Vibrio cholerae causes cholera, a waterborne disease associated with severe diarrhoea and dehydration.
The bacterium is a curved, comma-shaped Gram-negative organism that commonly lives in aquatic environments. Pathogenic strains can colonize the small intestine and produce cholera toxin. The toxin disrupts intestinal ion transport, causing large amounts of water and electrolytes to enter the gut. Without rapid fluid replacement, severe dehydration can become fatal.
In 1854, physician John Snow used a map of cholera cases in London’s Soho district to argue that contaminated water from the Broad Street pump was driving transmission. Snow did not identify V. cholerae itself; the bacterium was isolated later, notably by Filippo Pacini in the nineteenth century. Modern cholera prevention relies on safe water, sanitation, hygiene, surveillance, and appropriate rehydration treatment. Oral rehydration solution is especially important because it uses coupled sodium and glucose transport to help the intestine absorb water.