High prevalence of toxin producing enteropathogenic Vibrios among estuarine crab in Ganges delta of West Bengal, India.

Abstract

Chitin influences the survival of Vibrio spp. in aquatic environment by providing an abundant source of carbon, nitrogen and protection from environmental challenges ( Kirn et al., 2005). Huq et al. (1986) have demonstrated a possible ecological correlation between crustaceans and Vibrio abundance. However, active role of such common edible seafood viz. crabs etc. of aquatic habitat (freshwater/estuarine/marine) as prospective “reservoir” (because of being proven niche of Vibrio cholerae in such environment, Blokesch and Schoolnik, 2007) in cholera and non-cholera diarrhoeal transmission and their possible implications among coastal population of deltaic West Bengal remains unexplored. A few earlier studies have demonstrated the attachment capacity of V. cholerae with chitinous substrate ( Kaneko and Colwell, 1975 and Tarsi and Pruzzo, 1999). This raise queries regarding the extent to which chitin acts in toxicity acquisition under natural environmental condition either being attached with a host specific chitinous substrate or in a free floating condition.