Cholera
Cholera is a water-borne disease caused by the
bacterium Vibrio cholerae is a gram negative [i] bacterium [i] with a curved-rod shape that causes cholera [i] ...
, which is typically ingested by drinking
contaminated water, or by eating improperly cooked fish, especially
shellfish. It was first described in a scientific manner by the
Portuguese physician
Garcia de Orta in
Colquios dos Simples e Drogas da India .
Europe witnessed several epidemics in the 19th century, but the disease is since mostly seen in
Third World countries, due to poor
water infrastructures.
Encyclopedia
Cholera is a water-borne disease caused by the
bacterium Vibrio cholerae is a gram negative [i] bacterium [i] with a curved-rod shape that causes cholera [i]...
, which is typically ingested by drinking
contaminated water, or by eating improperly cooked fish, especially
shellfish. It was first described in a scientific manner by the
Portuguese physician
Garcia de Orta in
Colóquios dos Simples e Drogas da India .
Europe witnessed several epidemics in the 19th century, but the disease is since mostly seen in
Third World countries, due to poor
water infrastructures.
Pathology
Susceptibility
Cholera produces potentially lethal secretory diarrhea through a pathway that involves the
cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator . This discovery led to the hypothesis that carriers for
cystic fibrosis, who have lower levels of functional CFTR, are protected from the severe effects of cholera because they don't lose water as quickly as other people. This might explain the high incidence of cystic fibrosis among populations which were formerly exposed to cholera. However, no evidence of resistance
in vivo has been observed in humans, and studies in mice have produced conflicting results.
Prevention
Although cholera can be life-threatening, it is easily prevented. In the United States and Western Europe, because of advanced water and sanitation systems, cholera is not a major threat. The last major outbreak of cholera in the United States was in 1911. However, everyone, especially travellers, should be aware of how the disease is transmitted and what can be done to prevent it.
Simple sanitation is usually sufficient to stop an epidemic. There are several points along the transmission path at which the spread may be halted:
- Sickbed: Proper disposal and treatment of waste produced by cholera victims.
- Sewage: Treatment of general sewage before it enters the waterways.
- Sources: Warnings about cholera contamination posted around contaminated water sources.
- Sterilization: Boiling, filtering, and chlorination of water before use.
Filtration and boiling is by far the most effective means of halting transmission. Cloth filters, though very basic, have greatly reduced the occurrence of cholera when used in poor villages in Bangladesh that rely on untreated surface water.
In general, education and sanitation are the limiting factors in prevention of cholera epidemics.
Trivia
- A persistent but false urban legend states that 90,000 people died in Chicago of cholera and typhoid fever in 1885. This story has no factual base.
References
External links
