Vibrio cholerae belongs to a group of organisms whose natural habitats are the aquatic ecosystems.
It is a facultative anaerobic, Gram-negative rods, motile by polar flagella in liquid media but peritrichous flagella may be produced on solid media in some species.
The bacterium is oxidase-positive, reduces nitrate, and is motile by means of a single, sheathed, polar flagellum.
The Vibrio genus is part of the family Vibrionaceae. The family also includes the genera Photobacterium, Aeromonas and Plesiosomonas.
Vibrio cholerae is the causative agent of cholera, an acute life- threatening diarrheal disease which occurs in many developing countries, particularly in South Asia, Africa and Latin America.
Infection due to Vibrio cholerae begins with ingestion of contaminated water or food.
After passage through the acid barrier of the stomach, the organism colonizes the epithelium of the small intestine by means of the toxin-coregulated pili.
Attached Vibrio cholerae begin cell division and when sufficient numbers of cells have accumulated, they begin to produce an enterotoxin called cholera toxin which causes severe diarrhea.
The bacteria of Vibrio cholerae
