Vibrio cholerae

Introduction

History

Epidemiology/Clinical Manifestation

Molecular Biology

Diagnosis and Treatments

Weaponization

What is Cholera?

Intestinal infection

Severe diarrhea

Caused by Cholera Toxin of bacterium, Vibrio cholera

V. cholerae

Grows in salt and fresh water

Can survive and multiply in brackish water by infecting copepods

Has over 150 identified serotypes based on O-antigen

Only O1 and O139 are toxigenic and cause Cholera disease

2 categories of O1 serotypes – Classical and El Tor

Cholera

A life-threatening secretory diarrhea induced by enterotoxin secreted by V. cholerae

Water-borne illness caused by ingesting water/food contaminated by copepods infected by V. cholerae

An enterotoxic enteropathy (a non-invasive diarrheal disease)

A major epidemic disease

Transmitted by fecal-oral route

Endemic in areas of poor sanitation (India and Bangladesh )

May persist in shellfish or plankton

7 pandemics since 1817 – first 6 from Classical strains, 7th from El Tor

1993: Cholera in Bengal caused by O139 – may be cause of 8th pandemic

Ancient Texts Describe Cholera

500-400 BC: Sanskrit writings

500 BC: Hippocrates

200 AD: Galen

900 AD: Rhazes, Islamic physician

Sanskrit, Arabic, and Chinese writings dating back 2,000 years

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