Vibriocidal antibody titer rise after rectal or anal administration of Vibrio cholerae in dogs.

In many developing countries and ablution with surface water is a daily habit. This water is heavily contaminated with microbes, raising the possibility that and contamination may lead to immune responses. This hypothesis was experimentally tested in 21 dogs by anal or rectal application of Vibrio cholerae suspension V. cholerae was recovered from rectal swab cultures for a mean of one day after rectal contamination and 2.5 days after anal application (P less than .02). Significant increases occurred in the geometric mean titer of serum vibriocidal antibody; this suggests the need for study of the possible role of anal ablution in maintaining serum vibriocidal antibody levels in endemic cholera areas.