post-hurricane infections - another reason to stay out of the floodwater

Dangerous infections are on the rise in the gulf coast area. There has been an outbreak of infections caused by bacteria in the genus vibrio. The significance of this finding is that cholera is caused by a species of vibrio. Cholera is an epidemic-causing bacteria which causes severe diarrhea and resulting dehydration. Fortunately the epidemic serotypes of v. cholera have not been isolated. Here is an excerpt from the CDC report (click on title for link):

Hurricane Katrina made landfall on August 29, 2005, with major impact on the U.S. Gulf Coast. During August 29–September 11, surveillance identified 22 new cases of Vibrio illness with five deaths in persons who had resided in two states (Figure 1). These illnesses were caused by V. vulnificus, V. parahaemolyticus, and nontoxigenic V. cholerae. These organisms are acquired from the environment and are unlikely to cause outbreaks from person-to-person transmission. No cases of toxigenic V. cholerae serogroups O1 or O139, the causative agents of cholera, were identified. . . .

Although precise exposure histories are not yet available for all patients, the infections caused by V. vulnificus likely resulted from wounds exposed to flood waters among persons with medical conditions that predisposed them to Vibrio infections. No evidence has been found of increased Vibrio gastrointestinal illness.

The effects of this disaster are clearly far reaching.