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. 2016 Jul;22(7):1216-20.
doi: 10.3201/eid2207.151996.

Heat Wave-Associated Vibriosis, Sweden and Finland, 2014

Craig Baker-Austin, Joaquin A Trinanes, Saara Salmenlinna, Margareta Löfdahl, Anja Siitonen, Nick G H Taylor, Jaime Martinez-Urtaza

Heat Wave-Associated Vibriosis, Sweden and Finland, 2014

Craig Baker-Austin et al. Emerg Infect Dis. 2016 Jul.

Abstract

During summer 2014, a total of 89 Vibrio infections were reported in Sweden and Finland, substantially more yearly infections than previously have been reported in northern Europe. Infections were spread across most coastal counties of Sweden and Finland, but unusually, numerous infections were reported in subarctic regions; cases were reported as far north as 65°N, ≈100 miles (160 km) from the Arctic Circle. Most infections were caused by non-O1/O139 V. cholerae (70 cases, corresponding to 77% of the total, all strains were negative for the cholera toxin gene). An extreme heat wave in northern Scandinavia during summer 2014 led to unprecedented high sea surface temperatures, which appear to have been responsible for the emergence of Vibrio bacteria at these latitudes. The emergence of vibriosis in high-latitude regions requires improved diagnostic detection and clinical awareness of these emerging pathogens.

Keywords: Baltic Sea; Finland; Sweden; Vibrio; Wound infections; bacteria; heat wave; northern Europe; vibrios.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Monthly reported Vibrio infections in Sweden and Finland, May–December 2014. Beginning in July and increasing in August, reported infections spiked, corresponding with the heat wave in Scandinavia during that time.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Location of reported Vibrio infections in coastal areas, Sweden and Finland, 2014. The number of infections coupled with the extreme SST anomaly, particularly in northern latitude areas, is particularly noteworthy. SST, sea surface temperature. Red line indicates the location of the Arctic Circle.
Figure 3
Figure 3
SST anomaly data for coastal areas of Sweden and Finland. A) Maximum SST anomalies during July and August 2014. The anomalies were substantially high throughout the region but especially in the northern Baltic Sea area. B) Differences between the maximum temperatures during 2014 and those during 1982–2013. SST, sea surface temperature.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Total reported Vibrio infections in Finland and Sweden, 2005–2014. Foreign-acquired infections (where known) were omitted from the analyses. Epidemiologic data were gathered from public health agencies in Sweden and Finland (see Materials and Methods).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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