Use of vaginal tampons in sewer surveys for non-O1. Vibrio cholerae

Vaginal tampons were shown to be a practical alternative to conventional Moore swabs for isolating Vibrio cholerae from sewage. Associated laboratory investigations demonstrated improved isolation of V. cholerae by using 12- or 18-h enrichments in alkaline peptone water, in comparison with 6-h enrichments, when cultures were incubated at ambient temperatures.