Incidence of Vibrio cholerae infection (cholera) in Najaf Abad, Iran Between 2014 and 2018

Introduction and Objectives: cholera is an enteric bacterial disease which could have different consequences from asymptomatic case to massive disrupting diarrhea. The causative organism is Vibrio cholerae which is divided into several serogroups based on the somatic O antigen. Only O1 and O139 serogroups are well known to cause epidemic and pandemic cholera. The cholera is still an endemic disease in Iran, which there are several reports in that respect, annually. At the present study, the incidence of cholera was investigated in Najaf Abad city, Isfahan. Material and Method: A total of 8034 patients with watery diarrhea symptom were referred to Najaf Abad hospitals and health care centers over a period of 5 years from 2014 to 2018. For laboratory diagnosis, the rectal swab samples were collected and cultured according to the standard procedures. Serologic and biochemical tests were used for serotyping and identification of isolates. Results: The prevalence of cholera over 2014 to 2018 was 6.3, 6.2, 0, 2.1, and 0.6 per 1000 patient, respectively. In total, the mean prevalence of cholera was 3 per 1000 patient with watery diarrhea. The results showed that 65% of the isolates were belongs to serogroup O1 and serotype Inaba. Conclusion: It seems that the prevalence of cholera has decreased from 2014 to 2018. It is highly recommended that the patient with massive diarrhea have to screened for Vibrio cholerae infection and subsequently the costs attributed to cholera prevention and treatment will be decrease incredibly.

Keywords:

Vibrio cholerae , Inaba serotype , Diarrhea.