Reduction of cholera in Bangladeshi villages by simple filtration

• DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0237386100
• Publication Date: 2003-02-04T17:24:41Z
• Authors: Rita R. Colwell; Anwar Huq; M. Sirajul Islam; K. M. A. Aziz; M. Yunus; N. Huda Khan; A. Mahmud; R. Bradley Sack; G. B. Nair; J. Chakraborty; David A. Sack; E. Russek-Cohen
• Keywords: Cholera; Filtration (mathematics); Yersinia pestis

Based on results of ecological studies demonstrating that Vibrio cholerae, the etiological agent epidemic cholera, is commensal to zooplankton, notably copepods, a simple filtration procedure was developed whereby most phytoplankton, and particulates >20 microm were removed from water before use. Effective deployment this procedure, September 1999 through July 2002 in 65 villages rural Bangladesh, which total population for entire study comprised approximately 133,000 individuals, yielded 48% reduction cholera (P < 0.005) compared with control.