@article {8874, title = {Riverbed Sediments as Reservoirs of Multiple Vibrio cholerae Virulence-Associated Genes: A Potential Trigger for Cholera Outbreaks in Developing Countries}, year = {2017}, abstract = {Africa remains the most cholera stricken continent in the world as many people lacking access to safe drinking water rely mostly
on polluted rivers as their main water sources. However, studies in these countries investigating the presence of Vibrio cholerae in
aquatic environments have paid little attention to bed sediments. Also, information on the presence of virulence-associated genes
(VAGs) in environmental ctx-negative V. cholerae strains in this region is lacking.Thus, we investigated the presence of V. cholerae
VAGs in water and riverbed sediment of the Apies River, South Africa. Altogether, 120 samples (60 water and 60 sediment samples)
collected from ten sites on the river (January and February 2014) were analysed using PCR. Of the 120 samples, 37 sediment and 31
water samples were positive for at least one of the genes investigated. The haemolysin gene (hlyA) was the most isolated gene. The
cholera toxin (ctxAB) and non-O1 heat-stable (stn/sto) genes were not detected. Genes were frequently detected at sites influenced
by human activities.Thus, identification of V. choleraeVAGs in sediments suggests the possible presence of V. cholerae and identifies
sediments of the Apies River as a reservoir for potentially pathogenic V. cholerae with possible public health implications.}, url = {https://www.hindawi.com/journals/jeph/2017/5646480/}, author = {Momba MNB} }