Cause of 1990s Argentina cholera epidemic uncovered

(Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute) The evolution of epidemic and endemic strains of the cholera-causing bacterium Vibrio cholerae in Argentina has been mapped in detail. The researchers used whole genome sequencing to study the bacteria circulating during the 1991-1998 outbreak of cholera in the country. Published in Nature Communications, the data have influenced health policy in Argentina, where whole-genome sequencing is now used to distinguish between pandemic and non-pandemic lineages of V. cholerae bacteria.
Source: EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health - Category: International Medicine & Public Health Source Type: news