Role of zooplankton diversity in Vibrio cholerae population dynamics and in the incidence of cholera in the Bangladesh sundarbans

Guillaume Constantin de Magny, Pronob K. Mozumder, Christopher J. Grim, Nur A. Hasan, M. Niamul Naser, Munirul Alam, R. Bradley Sack, Anwar Huq, Rita R. Colwell

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

40 Scopus citations

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.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)6125-6132
Number of pages8
JournalApplied and environmental microbiology
Volume77
Issue number17
DOIs
StatePublished - Sep 1 2011
Externally publishedYes

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Biotechnology
  • Food Science
  • Ecology
  • Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology

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