Vibrio cholerae
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{{Taxobox | color = lightgrey | name = Vibrio cholerae | image = vibrio_cholerae.jpg | image_width = 250px | image_caption = TEM image | regnum = Bacteria | phylum = Proteobacteria | classis = Gamma Proteobacteria | ordo = Vibrionales | familia = Vibrionaceae | genus = Vibrio | species = V. cholerae | binomial = Vibrio cholerae | binomial_authority = Pacini 1854 }}
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 major strains of V. cholerae, classic and El Tor, and numerous other serogroups.
V. cholerae colonizes the gastrointestinal tract, 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 in 1854, 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.
Treatment
Cholera can be treated by tetracycline. Also, water and electrolyte replacement are necessary. Vaccine is available, but it is short-lived.
References
External links
es:Vibrio cholerae fr:Vibrio cholerae it:Vibrio cholerae he:ויבריו כולרה nl:Vibrio cholerae ja:コレラ菌