Cholera--modern pandemic disease of ancient lineage

Cholera has affected humans for at least a millennium and persists as a major cause of illness and death worldwide, with recent epidemics in Zimbabwe (2008-2009) and Haiti (2010). Clinically, evidence exists of increasing severity of disease linked with emergence of atypical Vibrio cholerae organism...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Emerging infectious diseases 2011-11, Vol.17 (11), p.2099-2104
Main Author: Morris, Jr, J Glenn
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
bacteria
Care and treatment
Cholera
Cholera - epidemiology
Cholera - therapy
Cholera - transmission
Diagnosis
Environment
Epidemics
Gene expression
Genetic aspects
Haiti
Humans
hyperinfectious
mathematical models
Models, Biological
Pandemics
Physiological aspects
reservoir
Statistics
TOC Title: Cholera—Modern Pandemic Disease of Ancient Lineage
Vibrio cholerae
Vibrio cholerae - genetics
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Summary:Cholera has affected humans for at least a millennium and persists as a major cause of illness and death worldwide, with recent epidemics in Zimbabwe (2008-2009) and Haiti (2010). Clinically, evidence exists of increasing severity of disease linked with emergence of atypical Vibrio cholerae organisms that have incorporated genetic material from classical biotype strains into an El Tor biotype background. A key element in transmission may be a recently recognized hyperinfectious phase, which persists for hours after passage in diarrheal feces. We propose a model of transmission in which environmental triggers (such as temperature) lead to increases in V. cholerae in environmental reservoirs, with spillover into human populations. However, once the microorganism is introduced into a human population, transmission occurs primary by "fast" transmission from person to person (taking advantage of the hyperinfectious state), without returning to the aquatic environment.
ISSN:1080-6040
1080-6059
1080-6059
DOI:10.3201/eid1711.111109