Vibrio cholerae
is a major cause of diarrhoeal illness in endemic regions, such as Bangladesh. Understanding
the factors that determine an individual’s susceptibility to infection due to
V. cholerae may lead to
improved prevention and control strategies. Increasing evidence suggests that human genetic factors affect
the severity of
V. cholerae-associated infection. This study, therefore, sought to characterize the heritable
component of susceptibility to infection due to
V. cholerae using the Matlab Health and Demographic
Surveillance System database of the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh. In
total, 144 pedigrees that included a cholera patient and 341 pedigrees without a cholera patient were
evaluated during 1 January–31 December 1992. The odds of the sibling of a patient being admitted with
cholera were 7.67 times the odds of the sibling of an unaffected individual being admitted with cholera
[95% confidence interval (CI) 2.40-24.5, p<0.001], after adjustment for gender, age, socioeconomic status,
and hygiene practices. Although exposure to environmental reservoirs is essential in the epidemiology of
cholera, household-specific factors, such as familial relatedness to an index case, may also be important
determinants of risk of cholera. Further analysis of human genetic factors that contribute to susceptibility
to cholera may be productive.
