Future scenarios of risk of Vibrio infections in a warming planet: a global mapping study

Infections caused by non-cholera Vibrio species have undergone a global expansion over the past few decades reaching new areas of the world that were previously considered adverse for these organisms. The geographical extent of the expansion has not been uniform, and some areas have shown a rapid increase in infections.

We applied a new generation of models combining climate, population, and socioeconomic projections to map future scenarios of distribution and season suitability for pathogenic Vibrio. We used the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project 6 framework. Three datasets were used: Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory's CM4.0 sea surface temperature and sea surface salinity; the coastline length dataset from the World Resources Institute; and Inter-Sectoral Impact Model Intercomparison Project 2b annual global population data. Future projections were used up to the year 2100 and historical simulations from 1850 to 2014. We also project human population at risk under different shared socioeconomic pathways worldwide.

Projections showed that coastal areas suitable for Vibrio could cover 38 000 km of new coastal areas by 2100 under the most unfavourable scenario with an expansion rate of season suitability in these regions of around 1 month every 30 years. Population at risk in suitable regions almost doubled from 1980 to 2020 (from 610 million to 1100 million under the scenario of medium challenges to mitigation and adaptation, shared socioeconomic pathway 2-4.5), although the increment will be more moderate in the future and stabilises after 2050 at 1300 million. Finally, we provide the first global estimate for Vibrio infections, with values around half a million of cases worldwide in 2020.

Our projections anticipated an expansion of both the temporal and spatial disease burden for Vibrio infections, in particular at high latitudes of the northern hemisphere. However, the largest extent occurred from 1980 to 2020 and a more moderate increase is expected for the future. The most positive outcome is that the projections showed that Vibrio morbidity will remain relatively stable over the coming decades.

NOAA Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory and NOAA OceanWatch, and by the University of Miami's Cooperative Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Studies.