Vibrio cholerae
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| Vibrio cholerae |
Vibrio cholerae is a gram negative bacterium with a curved-rod shape that causes cholera in humans. It and other species of the genus Vibrio belong to the gamma subdivision of the Proteobacteria. There are two dominant strains, classic and El Tor. are in the O1 serogroup and both contain Inaba, Ogawa and Hikojima serotypes
It colonizes the gut, where it adheres to villous absorptive cells via filaments, and secretes a toxin, causing massive fluid and electrolyte loss by diarrhea.
The bacterium was first isolated as the cause of cholera by Italian anatomist Filippo Pacini, but his discovery was not widely known until Robert Koch, working independently thirty years later, publicized the knowledge and the means of fighting the disease.
External links
- Detailed information about vibrio cholerae and the cholera toxin (http://attila.stevens-tech.edu/chembio/ecronenw/final~1.htm)