Warming Trend: How Climate Shapes Vibrio Ecology

Color-enhanced transmission electron micrograph of Vibrio cholerae, one of multiple pathogenic vibrios whose ecology is closely tied to changes in temperature.© James Cavallini/Science Source The cholera epidemic that ravaged Haiti after its January 2010 earthquake resulted from a confluence of environmental factors, including unusually heavy rains following an intensely hot summer.© Reuters/Carlos Barria It’s been suggested that the island nation’s limestone foundation may have contributed to the cholera epidemic by increasing the alkalinity of Haiti’s rivers, achieving a pH more favorable for V. cholerae growth.© John B. Crane The devastation of drinking water and sanitation systems set the stage for widespread exposure to the pathogenic vibrio.© Reuters/Carlos Barria With its low salinity and rising water temperatures, the Baltic Sea is becoming prime habitat for Vibrio species. During the exceptionally hot summer of 2006, at least 66 people developed vibrio infections after visiting Baltic beaches.© Kacper Kowalski/Panos Pictures Planktonic organisms called copepods are the natural hosts for vibrios. The inset shows V. cholerae dividing on the surface of a copepod egg sac (arrows). A single copepod may carry 10,000 vibrios.Copepod: © Albert Lleal/Minden Pictures/Corbis; inset: Huq et al. (1983)6 Filtering water through several layers of sari cl...
Source: EHP Research - Category: Environmental Health Authors: Tags: Featured Focus News April 2015 Climate Change Ecology and Wildlife Gastrointestinal Health Infectious Disease International Environmental Health Microbial Agents Natural Disasters Sanitation Surveillance and Monitoring Temperatur Source Type: research