Delhi Belly during Deadly Summers: A Study of Acute Diarrhea Due to Vibrio cholerae Infection

Abstract Background: Cholera is an acute, watery diarrheal disease caused by Vibrio cholerae , and a major public health problem in developing nations with poor sanitary conditions. Summers of 2024 in Delhi witnessed extremes of temperature, and water scarcity, sparking rise in diarrhoeal illnesses. Aims and Objective: The primary objective of this study is to investigate aetiology of diarrheal diseases during summer using a rapid molecular method, ‘gastrointestinal syndromic panel testing by multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR)’ on stool specimen, with special attention to Vibrio Cholerae. Material and Methods: This study was carried out between April to June of 2024, at a tertiary care hospital of Delhi Cantonment. Stool samples were collected from cases of acute watery diarrhoea and processed in parallel for conventional culture and commercially available multiplex PCR, BioFire Film Array. Results: BioFire Gastro-intestinal (GI) panel identified a total of 55 pathogens in 35 stool samples (63.63%) with multiple organisms detected in 15 (42.85%) samples. Conventional microbiological culture revealed Vibrio cholerae O1 biotype El Tor serotype Ogawa as the causative agent in six cases, whereas BioFire GI panel detected Vibrio cholera in seven. Conclusion: Multiplex PCR assay on stool sample offers a shorter turnaround time and the ability to detect a wide array of pathogens. BioFire GI panel is recommended as a screening tool for prompt diagnosis of acute gastroenteritis in a setting of an outbreak.