title: Detection of Vibrio cholerae and Acanthamoeba species from same natural water samples collected from different cholera endemic areas in Sudan.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Vibrio cholerae O1 and V. cholerae O139 infect humans, causing the diarrheal and waterborne disease cholera, which is a worldwide health problem. V. cholerae and the free-living amoebae Acanthamoeba species are present in aquatic environments, including drinking water and it has shown that Acanthamoebae support bacterial growth and survival. Recently it has shown that Acanthamoeba species enhanced growth and survival of V. cholerae O1 and O139. Water samples from different cholera endemic areas in Sudan were collected with the aim to detect both V. cholerae and Acanthamoeba species from same natural water samples by polymerase chain reaction (PCR).
  
  
  RESULTS
  For the first time both V. cholerae and Acanthamoeba species were detected in same natural water samples collected from different cholera endemic areas in Sudan. 89% of detected V. cholerae was found with Acanthamoeba in same water samples.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The current findings disclose Acanthamoedae as a biological factor enhancing survival of V. cholerae in nature.
authors.affiliation: Karolinska Institute, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Division of Clinical Microbiology, Karolinska University Hospital, Huddinge, SE-141 86 Stockholm, Sweden. gunnar.sandstrom@ki.se.
authors.forename: Salah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Shanan
authors.forename: Hadi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Abd
authors.forename: Ingela
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Hedenström
authors.forename: Amir
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Saeed
authors.forename: Gunnar
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Sandström