Development of a cholera rapid diagnostic test that targets both Vibrio cholerae and vibriophage

Rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) for Vibrio cholerae are tools that provide essential data to guide cholera outbreak response and elimination campaigns in settings that do not have access to a conventional microbiology laboratory. However, existing commercial cholera RDTs have variable performance. 

We have found that a virus (lytic vibrio phage) that can kill V. cholerae during human infection is also associated with a failure of RDTs. We propose to develop a new RDT that targets V. choleare and also includes detection for the virus as a proxy for V. cholerae when the bacterium cannot be directly detected. To do this we will develop antibodies that target unique and conserved phage proteins, add these to the RDT, and then validate the new RDT in a clinical study of people with cholera.