title: Possible laboratory contamination leads to incorrect reporting of Vibrio cholerae O1 and initiates an outbreak response.
abstract: Vibrio cholerae O1 in a river water specimen in South Africa was reported, and a public health response followed in order to prevent an outbreak. Further investigation determined this to be a pseudoalert of V. cholerae O1, possibly linked to laboratory contamination. Following culture of bacteria from the water specimen, the testing laboratory possibly contaminated the culture with a V. cholerae O1 reference strain and then mistakenly reported isolation of V. cholerae O1.
authors.affiliation: Enteric Diseases Reference Unit, National Institute for Communicable Diseases, National Health Laboratory Service, Johannesburg, South Africa. anthonys@nicd.ac.za
authors.forename: Anthony M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.forename: Karen H
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Keddy
authors.forename: Husna
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ismail
authors.forename: Nomsa
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Tau
authors.forename: Arvinda
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sooka
authors.forename: Brett N
authors.initials: BN
authors.lastname: Archer
authors.forename: Juno
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Thomas
authors.forename: Noreen
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Crisp
mesh_terms: D001431:Bacteriological Techniques / Q000379:methods*; D002771:Cholera / Q000517:prevention & control*; D003140:Communicable Disease Control / Q000379:methods*; D003951:Diagnostic Errors; D006801:Humans; D013019:South Africa; D041241:Vibrio cholerae O1 / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D014871:Water Microbiology