Abstract

Mapping Minimum and Maximum Standard Deviation 3-Dimensionsional Slope Coefficients for Geo-spectrotemporally Iteratively Quantitatively Interpolating an End-member Proxy Signature of Cyanobacteria (Bluegreen Algae) for Eco-cartographically Delineating Cholera Risk in a Riverine Tributary Ecosystem in Ecuador

Samuel Alao, Jacob GB and Ricardo Izurieta

Cholera, caused by the bacteria Vibrio cholerae, hit Latin America after nearly a century in 1991. Ecuador was one of the most highly impacted regions by morbidity. While a number of infrastructural and socially relevant factors have been cited in cholera transmission, a growing body of work also points to the relevance of ecological factors, namely the presence and cycle of copepods and blue-green algae which may harbor the bacteria at certain times. The goal of this study was to demonstrate the utility of an interpolation technique which could be used alongside cholera case rate data to determine a predictive environmental signature for cholera risk areas in the future.