Federal Grant Award Summary

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) awarded the University of Washington a $765,194 Project Grant on April 9, 2026, under the Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research program (CFDA 93.855) to conduct research on the upper intestinal microbiota's role in determining cholera disease severity. The research will characterize microbial communities in the upper intestine during human cholera infection and define the mechanisms by which host microbes impact clinical outcomes, with the project extending through March 31, 2031. This research addresses a critical public health gap in understanding why some individuals exposed to Vibrio cholerae develop mild symptoms while others progress to severe, life-threatening dehydrating disease—knowledge essential for developing non-antibiotic treatment interventions as cholera outbreaks increase due to humanitarian disasters, antimicrobial resistance, and expanding pathogen reservoirs in warming oceans.

The project will employ novel methodological approaches by analyzing emesis samples from cholera patients rather than stool, recognizing that V. cholerae preferentially colonizes the upper small intestine where distinct microbial communities exist under different oxygen conditions than the lower intestine. Through comparative analysis of upper intestinal microbiota between patients with mild-to-moderate disease and those with severe cholera, the research team will identify bacterial factors that modify host susceptibility and disease progression, building upon prior work demonstrating that host microbes predict cholera susceptibility. The deliverables include scientific publications characterizing the upper intestinal microbial environment during human cholera infection and mechanistic insights that may inform therapeutic strategies targeting the microbiota to prevent severe disease.