Occurence of Vibrio cholerae in water reservoirs of Burkina Faso

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Résumé

Africa is currently an important region in which cholera epidemics occur. Little is known about the presence of Vibrio cholerae in freshwater
bodies in Africa. There are ca. 1700 lakes and reservoirs in Burkina Faso, most of which have been built within recent decades to secure water
resources. The purpose of this study was to investigate the presence of V. cholerae in the water of reservoirs, using the most-probable-number
polymerase chain reaction. Results showed that V. cholerae could be detected in water samples collected from 14 of 39 sampled reservoirs. The
concentrations varied from 0 MPN/l to more than 1100 MPN/l. Fifty strains of V. cholerae isolated on CHROMagar™vibrio were identified as V.
cholerae non-O1/non-O139, none of which carried the ctxA gene.
A significant positive correlation was found between the presence of V. cholerae in the reservoirs and both alkaline pH and phytoplankton
biomass. V. cholerae was present in significantly higher numbers in reservoirs of urban areas than in rural areas. Since V. cholerae non-O1/non-
O139 has been shown to be a causative agent of endemic diarrheal outbreaks, their presence in Burkina Faso reservoirs suggests they may play a
role in gastroenteritis in that country.

Mots-clés

Vibrio cholerae; Water; Reservoir; Burkina Faso