Role of system biogeochemistry on the distribution and abundance of Vibrio organisms in Karnaphuli River estuary, Bangladesh

• Applicant: Privatdozent Dr. Rubén-José Lara
• Subject Area: Oceanography ; Microbial Ecology and Applied Microbiology
• Term: from 2007 to 2008
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 30470806

Flooding and droughts will intensify with climate change and affect health through disease spread. In tropical areas, where the impact of land use and climate change on vector borne diseases is of high concern, there is scarce hydrographic information for low-lying coasts. There are converging approaches in research of coastal ecology and human diseases. The seasonality of cholera epidemics is related to climate-ocean coupling events, such as El Niño. Zooplankton can harbor Vibrio cholerae and there is a relationship of cholera cases with phytoplankton blooms, sea surface temperature, chlorophyll, ocean height, nutrients, salinity and turbidity. Some Vibrio species are pathogenic for aquatic organisms, cause damage in aquaculture settings, and bleaching in corals. Other species are important for nutrient turnover. Vibrio cholerae O1 and O139 are the toxigenic strains responsible for cholera. Most cholera pandemics started in Bangladesh, in the Ganges-Brahmaputra delta. Recent studies have shown that the persistence of V. cholerae within the estuarine ecosystem may be facilitated by entering a dormant state. Studies of vibrio diversity in the marine and estuarine environment are fundamental to know the distribution range of different species and their functional aspects. The proposed study will investigate whether the distribution of nutrients, particulate matter, physico-chemical and hydrological parameters in the estuarine zone influences the abundance and diversity of vibrios from the brackish to the freshwater environment of the Karnaphuli River estuary, Bangladesh.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants
• International Connection: Bangladesh
• Participating Person: Dr. Gopinath Balakrish Nair