temperature- and s...
- Published
- 2019
17. Draft Genome Sequences of Seven Vibrio cholerae Isolates from Adult Patients in Qatar
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Kyle D. Brumfield, Ameena Al Malki, Anjana Anand, Clement K. M. Tsui, Shah M. Rashed, Anwar Huq, Rita R. Colwell, Emad Ibrahim, Rashmi Fotedar, and Hamad Al Shamari
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Genetics ,Serogroup O1 ,biology ,Adult patients ,Genome Sequences ,Virulence ,biology.organism_classification ,medicine.disease_cause ,Pathogenicity island ,El Tor ,Genome ,Immunology and Microbiology (miscellaneous) ,Vibrio cholerae ,medicine ,Antimicrobial resistance genes ,Molecular Biology - Abstract
We report the draft genome sequences of seven Vibrio cholerae isolates from patients. Four isolates were profiled as multilocus sequence type 69, serogroup O1, a subset of seventh-pandemic El Tor clonal isolates. Presented here are genome assemblies and evidence for major pathogenicity islands, virulence factors, and antimicrobial resistance genes.
- Published
- 2021
18. Does improved risk information increase the value of cholera prevention? An analysis of stated vaccine demand in slum areas of urban Bangladesh
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Antarpreet Jutla, Gias U. Ashan, Emily L. Pakhtigian, Rita R. Colwell, Sonia N. Aziz, Munirul Alam, Ali S. Akanda, and Anwar Huq
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medicine.medical_specialty ,Health (social science) ,Sanitation ,03 medical and health sciences ,0302 clinical medicine ,History and Philosophy of Science ,Willingness to pay ,Cholera ,Environmental health ,Poverty Areas ,Pandemic ,medicine ,Humans ,030212 general & internal medicine ,Child ,Contingent valuation ,Bangladesh ,Family Characteristics ,030503 health policy & services ,Public health ,Cholera Vaccines ,medicine.disease ,Geography ,0305 other medical science ,Cholera vaccine ,Slum - Abstract
As the world's longest running pandemic, cholera poses a substantial public health burden in Bangladesh, where human vulnerability intersects with climatic variability. Barriers to safe water and sanitation place the health of millions of Bangladeshis in jeopardy – especially those who have highly constrained choices in preventing and responding to cholera. In this paper we investigate demand for cholera prevention among residents in the Mirpur and Karail slum areas of urban Dhaka. Using survey data from 2023 households in two slum areas, we analyze responses from a contingent valuation questionnaire that elicited willingness to pay (WTP) for cholera vaccines across household members and under varying disease risk scenarios, finding higher valuation for cholera prevention for children and under scenarios of greater epidemic risk. We estimate the average WTP for a cholera vaccine for a child ranges from TK 134–167 (US$ 1.58–1.96). Consistently, respondents with prior knowledge of the cholera vaccine reported lower WTP valuations, providing suggestive evidence of concerns about vaccine effectiveness and preferences for cholera treatment over prevention. We supplement the contingent valuation analysis with cost of illness estimates from both our household sample as well as from administrative hospital records of over 34,000 cholera patients. We estimate that a household incurs costs of TK 801–922 (US$ 9.43–10.50) per episode of cholera that requires medical treatment. Taken together, these findings indicate higher WTP for cholera treatment compared to prevention, but increased interest in prevention under early warning system scenarios of high disease risk.
- Published
- 2021
19. Hydroclimatic sustainability assessment of changing climate on cholera in the Ganges-Brahmaputra basin
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Antarpreet Jutla, Munirul Alam, Anwar Huq, Ali S. Akanda, Rita R. Colwell, Avinash Unnikrishnan, Fariborz Nasr-Azadani, Javad Rahimikollu, and Rakibul Khan
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Delta ,010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences ,Discharge ,0208 environmental biotechnology ,Climate change ,02 engineering and technology ,Structural basin ,medicine.disease ,01 natural sciences ,Cholera ,020801 environmental engineering ,Water resources ,Climatology ,Streamflow ,medicine ,Environmental science ,0105 earth and related environmental sciences ,Water Science and Technology ,Downscaling - Abstract
The association of cholera and climate has been extensively documented. However, determining the effects of changing climate on the occurrence of disease remains a challenge. Bimodal peaks of cholera in Bengal Delta are hypothesized to be linked to asymmetric flow of the Ganges and Brahmaputra rivers. Spring cholera is related to intrusion of bacteria-laden coastal seawater during low flow seasons, while autumn cholera results from cross-contamination of water resources when high flows in the rivers cause massive inundation. Coarse resolution of General Circulation Model (GCM) output (usually at 100 – 300 km)cannot be used to evaluate variability at the local scale(10–20 km),hence the goal of this study was to develop a framework that could be used to understand impacts of climate change on occurrence of cholera. Instead of a traditional approach of downscaling precipitation, streamflow of the two rivers was directly linked to GCM outputs, achieving reasonable accuracy (R2 = 0.89 for the Ganges and R2 = 0.91 for the Brahmaputra)using machine learning algorithms (Support Vector Regression-Particle Swarm Optimization). Copula methods were used to determine probabilistic risks of cholera under several discharge conditions. Key results, using model outputs from ECHAM5, GFDL, andHadCM3for A1B and A2 scenarios, suggest that the combined low flow of the two rivers may increase in the future, with high flows increasing for first half of this century, decreasing thereafter. Spring and autumn cholera, assuming societal conditions remain constant e.g., at the current rate, may decrease. However significant shifts were noted in the magnitude of river discharge suggesting that cholera dynamics of the delta may well demonstrate an uncertain predictable pattern of occurrence over the next century.
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- 2017
20. Assessment of Risk of Cholera in Haiti following Hurricane Matthew
- Author
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Rakib Khan, Anwar Huq, Antarpreet Jutla, Rita R. Colwell, Rifat Anwar, Shafqat Akanda, and Michael D. McDonald
- Subjects
0301 basic medicine ,Wet season ,medicine.medical_specialty ,Sanitation ,030231 tropical medicine ,Population ,Water supply ,03 medical and health sciences ,0302 clinical medicine ,Cholera ,Risk Factors ,Water Supply ,Environmental protection ,Virology ,Environmental health ,medicine ,Humans ,education ,education.field_of_study ,Cyclonic Storms ,business.industry ,Public health ,Articles ,medicine.disease ,Haiti ,Intervention (law) ,030104 developmental biology ,Infectious Diseases ,Geography ,Air temperature ,Parasitology ,business - Abstract
Damage to the inferior and fragile water and sanitation infrastructure of Haiti after Hurricane Matthew has created an urgent public health emergency in terms of likelihood of cholera occurring in the human population. Using satellite-derived data on precipitation, gridded air temperature, and hurricane path and with information on water and sanitation (WASH) infrastructure, we tracked changing environmental conditions conducive for growth of pathogenic vibrios. Based on these data, we predicted and validated the likelihood of cholera cases occurring past hurricane. The risk of cholera in the southwestern part of Haiti remained relatively high since November 2016 to the present. Findings of this study provide a contemporary process for monitoring ground conditions that can guide public health intervention to control cholera in human population by providing access to vaccines, safe WASH facilities. Assuming current social and behavioral patterns remain constant, it is recommended that WASH infrastructure should be improved and considered a priority especially before 2017 rainy season.
- Published
- 2017
21. Microbial resolution of whole genome shotgun and 16S amplicon metagenomic sequencing using publicly available NEON data
- Author
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Anwar Huq, Kyle D. Brumfield, James L. Olds, Menu B. Leddy, and Rita R. Colwell
- Subjects
Molecular biology ,DNA cloning ,Biochemistry ,Soil ,Database and Informatics Methods ,RNA, Ribosomal, 16S ,Databases, Genetic ,Genome Sequencing ,DNA sequencing ,Bacterial phyla ,Data Management ,0303 health sciences ,Multidisciplinary ,Shotgun sequencing ,Bacterial taxonomy ,High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing ,Genomics ,Amplicon ,Genomic Databases ,Nucleic acids ,Ribosomal RNA ,Medicine ,Sequence Analysis ,Research Article ,Microbial Taxonomy ,DNA, Bacterial ,Cell biology ,Computer and Information Sciences ,Cellular structures and organelles ,Bioinformatics ,Science ,Sequence Databases ,Computational biology ,Biology ,Research and Analysis Methods ,Microbiology ,03 medical and health sciences ,Genetics ,Sequencing Techniques ,Non-coding RNA ,030304 developmental biology ,Taxonomy ,Shotgun Sequencing ,Bacteria ,Whole Genome Sequencing ,030306 microbiology ,Sequence Analysis, RNA ,Bacterial Taxonomy ,Biology and Life Sciences ,Computational Biology ,Bacteriology ,Sequence Analysis, DNA ,Genome Analysis ,Archaea ,Data sharing ,Biological Databases ,Molecular biology techniques ,13. Climate action ,Metagenomics ,Metagenome ,RNA ,Ribosomes ,Cloning - Abstract
Microorganisms are ubiquitous in the biosphere, playing a crucial role in both biogeochemistry of the planet and human health. However, identifying these microorganisms and defining their function are challenging. Widely used approaches in comparative metagenomics, 16S amplicon sequencing and whole genome shotgun sequencing (WGS), have provided access to DNA sequencing analysis to identify microorganisms and evaluate diversity and abundance in various environments. However, advances in parallel high-throughput DNA sequencing in the past decade have introduced major hurdles, namely standardization of methods, data storage, reproducible interoperability of results, and data sharing. The National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON), established by the National Science Foundation, enables all researchers to address queries on a regional to continental scale around a variety of environmental challenges and provide high-quality, integrated, and standardized data from field sites across the U.S. As the amount of metagenomic data continues to grow, standardized procedures that allow results across projects to be assessed and compared is becoming increasingly important in the field of metagenomics. We demonstrate the feasibility of using publicly available NEON soil metagenomic sequencing datasets in combination with open access Metagenomics Rapid Annotation using the Subsystem Technology (MG-RAST) server to illustrate advantages of WGS compared to 16S amplicon sequencing. Four WGS and four 16S amplicon sequence datasets, from surface soil samples prepared by NEON investigators, were selected for comparison, using standardized protocols collected at the same locations in Colorado between April-July 2014. The dominant bacterial phyla detected across samples agreed between sequencing methodologies. However, WGS yielded greater microbial resolution, increased accuracy, and allowed identification of more genera of bacteria, archaea, viruses, and eukaryota, and putative functional genes that would have gone undetected using 16S amplicon sequencing. NEON open data will be useful for future studies characterizing and quantifying complex ecological processes associated with changing aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems.
- Published
- 2019
22. Long-Range River Discharge Forecasting Using the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment
- Author
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Rakibul Khan, Antarpreet Jutla, Rita R. Colwell, Y. Gao, Wahid Palash, Anwar Huq, Ali S. Akanda, and M. Usmani
- Subjects
body regions ,Hydrology ,Gravity (chemistry) ,Sanitation ,Range (biology) ,Discharge ,Remote sensing (archaeology) ,Geography, Planning and Development ,Environmental science ,Management, Monitoring, Policy and Law ,Water Science and Technology ,Civil and Structural Engineering - Abstract
Diarrheal diseases, notably cholera, have been shown to be related to episodic seasonal variability in river discharge, predominantly low flows, in regions where water and sanitation infras...
- Published
- 2019
23. Searching Panacea for Cholera
- Author
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Anwar Huq, Antarpreet Jutla, and Rita R. Colwell
- Subjects
biology ,Political science ,Development economics ,medicine ,General Earth and Planetary Sciences ,medicine.disease ,biology.organism_classification ,Cholera ,General Environmental Science ,Panacea (butterfly) - Published
- 2018
24. Potential application of SMART II for Vibrio cholerae O1 and O139 detection in ship's ballast water
- Author
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Mario N. Tamburri, Anwar Huq, Arlene Chen, and Rita R. Colwell
- Subjects
0301 basic medicine ,Ballast ,030106 microbiology ,Aquatic Science ,Oceanography ,medicine.disease_cause ,Sensitivity and Specificity ,Vibrio cholerae O139 ,03 medical and health sciences ,medicine ,Enterococcus spp ,Seawater ,Ships ,Immunoassay ,Waste management ,Blot hybridization ,Vibrio cholerae O1 ,medicine.disease ,Pollution ,Cholera ,United States ,030104 developmental biology ,Vibrio cholerae ,Environmental science ,Public Health ,Water Microbiology ,Environmental Monitoring - Abstract
Ballast water is used to safely stabilize and operate shipping vessels worldwide, in a multitude of aquatic settings, including inland, coastal and open oceans. However, ballast water may pose ecological, public health, and/or economic problems as it may serve as vehicles of transmission of microorganisms. Current ballast water regulations include limits of Escherichia coli, Enterococcus spp. and toxigenic Vibrio cholerae. Several United States Environmental Protection Agency approved standard operating protocols (SOPs) exist for detection of E. coli and Enterococci, yet none exists for V. cholerae. Current V. cholerae detection methods include colony blot hybridization, direct fluorescent antibody test (DFA), and/or polymerase chain reaction (PCR), which can be time consuming and difficult to perform. This study utilizes Cholera SMART II to determine its potential use in detection of V. cholerae. Validation of this method would help provide quick and accurate analysis for V. cholerae in ballast discharge waters in the field.
- Published
- 2018
25. Biofilms Comprise a Component of the Annual Cycle of Vibrio cholerae in the Bay of Bengal Estuary
- Author
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Kabir Uddin Ahmed, Anwar Hossain, Ira M. Longini, Abdus Sadique, Rita R. Colwell, Nur A. Hasan, David A. Sack, Munirul Alam, Atiqul Islam, Marzia Sultana, R. B. Sack, Suraia Nusrin, A. K. Siddique, Azhar Nizam, and Anwar Huq
- Subjects
0301 basic medicine ,Veterinary medicine ,030106 microbiology ,cholera ,Biology ,medicine.disease_cause ,Microbiology ,03 medical and health sciences ,Virology ,medicine ,Vibrio cholerae ,Bangladesh ,geography ,geography.geographical_feature_category ,Outbreak ,Estuary ,Plankton ,medicine.disease ,Annual cycle ,Cholera ,QR1-502 ,Bacterial Load ,6. Clean water ,030104 developmental biology ,Bays ,Biofilms ,Seasons ,Mangrove ,Estuaries ,Water Microbiology ,Bay ,Research Article - Abstract
Vibrio cholerae, an estuarine bacterium, is the causative agent of cholera, a severe diarrheal disease that demonstrates seasonal incidence in Bangladesh. In an extensive study of V. cholerae occurrence in a natural aquatic environment, water and plankton samples were collected biweekly between December 2005 and November 2006 from Mathbaria, an estuarine village of Bangladesh near the mangrove forests of the Sundarbans. Toxigenic V. cholerae exhibited two seasonal growth peaks, one in spring (March to May) and another in autumn (September to November), corresponding to the two annual seasonal outbreaks of cholera in this region. The total numbers of bacteria determined by heterotrophic plate count (HPC), representing culturable bacteria, accounted for 1% to 2.7% of the total numbers obtained using acridine orange direct counting (AODC). The highest bacterial culture counts, including toxigenic V. cholerae, were recorded in the spring. The direct fluorescent antibody (DFA) assay was used to detect V. cholerae O1 cells throughout the year, as free-living cells, within clusters, or in association with plankton. V. cholerae O1 varied significantly in morphology, appearing as distinctly rod-shaped cells in the spring months, while small coccoid cells within thick clusters of biofilm were observed during interepidemic periods of the year, notably during the winter months. Toxigenic V. cholerae O1 was culturable in natural water during the spring when the temperature rose sharply. The results of this study confirmed biofilms to be a means of persistence for bacteria and an integral component of the annual life cycle of toxigenic V. cholerae in the estuarine environment of Bangladesh., IMPORTANCE Vibrio cholerae, the causative agent of cholera, is autochthonous in the estuarine aquatic environment. This study describes morphological changes in naturally occurring V. cholerae O1 in the estuarine environment of Mathbaria, where the bacterium is culturable when the water temperature rises and is observable predominantly as distinct rods and dividing cells. In the spring and fall, these morphological changes coincide with the two seasonal peaks of endemic cholera in Bangladesh. V. cholerae O1 cells are predominantly coccoid within biofilms but are rod shaped as free-living cells and when attached to plankton or to particulate matter in interepidemic periods of the year. It is concluded that biofilms represent a stage of the annual life cycle of V. cholerae O1, the causative agent of cholera in Bangladesh.
- Published
- 2018
26. Downscaling river discharge to assess the effects of climate change on cholera outbreaks in the Bengal Delta
- Author
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Saiful Islam, Avinash Unnikrishnan, Antarpreet Jutla, Fariborz Nasr-Azadani, Anwar Huq, Ali S. Akanda, Rita R. Colwell, and M. Alam
- Subjects
Atmospheric Science ,Discharge ,Outbreak ,Climate change ,medicine.disease_cause ,medicine.disease ,Cholera ,Bengal delta ,Vibrio cholerae ,Effects of global warming ,Climatology ,medicine ,Environmental Chemistry ,Environmental science ,General Environmental Science ,Downscaling - Published
- 2015
27. Environmental Surveillance for Toxigenic Vibrio cholerae in Surface Waters of Haiti
- Author
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Arlene Chen, Michael S. Humphrys, Amy M. Kahler, Gordana Derado, Vincent R. Hill, Bradd J. Haley, Rita R. Colwell, Jacques Boncy, Nicole Freeman, Lee S. Katz, Maryann Turnsek, Cheryl L. Tarr, Anwar Huq, and Bonnie Mull
- Subjects
Environmental surveillance ,Cholera toxin ,Outbreak ,Articles ,Biology ,medicine.disease_cause ,Polymerase Chain Reaction ,Haiti ,Microbiology ,law.invention ,Geographic distribution ,Infectious Diseases ,Viable count ,law ,Vibrio cholerae ,Virology ,EPIDEMIC CHOLERA ,medicine ,Parasitology ,Water Microbiology ,Polymerase chain reaction - Abstract
Epidemic cholera was reported in Haiti in 2010, with no information available on the occurrence or geographic distribution of toxigenic Vibrio cholerae in Haitian waters. In a series of field visits conducted in Haiti between 2011 and 2013, water and plankton samples were collected at 19 sites. Vibrio cholerae was detected using culture, polymerase chain reaction, and direct viable count methods (DFA-DVC). Cholera toxin genes were detected by polymerase chain reaction in broth enrichments of samples collected in all visits except March 2012. Toxigenic V. cholerae was isolated from river water in 2011 and 2013. Whole genome sequencing revealed that these isolates were a match to the outbreak strain. The DFA-DVC tests were positive for V. cholerae O1 in plankton samples collected from multiple sites. Results of this survey show that toxigenic V. cholerae could be recovered from surface waters in Haiti more than 2 years after the onset of the epidemic.
- Published
- 2015
28. Nontoxigenic Vibrio cholerae Non-O1/O139 Isolate from a Case of Human Gastroenteritis in the U.S. Gulf Coast
- Author
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Shah M. Rashed, Nur A. Hasan, Nicholas G. Conger, Rita R. Colwell, Talayeh Rezayat, D. Jay Grimes, Kimberly J. Griffitt, Peter J. Blatz, Seon Young Choi, and Anwar Huq
- Subjects
Adult ,Male ,Microbiology (medical) ,Lineage (genetic) ,Virulence Factors ,Virulence ,Biology ,medicine.disease_cause ,Microbiology ,Vibrio cholerae non-O1 ,Phylogenetics ,Vibrio Infections ,Gene Order ,medicine ,Cluster Analysis ,Humans ,Gene ,Phylogeny ,Phylogenetic tree ,Chromosome Mapping ,Computational Biology ,Bacteriology ,United States ,Gastroenteritis ,Molecular Typing ,Genes, Bacterial ,Vibrio cholerae ,Genome, Bacterial - Abstract
An occurrence of Vibrio cholerae non-O1/O139 gastroenteritis in the U.S. Gulf Coast is reported here. Genomic analysis revealed that the isolate lacked known virulence factors associated with the clinical outcome of a V. cholerae infection but did contain putative genomic islands and other accessory virulence factors. Many of these factors are widespread among environmental strains of V. cholerae , suggesting that there might be additional virulence factors in non-O1/O139 V. cholerae yet to be determined. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that the isolate belonged to a phyletic lineage of environmental V. cholerae isolates associated with sporadic cases of gastroenteritis in the Western Hemisphere, suggesting a need to monitor non-O1/O139 V. cholerae in the interest of public health.
- Published
- 2015
29. Characterization of Two Cryptic Plasmids Isolated in Haiti from Clinical
- Author
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Daniela, Ceccarelli, Geneviève, Garriss, Seon Y, Choi, Nur A, Hasan, Ramunas, Stepanauskas, Mihai, Pop, Anwar, Huq, and Rita R, Colwell
- Subjects
plasmid ,non-O1/non-O139 ,cholera ,Microbiology ,Vibrio cholerae ,Haiti ,Original Research - Abstract
We report the complete sequence of two novel plasmids, pSDH-1 and pSDH-2, isolated from clinical Vibrio cholerae non-O1/non-O139 during the early phase of the 2010 Haitian cholera epidemic. Plasmids were revealed by employing single-cell genomics and their genome content suggests self-mobilization and, for pSDH-2, a toxin-antitoxin (TA) system for plasmid stabilization was identified. The putative origin of replication of pSDH-2 was mapped suggesting it replicates following the ColE1 model of plasmid replication. pSDH-1 and pSDH-2 were widespread among environmental V. cholerae non-O1/non-O139 with variable prevalence in four Haitian Departments. pSDH-2 was the most common element, either alone or with pSDH-1. The two plasmids detection adds to the composite scenario of mobile genetic elements (MGEs) observed in V. cholerae in Haiti. The role these small cryptic plasmids circulating in Vibrio spp. play in bacterial fitness or pathogenicity merits further investigation.
- Published
- 2017
30. Occurrence in Mexico, 1998–2008, of Vibrio cholerae CTX + El Tor carrying an additional truncated CTX prophage
- Author
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Rita R. Colwell, Anwar Huq, Makoto Ohnishi, Nur A. Hasan, Marcial Leonardo Lizárraga-Partida, Shah M. Rashed, Armando Navarro, Jose Luis Mendez, Gabriela Delgado, Munirul Alam, Haruo Watanabe, R. Bradley Sack, Shahnewaj B. Mannan, Tarequl Islam, Alejandro Cravioto, and Rosario Morales-Espinosa
- Subjects
Multidisciplinary ,biology ,Toxin ,Prophages ,Molecular Sequence Data ,Cholera toxin ,Biological Sciences ,biology.organism_classification ,medicine.disease_cause ,medicine.disease ,El Tor ,Cholera ,Pilus ,Electrophoresis, Gel, Pulsed-Field ,Microbiology ,Vibrio cholerae ,medicine ,Cluster Analysis ,Humans ,Mexico ,Gene ,Genome, Bacterial ,Phylogeny ,Prophage - Abstract
The seventh cholera pandemic caused by Vibrio cholerae O1 El Tor (ET) has been superseded in Asia and Africa by altered ET possessing the cholera toxin (CTX) gene of classical (CL) biotype. The CL biotype of V. cholerae was isolated, along with prototypic and altered ET, during the 1991 cholera epidemic in Mexico and subsequently remained endemic until 1997. Microbiological, molecular, and phylogenetic analyses of clinical and environmental V. cholerae isolated in Mexico between 1998 and 2008 revealed important genetic events favoring predominance of ET over CL and altered ET. V. cholerae altered ET was predominant after 1991 but not after 2000. V. cholerae strains isolated between 2001 and 2003 and a majority isolated in 2004 lacked CTX prophage (Φ) genes encoding CTX subunits A and B and repeat sequence transcriptional regulators of ET and CL biotypes: i.e., CTXΦ(-). Most CTXΦ(-) V. cholerae isolated in Mexico between 2001 and 2003 also lacked toxin coregulated pili tcpA whereas some carried either tcpA(ET) or a variant tcpA with noticeable sequence dissimilarity from tcpA(CL). The tcpA variants were not detected in 2005 after CTXΦ(+) ET became dominant. All clinical and environmental V. cholerae O1 strains isolated during 2005-2008 in Mexico were CTXΦ(+) ET, carrying an additional truncated CTXΦ instead of RS1 satellite phage. Despite V. cholerae CTXΦ(-) ET exhibiting heterogeneity in pulsed-field gel electrophoresis patterns, CTXΦ(+) ET isolated during 2004-2008 displayed homogeneity and clonal relationship with V. cholerae ET N16961 and V. cholerae ET isolated in Peru.
- Published
- 2014
31. Environmental Factors Influencing Epidemic Cholera
- Author
-
Rita R. Colwell, Elizabeth Whitcombe, Bradd J. Haley, Antarpreet Jutla, R. Bradley Sack, Nur A. Hasan, M. Alam, Ali S. Akanda, and Anwar Huq
- Subjects
medicine.medical_specialty ,Asia ,Rain ,030231 tropical medicine ,Environment ,medicine.disease_cause ,03 medical and health sciences ,0302 clinical medicine ,Cholera ,Rivers ,Virology ,EPIDEMIC CHOLERA ,medicine ,Humans ,Local population ,Seawater ,Severe diarrhea ,Epidemics ,Letters to the Editor ,Vibrio cholerae ,geography ,geography.geographical_feature_category ,Transmission (medicine) ,Ecology ,Public health ,Temperature ,Outbreak ,Estuary ,Articles ,Seasonality ,medicine.disease ,Haiti ,3. Good health ,Latin America ,Infectious Diseases ,Aquatic environment ,Parasitology ,Seasons ,Water Microbiology ,030215 immunology ,Demography - Abstract
Letter to the Editor Environmental Factors Influencing Epidemic Cholera Dear Sir: We have concerns with the recent publication by Jutla and colleagues, which aims to describe the environmental factors influencing epidemic cholera. 1 Regarding cholera in Haiti, the authors challenged the findings of many studies showing that the epidemic likely originated from the importation of toxi-genic Vibrio cholerae by Nepalese peacekeepers in October 2010. 2–5 Instead, they attempted to show that environmental conditions conducive to rapid growth and transmission of V. cholerae played a substantial role in epidemic onset. Their hypothesis is based on the claim that increased temperatures and rainfall during the months preceding the epidemic favored the proliferation of V. cholerae in the Haitian waters and its subsequent transmission to the local population 1 ; we believe their claims are based on misinterpretations of our published data and statistical correlations that fail to establish causality. Our field investigation of the Haitian cholera epidemic has clearly indicated that outbreaks started in Meye, near Mirebalais, before subsequently spreading downstream, following the Artibonite River. 2 Using a Spearman's rank statistical test, Jutla and colleagues stated that the correlation between cholera cases in Mirebalais and the Lower Artibonite was " very high, " thereby inferring that the epidemic started simultaneously in the two locations. 1 According to our report, each of the Lower Artibonite communes displayed a markedly higher correlation with the other Lower Artibonite communes than with Mirebalais. 2 Therefore, we did not report a strong correlation between Mirebalais and the Lower Artibonite communes , as claimed by Jutla and colleagues. 1 Nevertheless, correlation analyses are irrelevant to question the chronological progression of the epidemic. Indeed, our field investigation revealed that no suspected cases of cholera or severe diarrhea were reported in the Lower Artibonite before October 19, although the epidemic began on October 14 near Mirebalais. 2
- Published
- 2013
32. A water marker monitored by satellites to predict seasonal endemic cholera
- Author
-
Abu Syed Golam Faruque, Shafiqul Islam, Ali S. Akanda, Anwar Huq, Antarpreet Jutla, and Rita R. Colwell
- Subjects
Ecology ,fungi ,Plankton ,Biology ,medicine.disease ,Atmospheric sciences ,Cholera ,Article ,chemistry.chemical_compound ,chemistry ,Abundance (ecology) ,Chlorophyll ,Earth and Planetary Sciences (miscellaneous) ,medicine ,Satellite ,Seawater ,Electrical and Electronic Engineering - Abstract
The ability to predict an occurrence of cholera, a water-related disease, offers a significant public health advantage. Satellite based estimates of chlorophyll, a surrogate for plankton abundance, have been linked to cholera incidence. However, cholera bacteria can survive under a variety of coastal ecological conditions, thus constraining the predictive ability of the chlorophyll, since it provides only an estimate of greenness of seawater. Here, a new remote sensing based index is proposed: Satellite Water Marker (SWM), which estimates condition of coastal water, based on observed variability in the difference between blue (412 nm) and green (555 nm) wavelengths that can be related to seasonal cholera incidence. The index is bounded between physically separable wavelengths for relatively clear (blue) and turbid (green) water. Using SWM, prediction of cholera with reasonable accuracy, with at least two month in advance, can potentially be achieved in the endemic coastal regions.
- Published
- 2013
33. Species composition of limnetic zooplankton from the southern coastal areas (Mathbaria and Bakerganj) in Bangladesh
- Author
-
Pronob Kumar Mozumder, M Niamul Naser, Samsun Nahar, R. Bradley Sack, Anwar Huq, Munirul Alam, and Rita R. Colwell
- Subjects
Abundance (ecology) ,Ecology ,Community structure ,Composition (visual arts) ,Biology ,Zooplankton ,Limnetic zone - Abstract
We studied the coastal zooplankton community structure of six waterbodies of Mathbaria and Bakerganj from January 2008 to June 2009. In total 35 zooplankton species were identified under 26 genera under 20 families under 8 orders from Mathbaria. Among them 6 were protozoans, 24 were rotifers, 3 were copepods, 1 was cladocerans and 1 was ostracods. From Bakergonj a total of 42 zooplankton species were identified under 23 genera under 17 Families under 7 orders. Among them 3 were protozoans, 25 were rotifers, 7 were copepods, 6 were cladocerans and 1 was ostracods. Results showed that abundance of rotifera group from both area was higher in Mathbaria (64.86%) and Bakerganj (60.98%) than other groups while abundance of ostracoda of Bakerganj area was lowest. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/jasbs.v38i1.15326 J. Asiat. Soc. Bangladesh, Sci. 38(1): 111-117, June 2012
- Published
- 2013
34. Drug response and genetic properties of Vibrio cholerae associated with endemic cholera in north-eastern Thailand, 2003–2011
- Author
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Shahnewaj B. Mannan, Sriwanna Huttayananont, Chariya Chomvarin, Haruo Watanabe, Napaporn Tantisuwichwong, Boonnapa Kanoktippornchai, Waraluk Tangkanakul, Munirul Alam, Fatema-Tuz Johura, Warin Jumroenjit, Rita R. Colwell, Nur A. Hasan, Alejandro Cravioto, and Anwar Huq
- Subjects
DNA, Bacterial ,Microbiology (medical) ,Serotype ,Cholera Toxin ,Endemic Diseases ,Genotype ,Virulence Factors ,Epidemiology ,Prophages ,Microbial Sensitivity Tests ,Biology ,medicine.disease_cause ,Polymerase Chain Reaction ,Microbiology ,El Tor ,Cholera ,Drug Resistance, Bacterial ,Genetic variation ,medicine ,Cluster Analysis ,Humans ,Serotyping ,Vibrio cholerae ,Molecular Epidemiology ,Molecular epidemiology ,Genetic Variation ,Sequence Analysis, DNA ,General Medicine ,Thailand ,medicine.disease ,biology.organism_classification ,Anti-Bacterial Agents ,Molecular Typing ,Genetic marker ,Water Microbiology ,Plasmids - Abstract
Cholera, caused by Vibrio cholerae, results in significant morbidity and mortality worldwide, including Thailand. Representative V. cholerae strains associated with endemic cholera (n = 32), including strains (n = 3) from surface water sources, in Khon Kaen, Thailand (2003-2011), were subjected to microbiological, molecular and phylogenetic analyses. According to phenotypic and related genetic data, all tested V. cholerae strains belonged to serogroup O1, biotype El Tor (ET), Inaba (IN) or Ogawa (OG). All of the strains were sensitive to gentamicin and ciprofloxacin, while multidrug-resistant (MDR) strains showing resistance to erythromycin, tetracycline, trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole and ampicillin were predominant in 2007. V. cholerae strains isolated before and after 2007 were non-MDR. All except six diarrhoeal strains possessed ctxA and ctxB genes and were toxigenic altered ET, confirmed by MAMA-PCR and DNA sequencing. Year-wise data revealed that V. cholerae INET strains isolated between 2003 and 2004, plus one strain isolated in 2007, lacked the RS1 sequence (rstC) and toxin-linked cryptic plasmid (TLC)-specific genetic marker, but possessed CTX(CL) prophage genes ctxB(CL) and rstR(CL). A sharp genetic transition was noted, namely the majority of V. cholerae strains in 2007 and all in 2010 and 2011 were not repressor genotype rstR(CL) but instead were rstR(ET), and all ctx(+) strains possessed RS1 and TLC-specific genetic markers. DNA sequencing data revealed that strains isolated since 2007 had a mutation in the tcpA gene at amino acid position 64 (N→S). Four clonal types, mostly of environmental origin, including subtypes, reflected genetic diversity, while distinct signatures were observed for clonally related, altered ET from Thailand, Vietnam and Bangladesh, confirmed by distinct subclustering patterns observed in the PFGE (NotI)-based dendrogram, suggesting that endemic cholera is caused by V. cholerae indigenous to Khon Kaen.
- Published
- 2013
35. Application of a paper based device containing a new culture medium to detect Vibrio cholerae in water samples collected in Haiti
- Author
-
Rita R. Colwell, Isabelle Pandini, Jean-Louis Machuron, François Villeval, Emmanuel Rossignol, Christine Rozand, Aline Dardy, Romain Briquaire, Thierry Vandevelde, Anwar Huq, Jacques Boncy, and Shah M. Rashed
- Subjects
0301 basic medicine ,Microbiology (medical) ,DNA, Bacterial ,Paper ,food.ingredient ,Nalidixic acid ,Cost-Benefit Analysis ,030231 tropical medicine ,030106 microbiology ,Colony Count, Microbial ,Fresh Water ,Biology ,medicine.disease_cause ,Microbiology ,Sensitivity and Specificity ,Agar plate ,03 medical and health sciences ,0302 clinical medicine ,food ,Cholera ,Drug Resistance, Multiple, Bacterial ,Multiplex polymerase chain reaction ,medicine ,Agar ,Seawater ,Molecular Biology ,Vibrio cholerae ,Bacteriological Techniques ,Sulfamethoxazole ,Drinking Water ,Reproducibility of Results ,medicine.disease ,Haiti ,Culture Media ,Sample collection ,Water Microbiology ,medicine.drug - Abstract
Cholera is now considered to be endemic in Haiti, often with increased incidence during rainy seasons. The challenge of cholera surveillance is exacerbated by the cost of sample collection and laboratory analysis. A diagnostic tool is needed that is low cost, easy-to-use, and able to detect and quantify Vibrio cholerae accurately in water samples within 18-24h, and perform reliably in remote settings lacking laboratory infrastructure and skilled staff. The two main objectives of this study were to develop and evaluate a new culture medium embedded in a new diagnostic tool (PAD for paper based analytical device) for detecting Vibrio cholerae from water samples collected in Haiti. The intent is to provide guidance for corrective action, such as chlorination, for water positive for V. cholerae epidemic strains. For detecting Vibrio cholerae, a new chromogenic medium was designed and evaluated as an alternative to thiosulfate citrate bile salts sucrose (TCBS) agar for testing raw water samples. Sensitivity and specificity of the medium were assessed using both raw and spiked water samples. The Vibrio cholerae chromogenic medium was proved to be highly selective against most of the cultivable bacteria in the water samples, without loss of sensitivity in detection of V. cholerae. Thus, reliability of this new culture medium for detection of V. cholerae in the presence of other Vibrio species in water samples offers a significant advantage. A new paper based device containing the new chromogenic medium previously evaluated was compared with reference methods for detecting V. cholerae from spiked water sample. The microbiological PAD specifications were evaluated in Haiti. More precisely, a total of 185 water samples were collected at five sites in Haiti, June 2014 and again in June 2015. With this new tool, three V. cholerae O1 and 17 V. cholerae non-O1/O139 strains were isolated. The presence of virulence-associated and regulatory genes, including ctxA, zot, ace, and toxR, was confirmed using multiplex PCR. The three V. cholerae O1 isolates were positive for three of the four virulence-associated and regulatory genes. Twelve of the V. cholerae non-O1/O139 isolates were found to carry toxR, but none were ctxA+, zot+, or ace+. However, six of the V. cholerae non-O1/O139 isolates were resistant to penicillin, ampicillin, trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole, nalidixic acid, and ciprofloxacin. The paper based analytical device (PAD) provides advantages in that standard culture methods employing agar plates are not required. Also, intermediary isolation steps were not required, including transfer to selective growth media, hence these steps being omitted reduced time to results. Furthermore, experienced technical skills also were not required. Thus, PAD is well suited for resource-limited settings.
- Published
- 2016
36. Reduced Susceptibility to Extended-Spectrum β-Lactams in Vibrio cholerae Isolated in Bangladesh
- Author
-
Daniela Ceccarelli, Munirul Alam, Anwar Huq, and Rita R Colwell
- Subjects
0301 basic medicine ,antibiotic resistance ,Epidemiology ,Bioinformatica & Diermodellen ,Antibiotic resistance ,medicine.drug_class ,Vibrionaceae ,030106 microbiology ,Antibiotics ,Erythromycin ,Extended-spectrum β-lactams ,Biology ,medicine.disease_cause ,Microbiology ,Clinical environment ,03 medical and health sciences ,Cholera ,Bio-informatics & Animal models ,medicine ,Epidemiology, Bio-informatics & Animal models ,Vibrio cholerae ,Epidemiologie ,Bangladesh ,lcsh:Public aspects of medicine ,Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health ,Aquatic environment ,lcsh:RA1-1270 ,Antimicrobial ,biology.organism_classification ,medicine.disease ,Virology ,Ciprofloxacin ,Carbapenems ,Epidemiologie, Bioinformatica & Diermodellen ,medicine.drug - Abstract
β-lactams are antibiotic molecules able to inhibit cell wall biosynthesis. Among other mechanisms, resistance in Gram-negative bacteria is mostly associated with production of β-lactamase enzymes able to bind and hydrolyze the β-lactam ring. Extended-spectrum β-lactamases extend this ability also to third- and fourth-generation cephalosporins, as well as to carbapenems and monobactams. Vibrio cholerae is the causative agent of epidemic cholera and a public health burden for developing countries like Bangladesh. Although appropriate oral or intravenous rehydration is the therapy of choice for cholera, severe infections and V. cholerae-associated septicemia are treated with antimicrobial drugs, including doxycycline, erythromycin, azithromycin, ciprofloxacin, and/or third-generation cephalosporins. In the years after the introduction of antibiotics in clinical practice, V. cholerae developed resistance to commonly used drugs worldwide mostly through gene acquisition via horizontal gene transfer. Reduced susceptibility of V. cholerae to third-generation cephalosporins has been occasionally documented. However, carbapenemase-producing V. cholerae has been reported at higher rates than resistance to extended-spectrum β-lactams, mainly associated with blaNDM-1 emergence and successful plasmid dissemination. Recent findings suggest limited β-lactam resistance is present in V. cholerae O1 isolates collected during ecological and epidemiological surveillance in Bangladesh. However, a trend to intermediate-susceptibility insurgence was observed. Horizontal gene transfer of β-lactam resistance from enteric pathogens to environmental microorganisms should not be underrated, given the ability of V. cholerae to acquire new genetic information.
- Published
- 2016
37. A socio-hydro-climatic health framework for understanding risks of occurrence of post-earthquake diarrheal diseases
- Author
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Antarpreet Jutla, Shafqat Akanda, Rakibul Khan, Anwar Huq, and Rita R. Colwell
- Subjects
Geography ,Sanitation ,Diarrheal diseases ,Environmental health ,General Earth and Planetary Sciences ,macromolecular substances ,Risk assessment ,General Environmental Science - Abstract
Diarrheal diseases continue to pose a severe health threat in regions where sanitation facilities remain marginal and are prone to destruction. With limited efficacy of vaccines, it is important to...
- Published
- 2016
38. Detection ofVibrio choleraein environmental waters including drinking water reservoirs of Azerbaijan
- Author
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Rita R. Colwell, Ahmadov Rashid, Mukhtar Rajabov, Bradd J. Haley, Sevinj Ahmadova, Shair Gurbanov, and Anwar Huq
- Subjects
education.field_of_study ,Population ,Outbreak ,Seasonality ,medicine.disease_cause ,medicine.disease ,Agricultural and Biological Sciences (miscellaneous) ,Cholera ,Fishery ,Geography ,Water temperature ,Vibrio cholerae ,Environmental protection ,medicine ,Health risk ,education ,Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics - Abstract
Cholera, a globally prevalent gastrointestinal disease, remains a persistent problem in many countries including the former Soviet republics of the Caucasus region where sporadic outbreaks occurred recently. Historically, this region has experienced cholera during every pandemic since 1816; however, no known comprehensive evaluation of the presence of Vibrio cholerae in surface waters using molecular methods has been done. Here we present the first report of the presence of V. cholerae in surface waters of Azerbaijan and its seasonality, using a combination of bacteriological and molecular methods. Findings from the present study indicate a peak in the presence of V. cholerae in warmer summer months relative to colder winter months. In the Caspian Sea, water temperature when optimal for growth of V. cholerae was significantly associated with detection of V. cholerae. Vibrio cholerae was simultaneously detected at freshwater sites including two water reservoirs. Most importantly, detection of V. cholerae in these water reservoirs, the source of municipal drinking water, poses a potential health risk to the population due to the limited and insufficient treatment of water in Azerbaijan. Routine monitoring of environmental waters used for recreational purposes, and especially drinking water reservoirs, is highly recommended as a measure for public health safety.
- Published
- 2012
39. Role of GbpA protein, an important virulence-related colonization factor, for Vibrio cholerae's survival in the aquatic environment
- Author
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Luigi Vezzulli, Anwar Huq, Carla Pruzzo, Monica Stauder, Paola Ramoino, Elisabetta Pezzati, Luigi Pane, Rita R. Colwell, and Christopher J. Grim
- Subjects
Virulence ,Aquatic animal ,Biology ,medicine.disease_cause ,biology.organism_classification ,Agricultural and Biological Sciences (miscellaneous) ,El Tor ,Virulence factor ,Microbiology ,Chitin binding ,Vibrio cholerae ,medicine ,Colonization ,Gene ,Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics - Abstract
Summary Vibrio cholerae N-acetyl glucosamine-binding protein A (GbpA) is a chitin binding protein and a virulence factor involved in the colonization of human intestine. We investigated the distribution and genetic variations of gbpA in 488 V. cholerae strains of environmental and clinical origin, belonging to different serogroups and biotypes. We found that the gene is consistently present and highly conserved including an environmental V. cholerae-related strain of ancestral origin. The gene was also consistently expressed in a number of representative V. cholerae strains cultured in laboratory aquatic microcosms under conditions simulating those found in temperate marine environments. Functional analysis carried out on V. cholerae O1 El Tor N16961 showed that GbpA is not involved in adhesion to inorganic surfaces but promotes interaction with environmental biotic substrates (plankton and bivalve hepatopancreas cells) representing known marine reservoir or host for the bacterium. It is suggested that the ability of GbpA to colonize human intestinal cells most probably originated from its primary function in the aquatic environment.
- Published
- 2012
40. Vibrio cholerae in a historically cholera-free country
- Author
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Christopher J. Grim, Bradd J. Haley, Nur A. Hasan, Elisa Taviani, E. Benediktsdóttir, Anwar Huq, Wessam Mahmoud Elnemr, Arlene Chen, Celia Municio Diaz, Elizabeth Sancomb, Philip Clark, Rita R. Colwell, and Muhammad A. Islam
- Subjects
Ecology ,Cholera toxin ,Virulence ,Mussel ,Biology ,medicine.disease ,medicine.disease_cause ,Agricultural and Biological Sciences (miscellaneous) ,Cholera ,Aquatic environment ,Water temperature ,Vibrio cholerae ,medicine ,Seawater ,Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics - Abstract
We report the autochthonous existence of Vibrio cholerae in coastal waters of Iceland, a geothermally active country where cholera is absent and has never been reported. Seawater, mussel, and macroalgae samples were collected close to and distant from sites where geothermal activity causes a significant increase in water temperature during low tides. V. cholerae was detected only at geothermal-influenced sites during low-tides. None of the V. cholerae isolates encoded cholera toxin (ctxAB) and all were non-O1/non-O139 serogroups. However, all isolates encoded other virulence factors that are associated with cholera as well as extra-intestinal V. cholerae infections. The virulence factors were functional at temperatures of coastal waters of Iceland, suggesting an ecological role. It is noteworthy that V. cholerae was isolated from samples collected at sites distant from anthropogenic influence, supporting the conclusion that V. cholerae is autochthonous to the aquatic environment of Iceland.
- Published
- 2012
41. Occurrence of Vibrio cholerae in Municipal and Natural Waters and Incidence of Cholera in Azerbaijan
- Author
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Shair Gurbanov, Gulnara Shamkhalova, Anwar Huq, Bradd J. Haley, Rashid Akhmadov, Rita R. Colwell, and Sevinj Akhmadova
- Subjects
Veterinary medicine ,Azerbaijan ,Ecology ,Incidence ,Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis ,Incidence (epidemiology) ,Natural water ,Temperature ,Waterborne diseases ,Biology ,Seasonality ,medicine.disease_cause ,medicine.disease ,Cholera ,Microbiology ,Aquatic environment ,Vibrio cholerae ,Animal ecology ,medicine ,Humans ,Seasons ,Cities ,Water Microbiology - Abstract
Cholera, a waterborne disease caused by Vibrio cholerae, is an autochthonous member of the aquatic environment and predominantly reported from developing countries. Technical reports and proceedings were reviewed to determine the relationship between occurrence of V. cholerae in natural waters, including sources of municipal water, and cases of cholera in Azerbaijan. Water samples collected from different environmental sources from 1970 to 1998 were tested for V. cholerae and 0.73% (864/117,893) were positive. The results showed that in April of each year, when the air temperature rose by approximately 5°C, V. cholerae could be isolated. With each increase in air temperature, 6–8 weeks after, impact on cases of cholera was recorded. The incidence of cholera peaked when the air temperature reached >25°C during the month of September. It is concluded that a distinct seasonality in cholera incidence exists in Azerbaijan, with increased occurrence during warmer months.
- Published
- 2011
42. Role of Zooplankton Diversity in Vibrio cholerae Population Dynamics and in the Incidence of Cholera in the Bangladesh Sundarbans
- Author
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Christopher J. Grim, Pronob Kumar Mozumder, Anwar Huq, Nur A. Hasan, Rita R. Colwell, M Niamul Naser, R. Bradley Sack, Munirul Alam, and Guillaume Constantin de Magny
- Subjects
Population Dynamics ,Population ,Biology ,medicine.disease_cause ,Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology ,Zooplankton ,Microbial Ecology ,Cholera ,Crustacea ,medicine ,Animals ,education ,Vibrio cholerae ,Bangladesh ,geography ,education.field_of_study ,geography.geographical_feature_category ,Ecology ,Incidence ,Incidence (epidemiology) ,fungi ,Estuary ,Plankton ,medicine.disease ,biology.organism_classification ,Crustacean ,humanities ,Water Microbiology ,Food Science ,Biotechnology - Abstract
Vibrio cholerae , a bacterium autochthonous to the aquatic environment, is the causative agent of cholera, a severe watery, life-threatening diarrheal disease occurring predominantly in developing countries. V. cholerae , including both serogroups O1 and O139, is found in association with crustacean zooplankton, mainly copepods, and notably in ponds, rivers, and estuarine systems globally. The incidence of cholera and occurrence of pathogenic V. cholerae strains with zooplankton were studied in two areas of Bangladesh: Bakerganj and Mathbaria. Chitinous zooplankton communities of several bodies of water were analyzed in order to understand the interaction of the zooplankton population composition with the population dynamics of pathogenic V. cholerae and incidence of cholera. Two dominant zooplankton groups were found to be consistently associated with detection of V. cholerae and/or occurrence of cholera cases, namely, rotifers and cladocerans, in addition to copepods. Local differences indicate there are subtle ecological factors that can influence interactions between V. cholerae , its plankton hosts, and the incidence of cholera.
- Published
- 2011
43. Diagnostic Limitations to Accurate Diagnosis of Cholera
- Author
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Masatomo Morita, Anwar Huq, Hidemasa Izumiya, Marzia Sultana, Nur A. Hasan, G. Balakrish Nair, R. B. Sack, Hubert P. Endtz, Haruo Watanabe, Munirul Alam, Abdus Sadique, Rita R. Colwell, A. S. G. Faruque, and Alejandro Cravioto
- Subjects
Microbiology (medical) ,Biology ,medicine.disease_cause ,Sensitivity and Specificity ,Disease Outbreaks ,Microbiology ,Feces ,Cholera ,Vibrionaceae ,medicine ,Humans ,Direct fluorescent antibody ,Bacteriological Techniques ,Bangladesh ,Vibrio cholerae O1 ,Outbreak ,Bacteriology ,Dipstick ,medicine.disease ,biology.organism_classification ,Virology ,Diarrhea ,Molecular Diagnostic Techniques ,Vibrio cholerae ,Etiology ,medicine.symptom - Abstract
The treatment regimen for diarrhea depends greatly on correct diagnosis of its etiology. Recent diarrhea outbreaks in Bangladesh showed Vibrio cholerae to be the predominant cause, although more than 40% of the suspected cases failed to show cholera etiology by conventional culture methods (CMs). In the present study, suspected cholera stools collected from every 50th patient during an acute diarrheal outbreak were analyzed extensively using different microbiological and molecular tools to determine their etiology. Of 135 stools tested, 86 (64%) produced V. cholerae O1 by CMs, while 119 (88%) tested positive for V. cholerae O1 by rapid cholera dipstick (DS) assay; all but three samples positive for V. cholerae O1 by CMs were also positive for V. cholerae O1 by DS assay. Of 49 stools that lacked CM-based cholera etiology despite most being positive for V. cholerae O1 by DS assay, 25 (51%) had coccoid V. cholerae O1 cells as confirmed by direct fluorescent antibody (DFA) assay, 36 (73%) amplified primers for the genes wbe O1 and ctxA by multiplex-PCR (M-PCR), and 31 (63%) showed El Tor-specific lytic phage on plaque assay (PA). Each of these methods allowed the cholera etiology to be confirmed for 97% of the stool samples. The results suggest that suspected cholera stools that fail to show etiology by CMs during acute diarrhea outbreaks may be due to the inactivation of V. cholerae by in vivo vibriolytic action of the phage and/or nonculturability induced as a host response.
- Published
- 2010
44. Diversity and distribution of cholix toxin, a novel ADP-ribosylating factor from Vibrio cholerae
- Author
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Marcial Leonardo Lizárraga-Partida, Alexandra E. Purdy, Rita R. Colwell, Mohammad Sirajul Islam, Jaime Martinez-Urtaza, Anwar Huq, Douglas H. Bartlett, and Deborah P. Balch
- Subjects
Phylogenetic tree ,Cholera toxin ,Virulence ,Clostridium difficile toxin A ,Biology ,medicine.disease_cause ,Agricultural and Biological Sciences (miscellaneous) ,Microbiology ,Housekeeping gene ,Vibrio cholerae ,Horizontal gene transfer ,medicine ,Gene ,Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics - Abstract
Non-toxigenic non-O1, non-O139 Vibrio cholerae strains isolated from both environmental and clinical settings carry a suite of virulence factors aside from cholera toxin. Among V. cholerae strains isolated from coastal waters of southern California, this includes cholix toxin, an ADP-ribosylating factor that is capable of halting protein synthesis in eukaryotic cells. The prevalence of the gene encoding cholix toxin, chxA, was assessed among a collection of 155 diverse V. cholerae strains originating from both clinical and environmental settings in Bangladesh and Mexico and other countries around the globe. The chxA gene was present in 47% of 83 non-O1, non-O139 strains and 16% of 72 O1/O139 strains screened as part of this study. A total of 86 chxA gene sequences were obtained, and phylogenetic analysis revealed that they fall into two distinct clades. These two clades were also observed in the phylogenies of several housekeeping genes, suggesting that the divergence observed in chxA extends to other regions of the V. cholerae genome, and most likely has arisen from vertical descent rather than horizontal transfer. Our results clearly indicate that ChxA is a major toxin of V. cholerae with a worldwide distribution that is preferentially associated with non-pandemic strains.
- Published
- 2010
45. The pre-seventh pandemic Vibrio cholerae BX 330286 El Tor genome: evidence for the environment as a genome reservoir
- Author
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Elisa Taviani, Christopher J. Grim, Thomas Brettin, Nur A. Hasan, G. Balakrish Nair, Rita R. Colwell, Anwar Huq, J. Chris Detter, Jongsik Chun, Jean F. Challacombe, Cliff Han, Bradd J. Haley, and David Bruce
- Subjects
biology ,Virulence ,Outbreak ,medicine.disease ,biology.organism_classification ,medicine.disease_cause ,Agricultural and Biological Sciences (miscellaneous) ,Cholera ,El Tor ,Genome ,Microbiology ,Vibrio cholerae ,Pandemic ,medicine ,Gene ,Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics - Abstract
Vibrio cholerae O1 El Tor BX 330286 was isolated from a water sample in Australia in 1986, 9 years after an indigenous outbreak of cholera occurred in that region. This environmental strain encodes virulence factors highly similar to those of clinical strains, suggesting an ability to cause disease in humans. We demonstrate its high similarity in gene content and genome-wide nucleotide sequence to clinical V. cholerae strains, notably to pre-seventh pandemic O1 El Tor strains isolated in 1910 (V. cholerae NCTC 8457) and 1937 (V. cholerae MAK 757), as well as seventh pandemic strains isolated after 1960 globally. Here we demonstrate that this strain represents a transitory clone with shared characteristics between pre-seventh and seventh pandemic strains of V. cholerae. Interestingly, this strain was isolated 25 years after the beginning of the seventh pandemic, suggesting the environment as a genome reservoir in areas where cholera does not occur in sporadic, endemic or epidemic form.
- Published
- 2010
46. Occurrence of theVibrio choleraeSeventh Pandemic VSP-I Island and a New Variant
- Author
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Bradd J. Haley, Jinna Choi, Yoon-Seong Jeon, Christopher J. Grim, Nur A. Hasan, Anwar Huq, Rita R. Colwell, Elisa Taviani, and Jongsik Chun
- Subjects
medicine.disease_cause ,Polymerase Chain Reaction ,Biochemistry ,Vibrio mimicus ,law.invention ,Cholera ,law ,Genomic island ,Pandemic ,Genetics ,medicine ,Vibrio cholerae ,Molecular Biology ,Polymerase chain reaction ,DNA Primers ,Comparative genomics ,Base Sequence ,biology ,Chromosomes, Bacterial ,biology.organism_classification ,medicine.disease ,Virology ,Vibrio ,Genes, Bacterial ,Molecular Medicine ,Biotechnology - Abstract
Using comparative genomics, we identified a new variant of the Vibrio Seventh Pandemic Island-I (VSP-I). Results of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) screening for both known VSP-I variants indicate that the novel variant is present only in non-O1/non-O139 strains of V. cholerae and Vibrio mimicus. Comparative genomics revealed little sequence divergence in the seventh pandemic VSP-I; however, a second insertion site located on the smaller chromosome was identified. Although the seventh pandemic VSP-I genomic island was detected in all seventh pandemic V. cholerae serogroup O1 and O139 isolates examined in this study, unique genes of the island cannot be used alone as an identifying target, because the seventh pandemic VSP-I was also present in three non-seventh pandemic strains of V. cholerae isolated from Chesapeake Bay. As an alternative, a PCR assay targeting the VC2346 gene was found to be confirmatory for seventh pandemic isolates of V. cholerae.
- Published
- 2010
47. Environmental reservoirs of Vibrio cholerae and their role in cholera
- Author
-
Luigi Vezzulli, Carla Pruzzo, Anwar Huq, and Rita R. Colwell
- Subjects
Abiotic component ,Ecology ,Virulence ,Biology ,medicine.disease ,medicine.disease_cause ,biology.organism_classification ,Agricultural and Biological Sciences (miscellaneous) ,Zooplankton ,Cholera ,Vibrio cholerae ,Aquatic plant ,medicine ,Protozoa ,Pathogen ,Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics - Abstract
In the aquatic environment, Vibrio cholerae has been reported to be associated with a variety of living organisms, including animals with an exoskeleton of chitin, aquatic plants, protozoa, bivalves, waterbirds, as well as abiotic substrates (e.g. sediments). Most of these are well-known or putative environmental reservoirs for the bacterium, defined as places where the pathogen lives over time, with the potential to be released and to cause human infection. Environmental reservoirs also serve as V. cholerae disseminators and vectors. They can be responsible for the start of an epidemic, may be critical to cholera endemicity, and affect the evolution of pathogen virulence. To date, in addition to the generally recognized role of zooplankton as the largest environmental reservoir for V. cholerae, other environmental reservoirs play some role in cholera epidemiology by favouring persistence of the pathogen during inter-epidemic periods. Little is known about the ecological factors affecting V. cholerae survival in association with aquatic substrates. Studies aimed at these aspects, i.e. understanding how environmental reservoirs interact, are affected by climate, and contribute to disease epidemiology, will be useful for understanding global implications of V. cholerae and the disease cholera.
- Published
- 2010
48. Serodiversity and ecological distribution of Vibrio parahaemolyticus in the Venetian Lagoon, Northeast Italy
- Author
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Anwar Huq, Rita R. Colwell, Maria M. Lleo, Greta Caburlotto, and Bradd J. Haley
- Subjects
Serotype ,geography ,geography.geographical_feature_category ,Ecology ,Vibrio parahaemolyticus ,Outbreak ,Estuary ,biochemical phenomena, metabolism, and nutrition ,Biology ,equipment and supplies ,biology.organism_classification ,Agricultural and Biological Sciences (miscellaneous) ,Vibrio ,Salinity ,Geographic site ,bacteria ,Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics ,Shellfish - Abstract
Vibrio parahaemolyticus is a natural inhabitant of estuarine and marine environments constituting part of the autochthonous microflora. This species is associated with human gastroenteritis caused by ingestion of contaminated water and undercooked seafood. During the past several years, the number of V. parahaemolyticus gastroenteritis cases have increased worldwide, causing over half of all food-poisoning outbreaks of bacterial origin. Vibrio populations in water are known to be influenced by environmental factors. Notably, it has been shown that in different parts of the world the distribution of V. parahaemolyticus in the marine environment is related to the water temperature. In this study, we identified environmental determinants affecting distribution of V. parahaemolyticus in the Venetian Lagoon, in the Italian North Adriatic Sea. Data obtained revealed that sea surface temperature constitutes the key factor influencing occurrence of V. parahaemolyticus, but salinity and chlorophyll concentration are also important. Serotyping of a collection of V. parahaemolyticus environmental isolates revealed high serodiversity, with serotypes O3:KUT and O1:KUT, belonging to the 'pandemic group', occurring with higher frequency. From our results, we conclude that there is no correlation between serotype and specific geographic site or season of the year. However, certain serotypes were isolated in the Lagoon during the entire 18 months of the study, strongly suggesting persistence in this environment.
- Published
- 2010
49. A new integrative conjugative element detected in Haitian isolates of Vibrio cholerae non-O1/non-O139
- Author
-
Nur A. Hasan, Rita R. Colwell, Daniela Ceccarelli, Matteo Spagnoletti, Anwar Huq, and Stephanie Lansing
- Subjects
Recombination, Genetic ,Vibrio cholerae non-O1 ,General Medicine ,Biology ,medicine.disease ,medicine.disease_cause ,Microbiology ,Cholera ,Haiti ,Article ,Evolution, Molecular ,Interspersed Repetitive Sequences ,Vibrio cholerae ,Environmental Microbiology ,medicine ,Humans ,Molecular Biology - Abstract
The presence of SXT/R391-related integrating conjugative elements (ICEs) in Vibrio cholerae O1 and non-O1/non-O139 isolated from clinical and environmental samples in Haiti in 2010 was studied. The main finding of this work was the identification of the novel ICEVchHai2 among closely related V. cholerae non-O1/non-O139 clinical strains. The mosaic structure of this element confirms the role of ICEs as efficient recombination systems whereby new genetic material can be acquired and exchanged, according V. cholerae strains new accessory functions.
- Published
- 2013
50. Comparative genomics reveals mechanism for short-term and long-term clonal transitions in pandemic Vibrio cholerae
- Author
-
Jean F. Challacombe, Jongsik Chun, Elisa Taviani, Elizabeth Saunders, David Bruce, Jehee Lee, A. Christine Munk, Yoon-Seong Jeon, Rita R. Colwell, Jaehak Lee, Dong Wook Kim, Christopher J. Grim, Olga Chertkov, G. Balakrish Nair, Linda Meincke, Thomas Brettin, Ronald A. Walters, Cliff Han, Nur A. Hasan, Seon Young Choi, Bradd J. Haley, Anwar Huq, and J. Chris Detter
- Subjects
Cholera Toxin ,Gene Transfer, Horizontal ,Cholera toxin prophage ,Genomic islands ,Lateral gene transfer ,Molecular Sequence Data ,Genomics ,medicine.disease_cause ,Genome ,El Tor ,Evolution, Molecular ,Species Specificity ,Phylogenetics ,medicine ,Cluster Analysis ,Phylogeny ,Comparative genomics ,Genetics ,Multidisciplinary ,Base Sequence ,biology ,Vibrio cholerae O1 ,Genetic Variation ,Sequence Analysis, DNA ,Biological Sciences ,biology.organism_classification ,medicine.disease ,Cholera ,Vibrio cholerae ,Horizontal gene transfer - Abstract
Vibrio cholerae , the causative agent of cholera, is a bacterium autochthonous to the aquatic environment, and a serious public health threat. V. cholerae serogroup O1 is responsible for the previous two cholera pandemics, in which classical and El Tor biotypes were dominant in the sixth and the current seventh pandemics, respectively. Cholera researchers continually face newly emerging and reemerging pathogenic clones carrying diverse combinations of phenotypic and genotypic properties, which significantly hampered control of the disease. To elucidate evolutionary mechanisms governing genetic diversity of pandemic V. cholerae , we compared the genome sequences of 23 V. cholerae strains isolated from a variety of sources over the past 98 years. The genome-based phylogeny revealed 12 distinct V. cholerae lineages, of which one comprises both O1 classical and El Tor biotypes. All seventh pandemic clones share nearly identical gene content. Using analogy to influenza virology, we define the transition from sixth to seventh pandemic strains as a “shift” between pathogenic clones belonging to the same O1 serogroup, but from significantly different phyletic lineages. In contrast, transition among clones during the present pandemic period is characterized as a “drift” between clones, differentiated mainly by varying composition of laterally transferred genomic islands, resulting in emergence of variants, exemplified by V. cholerae O139 and V. cholerae O1 El Tor hybrid clones. Based on the comparative genomics it is concluded that V. cholerae undergoes extensive genetic recombination via lateral gene transfer, and, therefore, genome assortment, not serogroup, should be used to define pathogenic V. cholerae clones.
- Published
- 2009
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