Climate change and Vibrio vulnificus dynamics: A blueprint for infectious diseases.

Climate change is having increasingly profound effects on human health, notably those associated with the occurrence, distribution, and transmission of infectious diseases. The number of disparate ecological parameters and pathogens affected by climate change are vast and expansive. Disentangling the complex relationship between these variables is critical for the development of effective countermeasures against its effects.

Quantification of Climate Footprints of in Coastal Human Communities of the United States Gulf Coast.

The incidence of vibriosis is rising globally with evidence of climate variability influencing environmental processes that support growth of pathogenic . The waterborne pathogen, can invade wounds and has one of the highest case fatality rates in humans. The bacterium cannot be eradicated from the aquatic environment, hence climate driven environmental conditions enhancing growth and dissemination of .

Antibiotic resistance trends among and isolated from the Chesapeake Bay, Maryland: a longitudinal study.

Antibiotics are often used to treat severe infections, with third-generation cephalosporins and tetracyclines combined or fluoroquinolones alone being recommended by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Increases in antibiotic resistance of both environmental and clinical vibrios are of concern; however, limited longitudinal data have been generated among environmental isolates to inform how resistance patterns may be changing over time. Hence, we evaluated long-term trends in antibiotic resistance of vibrios isolated from Chesapeake Bay waters (Maryland) across two 3-year sampling periods (2009-2012 and 2019-2022).

Building Environmental and Sociological Predictive Intelligence to Understand the Seasonal Threat of SARS-CoV-2 in Human Populations.

Current modeling practices for environmental and sociological modulated infectious diseases remain inadequate to forecast the risk of outbreak(s) in human populations, partly due to a lack of integration of disciplinary knowledge, limited availability of disease surveillance datasets, and overreliance on compartmental epidemiological modeling methods. Harvesting data knowledge from virus transmission (aerosols) and detection (wastewater) of SARS-CoV-2, a heuristic score-based environmental predictive intelligence system was developed that calculates the risk of COVID-19 in the human population. Seasonal validation of the algorithm was uniquely associated with wastewater surveillance of the virus, providing a lead time of 7-14 days before a county-level outbreak.

Anticipatory decision-making for cholera in Malawi.

Climate change raises an old disease to a new level of public health threat. The causative agent, , native to aquatic ecosystems, is influenced by climate and weather processes. The risk of cholera is elevated in vulnerable populations lacking access to safe water and sanitation infrastructure.

Genomic diversity of spp. and metagenomic analysis of pathogens in Florida Gulf coastal waters following Hurricane Ian.

Evidence suggests warming temperatures are associated with the spread of potentially pathogenic spp. and the emergence of human disease globally. Following Hurricane Ian, the State of Florida reported a sharp increase in the number of reported spp.

Environmental Factors Associated with Incidence and Distribution of and in Chesapeake Bay, Maryland, USA: A three-year case study.

Members of the genus are ecologically significant bacteria native to aquatic ecosystems globally, and a few can cause diseases in humans. Vibrio-related illnesses have increased in recent years, primarily attributed to changing environmental conditions. Therefore, understanding the role of environmental factors in the occurrence and growth of pathogenic strains is crucial for public health.

Environmental Factors Influencing Occurrence of Vibrio parahaemolyticus and Vibrio vulnificus.

Incidence of vibriosis is rising globally, with evidence that changing climatic conditions are influencing environmental factors that enhance growth of pathogenic spp. in aquatic ecosystems. To determine the impact of environmental factors on occurrence of pathogenic spp.

A Taxonomy-Agnostic Approach to Targeted Microbiome Therapeutics-Leveraging Principles of Systems Biology.

The study of human microbiomes has yielded insights into basic science, and applied therapeutics are emerging. However, conflicting definitions of what microbiomes are and how they affect the health of the "host" are less understood. A major impediment towards systematic design, discovery, and implementation of targeted microbiome therapeutics is the continued reliance on taxonomic indicators to define microbiomes in health and disease.

Combating cholera by building predictive capabilities for pathogenic Vibrio cholerae in Yemen.

Cholera remains a global public health threat in regions where social vulnerabilities intersect with climate and weather processes that impact infectious Vibrio cholerae. While access to safe drinking water and sanitation facilities limit cholera outbreaks, sheer cost of building such infrastructure limits the ability to safeguard the population. Here, using Yemen as an example where cholera outbreak was reported in 2016, we show how predictive abilities for forecasting risk, employing sociodemographical, microbiological, and climate information of cholera, can aid in combating disease outbreak.

Feasibility of Polyclonal Avian Immunoglobulins (IgY) as Prophylaxis against Human Norovirus Infection.

Background: Human norovirus (HuNoV) is the leading viral cause of diarrhea, with GII.4 as the predominant genotype of HuNoV outbreaks globally. However, new genogroup variants emerge periodically, complicating the development of anti-HuNoV vaccines; other prophylactic or therapeutic medications specifically for HuNoV disease are lacking.

Gut microbiome insights from 16S rRNA analysis of 17-year periodical cicadas (Hemiptera: Magicicada spp.) Broods II, VI, and X.

Periodical cicadas (Hemiptera: Magicicada) have coevolved with obligate bacteriome-inhabiting microbial symbionts, yet little is known about gut microbial symbiont composition or differences in composition among allochronic Magicicada broods (year classes) which emerge parapatrically or allopatrically in the eastern United States. Here, 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing was performed to determine gut bacterial community profiles of three periodical broods, including II (Connecticut and Virginia, 2013), VI (North Carolina, 2017), and X (Maryland, 2021, and an early emerging nymph collected in Ohio, 2017). Results showed similarities among all nymphal gut microbiomes and between morphologically distinct 17-year Magicicada, namely Magicicada septendecim (Broods II and VI) and 17-year Magicicada cassini (Brood X) providing evidence of a core microbiome, distinct from the microbiome of burrow soil inhabited by the nymphs.

Predictive Intelligence for Cholera in Ukraine?

Cholera, an ancient waterborne diarrheal disease, remains a threat to public health, especially when climate/weather processes, microbiological parameters, and sociological determinants intersect with population vulnerabilities of loss of access to safe drinking water and sanitation infrastructure. The ongoing war in Ukraine has either damaged or severely crippled civil infrastructure, following which the human population is at risk of health disasters. This editorial highlights a perspective on using predictive intelligence to combat potential (and perhaps impending) cholera outbreaks in various regions of Ukraine.

Microbiome Analysis for Wastewater Surveillance during COVID-19.

Wastewater surveillance (WS), when coupled with advanced molecular techniques, offers near real-time monitoring of community-wide transmission of SARS-CoV-2 and allows assessing and mitigating COVID-19 outbreaks, by evaluating the total microbial assemblage in a community. Composite wastewater samples (24 h) were collected weekly from a manhole between December 2020 and November 2021 in Maryland, USA. RT-qPCR results showed concentrations of SARS-CoV-2 RNA recovered from wastewater samples reflected incidence of COVID-19 cases.

A Review of the Environmental Trigger and Transmission Components for Prediction of Cholera.

Climate variables influence the occurrence, growth, and distribution of in the aquatic environment. Together with socio-economic factors, these variables affect the incidence and intensity of cholera outbreaks. The current pandemic of cholera began in the 1960s, and millions of cholera cases are reported each year globally.

Environmental parameters associated with incidence and transmission of pathogenic Vibrio spp.

Vibrio spp. thrive in warm water and moderate salinity, and they are associated with aquatic invertebrates, notably crustaceans and zooplankton. At least 12 Vibrio spp.

Metagenomic Sequencing and Quantitative Real-Time PCR for Fecal Pollution Assessment in an Urban Watershed.

Microbial contamination of recreation waters is a major concern globally, with pollutants originating from many sources, including human and other animal wastes often introduced during storm events. Fecal contamination is traditionally monitored by employing culture methods targeting fecal indicator bacteria (FIB), namely . and enterococci, which provides only limited information of a few microbial taxa and no information on their sources.

Avian antibodies (IgY) targeting spike glycoprotein of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) inhibit receptor binding and viral replication.

Background: The global pandemic of Coronavirus infectious disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by SARS-CoV-2, has plunged the world into both social and economic disarray, with vaccines still emerging and a continued paucity of personal protective equipment; the pandemic has also highlighted the potential for rapid emergence of aggressive respiratory pathogens and the need for preparedness. Avian immunoglobulins (IgY) have been previously shown in animal models to protect against new infection and mitigate established infection when applied intranasally. We carried out a proof-of-concept study to address the feasibility of using such antibodies as mucosally-applied prophylaxis against SARS-CoV-2.

Draft Genome Sequences of Seven Vibrio cholerae Isolates from Adult Patients in Qatar.

We report the draft genome sequences of seven isolates from patients. Four isolates were profiled as multilocus sequence type 69, serogroup O1, a subset of seventh-pandemic El Tor clonal isolates. Presented here are genome assemblies and evidence for major pathogenicity islands, virulence factors, and antimicrobial resistance genes.

Microbial resolution of whole genome shotgun and 16S amplicon metagenomic sequencing using publicly available NEON data.

Microorganisms are ubiquitous in the biosphere, playing a crucial role in both biogeochemistry of the planet and human health. However, identifying these microorganisms and defining their function are challenging. Widely used approaches in comparative metagenomics, 16S amplicon sequencing and whole genome shotgun sequencing (WGS), have provided access to DNA sequencing analysis to identify microorganisms and evaluate diversity and abundance in various environments.

Genotypic and Phenotypic Assays to Distinguish Vibrio cholerae Biotype.

Vibrio cholerae is a motile gram-negative bacterium found in brackish water and the etiological agent of the fecal-oral disease cholera. Classical and El Tor are two main biotypes that make up the V. cholerae O1 serogroup, which each display unique genotypic and phenotypic characteristics that allow for reliable biotype characterization.

Laboratory Culturing Techniques and Maintenance of Vibrio cholerae.

Cholera is a severe diarrheal disease caused by the consumption of food or water contaminated with the aquatic gram-negative bacterium Vibrio cholerae. Infected hosts will experience vomiting and severe watery diarrhea and if not treated properly will ultimately succumb to death by dehydration. Due to the global prevalence and severity of cholera, V.

Laboratory Techniques Used to Maintain and Differentiate Biotypes of Vibrio cholerae Clinical and Environmental Isolates.

The aquatic Gram-negative bacterium Vibrio cholerae is the etiological agent of the infectious gastrointestinal disease cholera. Due to the global prevalence and severity of this disease, V. cholerae has been extensively studied in both environmental and laboratory settings, requiring proper maintenance and culturing techniques.