CIDRAP has published News Scan for Jan 23, 2014: More H5N8 in Korean birds; Cholera in Haitian waters; Dengue and rare blood disorder. Excerpt:
Researchers monitoring 14 environmental sites near Haitian towns battling a cholera epidemic since 2010 detected outbreak Vibrio cholerae strains only when water temperatures were 88°F or warmer and say their findings may indicate long-term reservoirs of cholera-causing bacteria in Haiti, which may complicate elimination efforts.
Writing in Emerging Infectious Diseases yesterday, the University of Florida team found the outbreak strain—O1 El Tor biotype—in 3 (1.7%) of 179 water samples collected from April 2012 to March 2013.
They also found three isolates of nontoxigenic O1 V cholerae. They noted that all O1 isolates were found in water temperatures of 31°C (88°F) or warmer.
The researchers conclude, "These isolations may reflect establishment of long-term environmental reservoirs in Haiti, which may complicate eradication of cholera from this coastal country."