Investigating the occurrence and survival of Vibrio cholerae in selected surface water sources in the KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa Report to the Water Research Commission Prepared by VM Ntema1, N Potgieter 2, GN van Blerk3 and TG Barnard 1 1University of Johannesburg 2University of Venda 3East Rand Water Care Company July 2014 ISBN No. 978-1-4312-0558-5 Report No. 2168/1/14 Water Research Commission Private Bag X03 Gezina, 0031
[email protected] or download from www.wrc.org.za DISCLAIMER This report has been reviewed by the Water Research Commission (WRC) and approved for publication. Approval does not signify that the contents necessarily reflect the views and policies of the WRC, nor does mention of trade names or commercial products constitute endorsement or recommendation for use. © Water Research Commission Vibrio cholerae from river water ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ______________________________________________________________________________________ In the rural communities of developing countries like South Africa, rivers play a pivotal role in the life of the population for social, cultural and religious reasons. The population in these communities is exposed to prevailing poor quality of river water, which may result in people contracting waterborne disease such as cholera. Cholera is an intestinal disease caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae, which colonises the human intestine and causes severe diarrhea, which may be fatal if not diagnosed or treated early. The transmission of the disease is mediated by water, with two main routes of transmission for cholera being reported in the literature. The primary transmission occurs from a natural reservoir of pathogens in the aquatic environment to the human host.