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Symptoms start two hours to five days after exposure. [3] Cholera is caused by a number of types of Vibrio cholerae, with some types producing more severe disease than others. [2] It is spread mostly by unsafe water and unsafe food that has been contaminated with human feces containing the bacteria. [2] Undercooked shellfish is a common source. [9]
Cholera toxin mechanism. Cholera toxin (also known as choleragen and sometimes abbreviated to CTX, Ctx or CT) is an AB5 multimeric protein complex secreted by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. [1] [2] CTX is responsible for the massive, watery diarrhea characteristic of cholera infection. [3] It is a member of the heat-labile enterotoxin family.
Vibrio cholerae is a species of Gram-negative, facultative anaerobe and comma-shaped bacteria. [1] The bacteria naturally live in brackish or saltwater where they attach themselves easily to the chitin-containing shells of crabs, shrimp, and other shellfish.
Cholera: Spread by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae: Drinking water contaminated with the bacterium In severe forms it is known to be one of the most rapidly fatal illnesses known. Symptoms include very watery diarrhea, nausea, cramps, nosebleed, rapid pulse, vomiting, and hypovolemic shock (in severe cases), at which point death can occur in 12 ...
Descriptions of cholera are found as early as the 5th century BC in Sanskrit. [4] The study of cholera in England by John Snow, between 1849 and 1854, led to significant advances in the field of epidemiology. [4] [10] Seven large outbreaks have occurred over the last 200 years, with millions of deaths. [11]
An 1831 color lithograph by Robert Seymour depicts cholera as a robed, skeletal creature emanating a deadly black cloud.. The miasma theory (also called the miasmic theory) is an abandoned medical theory that held that diseases—such as cholera, chlamydia, or the Black Death—were caused by a miasma (μίασμα, Ancient Greek for 'pollution'), a noxious form of "bad air", also known as ...
A cholera vaccine is a vaccine that is effective at reducing the risk of contracting cholera. [10] The recommended cholera vaccines are administered orally to elicit local immune responses in the gut, where the intestinal cells produce antibodies against Vibrio cholerae, the bacteria responsible for the illness. This immune response was poorly ...
Treatment of a cholera infection consists of replenishing lost fluid and electrolytes by intravenous or oral solutions, and by antibiotics. [2] El Tor outbreaks can be prevented by better standards of sanitation, filtering and boiling water, [ 4 ] thoroughly cooking seafood, and washing vegetables and fruits before consumption.