ABSTRACT
The present study details work done at the National Public Health Laboratory in Haiti (LNSP), comparing the results of a cholera rapid diagnostic test (RDT) with culture-based methods. As of October 21, 2011, 644 specimens were tested by both RDT and culture-based method at the LNSP. The sensitivity and specificity of RDT were 95% and 80%, respectively, with a positive predictive value of 89% and negative predictive value of 91%. In resource-limited settings, the RDT has good utility and should be considered as part of the laboratory testing algorithm.
Subject(s)
Cholera/diagnosis , Diagnostic Tests, Routine/statistics & numerical data , Reagent Kits, Diagnostic/statistics & numerical data , Vibrio cholerae/isolation & purification , Cholera/microbiology , Culture Media , Feces/microbiology , Haiti , Humans , Public HealthABSTRACT
In October 2010, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention received reports of cases of severe watery diarrhea in Haiti. The cause was confirmed to be toxigenic Vibrio cholerae, serogroup O1, serotype Ogawa, biotype El Tor. We characterized 122 isolates from Haiti and compared them with isolates from other countries. Antimicrobial drug susceptibility was tested by disk diffusion and broth microdilution. Analyses included identification of rstR and VC2346 genes, sequencing of ctxAB and tcpA genes, and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis with SfiI and NotI enzymes. All isolates were susceptible to doxycycline and azithromycin. One pulsed-field gel electrophoresis pattern predominated, and ctxB sequence of all isolates matched the B-7 allele. We identified the tcpETCIRS allele, which is also present in Bangladesh strain CIRS 101. These data show that the isolates from Haiti are clonally and genetically similar to isolates originating in Africa and southern Asia and that ctxB-7 and tcpET(CIRS) alleles are undergoing global dissemination.
Subject(s)
Vibrio cholerae/genetics , Vibrio cholerae/pathogenicity , Alleles , Bacterial Typing Techniques , Cholera/epidemiology , Cholera Toxin/genetics , Disease Outbreaks , Electrophoresis, Gel, Pulsed-Field , Genotype , Haiti/epidemiology , Humans , Microbial Sensitivity Tests , Vibrio cholerae/classification , Virulence , Virulence Factors/geneticsABSTRACT
During the 2010 cholera outbreak in Haiti, water and seafood samples were collected to detect Vibrio cholerae. The outbreak strain of toxigenic V. cholerae O1 serotype Ogawa was isolated from freshwater and seafood samples. The cholera toxin gene was detected in harbor water samples.