Temperature Upshift Mostly but not Always Enhances the Growth of Vibrio Species: A Systematic Review

The spread of Vibrio spp. and the prevalence of vibriosis around the world are often correlated with global warming, especially an increase in sea surface temperature. However, many ecological and virulence factors also trigger the spread of Vibrio species, while vibriosis occurs at both low and high temperatures. Recent studies that focused on a single factor (e.g. temperature) and one species (e.g. V. vulnificus) also showed that single factors such as temperature were insufficient to explain the pathogenicity and virulence of Vibrio spp. In this review, we have compiled and discussed the existing literature on the effect of temperature on different growth and pathogenicity of Vibrio spp. A systematic literature search was conducted using Web of Science (WoS) and SCOPUS databases up to 1st January 2022. After applying the selection criteria, a final list of 111 articles was included in this review. We have found that only certain Vibrio spp. are positively impacted by the increase in temperature. The results showed that 47% of the articles reported an increase in growth with the increase in temperature, while 38% showed that the relationship is complex. Reduced growth (6%) and no effect (9%) were also reported. These results showed that most but not all Vibrio spp. were positively impacted by an increase in temperature. The results indicated that V. alginolyticus, V. cholerae, V. parahaemolyticus, and V. vulnificus are the biggest threats to human and animal wellbeing

Priority water research questions for South Africa developed through participatory processes

This paper describes a collaborative process of identifying and prioritising current and future water research questions from a wide range of water specialists within South Africa. Over 1 600 questions were collected, reduced in number and prioritised by specialists working in water research and practice. A total of 59 questions were finally proposed as an outcome of the study and are categorised under the themes of change, data, ecosystems, governance, innovation and resources. The questions range in scale, challenge and urgency, and are also aligned with prevailing paradigms in water research. The majority of the questions dealt with relatively short- to medium-term research requirements and most focused on immediate issues such as water supply, service delivery and technical solutions. Formulations of long-term research questions were sparse, partly because some of the principles and methods used in this study were difficult to apply in the South African context, and also because researchers are influenced by addressing what are believed to be the more immediate, short-term water-related challenges in South Africa. This is the first initiative of its kind to produce a comprehensive and inclusive list of research priorities for water in South Africa