title: Fish as Hosts ofVibrio cholerae.
abstract: Vibrio cholerae, the causative agent of pandemic cholera, is abundant in marine and freshwater environments. Copepods and chironomids are natural reservoirs of this species. However, the waysV. choleraeis globally disseminated are as yet unknown. Here we review the scientific literature that provides evidence for the possibility that some fish species may be reservoirs and vectors ofV. cholerae. So far,V. choleraehas been isolated from 30 fish species (22 freshwater; 9 marine).V. choleraeO1 was reported in a few cases. In most casesV. choleraewas isolated from fish intestines, but it has also been detected in gills, skin, kidney, liver and brain tissue. In most cases the fish were healthy but in some, they were diseased. Nevertheless, Koch postulates were not applied to prove thatV. choleraeand not another agent was the cause of the disease in the fish. Evidence from the literature correlates raw fish consumption or fish handling to a few cholera cases or cholera epidemics. Thus, we can conclude thatV. choleraeinhabits some marine and freshwater fish species. It is possible that fish may protect the bacteria in unfavorable habitats while the bacteria may assist the fish to digest its food. Also, fish may disseminate the bacteria in the aquatic environment and may transfer it to waterbirds that consume them. Thus, fish are reservoirs ofV. choleraeand may play a role in its global dissemination.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology and Environment, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of HaifaTivon, Israel; Department of Evolutionary and Environmental Biology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of HaifaHaifa, Israel.
authors.forename: Malka
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Halpern
authors.affiliation: Department of Evolutionary and Environmental Biology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Haifa Haifa, Israel.
authors.forename: Ido
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Izhaki
keywords: Vibrio cholerae; bacteria–fish interactions; fish; reservoir; vector; waterbird