Sivan Laviad-Shitrit1, Ido Izhaki1, Eiji Arakawa2, Malka Halpern1,3. 1. Department of Evolutionary and Environmental Biology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel. 2. National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Tokyo, Japan. 3. Department of Biology and Environment, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Haifa, Tivon, Israel.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To study the hypothesis that migratory waterfowl are possible disseminators of Vibrio cholerae and Aeromonas. METHODS: We monitored the presence of V. cholerae and Aeromonas in three wild waterfowl species. RESULTS: V. cholerae and Aeromonas species were isolated and identified from intestine samples of little egrets and black-crowned night herons. Only Aeromonas species were isolated from black-headed gulls. The majority of Aeromonas isolates were A. veronii. Twenty-three V. cholerae serogroups were identified. V. cholerae serogroup O1 was found in the intestine DNA extractions from four little egrets and black-crowned night herons; six birds carried cholera toxin subunit A gene. CONCLUSION: Wild waterfowl species may carry pathogenic V. cholerae O1 and non-O1 serogroups and Aeromonas species in their intestine. The migration of waterfowl is a potential mechanism for global distribution of V. cholerae and Aeromonas.
OBJECTIVE: To study the hypothesis that migratory waterfowl are possible disseminators of Vibrio cholerae and Aeromonas. METHODS: We monitored the presence of V. cholerae and Aeromonas in three wild waterfowl species. RESULTS:V. cholerae and Aeromonas species were isolated and identified from intestine samples of little egrets and black-crowned night herons. Only Aeromonas species were isolated from black-headed gulls. The majority of Aeromonas isolates were A. veronii. Twenty-three V. cholerae serogroups were identified. V. cholerae serogroup O1 was found in the intestine DNA extractions from four little egrets and black-crowned night herons; six birds carried cholera toxin subunit A gene. CONCLUSION: Wild waterfowl species may carry pathogenic V. cholerae O1 and non-O1 serogroups and Aeromonas species in their intestine. The migration of waterfowl is a potential mechanism for global distribution of V. cholerae and Aeromonas.