Vibrio gastroenteritis in Louisiana: a prospective study among attendees of a scientific congress in New Orleans

Article Abstract:

Eating raw shellfish exposes the consumer to many different viral and bacterial pathogens, some producing gastroenteritis (inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract). Vibrio sp. are among the specific bacterial pathogens of concern on the Gulf coast of Louisiana. A prospective study was initiated among attendees of the Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy (ICAAC) in New Orleans in late September 1986. Completed responses were received from 1,337 participants, and contained information regarding personal demographics; underlying medical conditions; arrival and departure times from New Orleans; medications prior to arrival; date, time, type, preparation and quantity of raw seafood consumed; diarrheal illness during or within three days after the visit, and any treatment or hospitalization required; cholera vaccine history and travel record to any country with endemic cholera. One hundred sixty reported diarrheal illness of varying severity, few requiring medical treatment, none requiring hospitalization. Vibrio parahaemolyticus was the species most commonly isolated from diarrheal stools. All persons who had Vibrio isolated from their stool reported raw or cooked seafood consumed during their visit. Vibrio species were also isolated from seafood samples obtained from some of the restaurants. V. cholerae was not detected in any stool specimens, despite the presence of an ongoing outbreak. Although the risk of exposure to pathogenic Vibrio organisms appears to be high, the risk of gastroenteritis was low in this study population. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Risk factors, Popular culture, Vibrio, Louisiana, Shellfish

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Epidemiology and spectrum of Vibrio infections in a Chesapeake Bay community

Article Abstract:

Of the 11 species of Vibrio organism associated with human diseases, seven have been isolated and characterized since 1979. Vibrio parahemolyticus and Vibrio cholerae (both O1 and non-O1) are primarily associated in the United States with gastrointestinal disease. V. vulnificus and V. cholerae non-O1 are primarily associated with unusually severe infections outside the intestinal tract. There is not much information, however, to enable the characterization of the epidemiology of Vibrio-caused infections in at-risk coastal communities. Records obtained at Anne Arundel Hospital, Annapolis, MD, on the Chesapeake Bay were reviewed for a clinical and epidemiological study. For a 15-year period, optimal isolation techniques were employed at this hospital for the identification and characterization of 40 isolates of Vibrio, representing 8 different species. V. parahaemolyticus was the most common species isolated. Thirteen stool cultures were the source of 16 isolates. Wound sites, sputum, ear, bone and gallbladder were the other sources. Most clinical illnesses were mild and self-limiting, with no reported cases of bacteremia (infection of the blood) or death. The reported severity and extent of illness was in contrast to earlier reports of severe disease. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Case studies, Chesapeake Bay

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Enteropathogens associated with acute diarrheal disease in urban infants in Sao Paulo, Brazil

Article Abstract:

Diarrhea is common in infants and children in most all parts of the world. There are many different types of bacteria and viruses (pathogens) that can cause diarrheal illness in infants (infantile diarrhea). The cause of infantile diarrhea varies depending on the season, geographic location, socioeconomic class, and age of the child. To determine the cause of infantile diarrhea in the poor urban community of Sao Paulo, Brazil, 1,000 infants under 12 months of age were examined. Five hundred infants had symptoms of diarrhea and 500 did not. Stool samples were analyzed to determine the types of bacteria present. Fifty-five percent of the samples from the infants with diarrhea and 10 percent of the samples from those without diarrhea contained bacteria that could be responsible for causing infantile diarrhea. Of the infants with diarrhea, Escherichia coli (EPEC) was present in 26 percent of the cases, rotavirus in 14 percent, salmonella in 8 percent, and shigella in 5 percent. Infections with EPEC were greatest in the spring, while rotavirus infections were greatest in the fall and winter. These results demonstrate that EPEC infection is a more common cause of infantile diarrhea than rotavirus in the poor community of Sao Paulo, Brazil. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Causes of, Brazil, Escherichia coli, Diarrhea in children, Childhood diarrhea, Sao Paulo, Brazil, Diarrhea, Infantile

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