ABSTRACT
Hace 20 años apareció una enfermedad diarreica nueva en el Perú y el Laboratorio de Referencia de Enteropatógenos del Instituto Nacional de Salud, cumplió una labor destacada en el aislamiento e identificación rápida y oportuna del Vibrio cholerae. La enfermedad del cólera no se había presentado anteriormente, pero en la última semana de enero de 1991 se detectó un brote epidémico de diarrea aguda con deshidratación intensa y algunos casos de fallecidos. La epidemia afectó, al comienzo, varias localidades del litoral peruano. Equipos de trabajo de la Oficina General de Epidemiología y de los laboratorios del Instituto Nacional de Salud obtuvieron muestras fecales de pacientes con diarrea aguda procedentes de las ciudades de Chancay, Chimbote, Piura y algunos hospitales de Lima. Las muestras colectadas en el medio de transporte de Cary y Blair fueron procesadas en el Laboratorio Nacional de Referencia de Enteropatógenos (LANARE) del Instituto Nacional de Salud. De todas las muestras se aisló e identificó Vibrio cholerae serogrupo O1 biovar El Tor serovar Inaba que mostró ser sensible a la tetraciclina y a otros antibióticos. Esta investigación confirmó el primer brote epidémico de cólera en el Perú.
20 years ago, a new diarrheal disease was introduced in Peru and the Enteropathogens Reference Laboratory of the Instituto Nacional de Salud had an outstanding role in the isolation and rapid and timely identification of Vibrio cholerae. Cholera had not been seen before, but during the last week of January 1991 an outbreak of acute diarrhea was detected, presenting intense dehydration and some deaths. The epidemic affected, in the beginning, many locations of the peruvian coast. Some working teams of the General Office of Epidemiology and of the Instituto Nacional de Salud obtained fecal samples from patients with acute diarrhea coming from the cities of Chancay, Chimbote, Piura and some hospitals in Lima. The collected samples were transported on Cary and Blair media and processed in the National Reference Laboratory of Enteropathogens (LANARE) of the Instituto Nacional de Salud. Vibrio cholerae serogroup 01 biovar El Tor serovar Inaba was isolated from all the samples, it was sensible to tetracyclines and other antibiotics. This research confirmed the first outbreak of cholera in Peru.
Subject(s)
History, 20th Century , Humans , Cholera/epidemiology , Cholera/virology , Epidemics , Vibrio cholerae/classification , Virology/history , Peru/epidemiology , Vibrio cholerae/isolation & purificationABSTRACT
Background: In countries that cholera outbreaks commonly occurs, surveillance of surface water is important to control the epidemics. Kappa phage (K139) of Vibrio cholerae is related to epidemic El Tor and O139 strains in various countries. Objectives: To study the relationships between V. cholerae 01 and vibriophages in surface water in Thai Binh and Hai Phong city and to determine the predictors of cholera outbreaks. Subjects and method: Total of 82 water samples were collected by shrimp swab method in Hai Phong and Thai Binh in June and September 2007, where cholera outbreaks occurred. The enriched culture method and direct peR were applied to define the relationships between vibriophages and V. cholerae 01 in surface water. Results: The rates of detecting kappa junction with chromosomes of V. cholerae 01 in Hai Phong and Thai Binh were 10% and 15% in June 2007, 35% and 41% in September 2007. The rates of detecting vibriophages in Hai Phong and Thai Binh were 15% and 15% in June 2007, 25% and 36% in September 2007. The rates of Fs1 and Fs2 detected by PCR method were 70% and 100% in Hai Phong at June and September 2007, and were 57% and 100% in Thai Binh at June and September 2007, respectively. V. cholerae 01, O139 weren\u2019t found in water samples. Conclusion: The presences of vibriophages (kappa phage and fs1 fs2) in surface water contaminated with V. cholerae 01 were dependent on the ability of the vibriophages to infect and lyse these bacteria. Vibriophages played a role in the transfer of cholera toxin and pathogenic factors. Surveillance by detecting V. cholerae 01 and vibriophages in surface water may be a feasible means of predicting outbreaks of cholera before a significant number of cases occur.
Subject(s)
Surface WatersABSTRACT
Background:The kit Crystal VC is a Lateral Flow Imunochromatographic test for the qualitative determination of Lipopolysacharide (LPS) antigen of both V cholerae 01 and 0139, from stool specimens, using monoclonal antibodies specific to V. cholerae 01 and 0139 LPS. It does not include culturing the specimen and is performed without the need for sophisticated laboratory equipment. \r\n', u'Objectives: To evaluate the dipstick kit for detection of V. cholerae 01. Subjects and methods: A total of 65 stool specimens from diarrhea patients were tested to determine V. cholerae 01 by Crystal VC kit. \r\n', u'Results: The sensitivity of the 01 dipstick compared to culture was 93.7%, with a specificity of 87.7%. Crystal VC kit is simple, sensitivity, specific and does not require culturing procedures, making it suitable for direct detection of V. cholerae in clinical specimens. Also, the test only requires 10 minutes to complete.\r\n', u'Conclusions: The dipsticks test may be helpful in confirming clinically suspected cholera cases, especially during the start of an outbreak. Once a cholera outbreak has been confirmed, large scale preventive measures could be mobilized to minimize morbidity and mortality. \r\n', u'