Epidemiology of Vibrio Cholerae

University of Maryland researchers in Dr. Rita Colwell’s group study the epidemiology of Vibrio cholerae and its ability to cause sudden explosive epidemics at multiple places. In their Current Protocols in Microbiology article, “Detection, Isolation, and Identification of Vibrio cholerae from the Environment“, they describe methods for studying this pathogenic organism. Their methods range from traditional culturing and serological testing, to more advanced molecular and immunological techniques (multiplex PCR, Direct Fluorescent Antibody–Direct Viable Count [DFA-DVC]). Now, their research has really expanded beyond the boundaries of the laboratory. A recent Discovery News article, written by Eric Bland, reports that Dr. Colwell’s group is studying satellite images to determine when ocean conditions become favorable to the growth of copepods, a crustacean with which Vibrio cholerae is associated. Their thoughts are that the better the conditions for this crustacean, the greater are the chances that an epidemic of cholera will occur. If this is so, health workers can beat off the epidemic by getting antibiotics and clean drinking water into an area before the outbreak occurs.