Is <i>Vibrio fluvialis</i> Emerging As a Pathogen with Epidemic Potential in Coastal Region of Eastern India Following Cyclone <i>Aila</i>?

Abstract

An isolated area with diarrhoea epidemic was explored at Pakhirala village of the Sundarbans, a coastal region of South 24 Parganas district of West Bengal, eastern India. The Pakhirala village was surrounded by other villages affected by a similar epidemic. The affected villages experienced this epidemic following the cyclone Aila, which had hit the coastal region of the Sundarbans in eastern India. In Pakhirala, the situation was the worst. Within a span of six weeks (5 June-20 July 2009), 3,529 (91.2%) of 3,871 residents were affected by watery diarrhoea. Of all the cases (n=3,529), 918 (26%) were affected by moderate to severe diarrhoea. In other villages, 28,550 (70%) of the 40,786 people were affected; of them, 3,997 (14%) had moderate to severe watery diarrhoea. The attack rate and the severity of the cases were significantly higher in Pakhirala village compared to other affected villages. The laboratory results revealed that Vibrio fluvialis was the predominant pathogen in Pakhirala village (5 of 6 laboratory-confirmed organisms) whereas Vibrio cholerae O1 Ogawa was the predominant pathogen in other villages of Gosaba block (7 of 9 bacteriologically-confirmed organisms). This result indicates that V. fluvialis behaves more aggressively than V. cholerae O1 in an epidemic situation with a higher attack rate and a different clinical picture. An in-depth study is required to explore its pathogenicity in detail, geographical distribution, and possible control measures, including development of specific vaccine preparation and determination of its efficacy.

CqsA/LuxS-HapR Quorum sensing circuit modulates type VI secretion system VflT6SS2 in Vibrio fluvialis

“…It was first isolated from a patient with severe diarrhoea in 1975 in Bahrain [ 1 ] and once called Group F vibrios and EF-6 vibrios [ 2 ]. V. fluvialis is considered as an emerging foodborne pathogen and is common in infants, children, and young adults [ 3 ]. V. fluvialis associated sporadic cases and outbreaks of acute gastroenteritis have been reported from different parts of the world [ 4–6 ].…”

Molecular Detection and Distribution of Six Medically Important Vibrio spp. in Selected Freshwater and Brackish Water Resources in Eastern Cape Province, South Africa

“…V. vulnificus biotype 1 is the most deadly of all Vibrio species because of its high invasiveness and its fatality rate that is higher than that of any other bacteria ( Oliver et al, 1991 ; Oliver and Bockian, 1995 ; Bisharat, 2002 ; Bisharat et al, 2005 ; Drake et al, 2007 ). V. fluvialis commonly cause food poisoning ( Bhattacharjee et al, 2010 ; Kanungo et al, 2012 ; Chowdhury et al, 2013 ), and it is an emerging pathogen that possesses epidemic potentials ( Vinothkumar et al, 2013 ). Cholera and vibriosis outbreaks had been reported from several parts of the globe.…”

The effect of a natural disaster on handgrip strength in prepubertal Indian children exposed to a severe cyclone during the prenatal and early postnatal growth

“…It claimed 138 human lives, killed numerous cattle and destroyed human properties 36 , 37 . Thus far, scientific studies conducted to portray the aftermath of the cyclone have mostly dealt with ecological 35 , 38 and economical effects 39 , livelihood and resilience 40 , post disaster health hazards like diarrhea and cholera outbreaks 41 – 43 and the psychological impacts on the adult population 44 . However, according to our knowledge, no study, so far, considered growth, development and physical characteristics of children exposed to the PNMS and early postnatal distress due to Aila .…”