Research about Cholera disease Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

About epidemic cholera infirmity - Research Paper ExampleThe toxin choleragen cause severe diarrhea by disrupting the function of the epithelium of the pocket-size intestine. The clinical features of the disease include severe diarrhea which results in loss of body fluids and salts. The persistent diarrhea results in severe dehydration and weakness. The method of diagnosing involves microscopic analysis of feces. The annual incidence of cholera accounts for about 5.5 million worldwide. The annual mortality worldwide is 120 000. The treatment for cholera involves Oral Rehydration Therapy which restores the osmotic balance of the blood and tissue fluids. The only way to prevent cholera infection is to have an access to uncontaminated food and piddle. (BARUA et al 209-214). Etiology Cholera is an infectious disease of the small intestine. It is caused by ingesting contaminated food or water, which contains the pathogen Vibrio cholera which is a comma-shaped, motile, Gram negative ba cterium. The bacterium produces an enterotoxin which causes rise water stools in the individual affected. It can lead to severe dehydration and eventually death if left untreated. The bacterium acts on the intestinal wall to interfere with the pass of sodium and chloride. This flow of the electrolytes causes a misbalance and hence watery diarrhea ensues. Well water, seafood, raw fruits and vegetables along with grains be the possible carriers of the bacterium. The methods of prevention are further highlighted down the stairs in the essay (Taylor et al 500-505 MayoClinic). Life Cycle The organism V. cholera has two life cycles one in the environment and one inside the world body. V. cholera are present in brackish coastal waters and are found attached to copepods (a type of crustacean), as well as chitin-containing shells of crabs, shrimps, and separate shellfish. A rise in the temperature of the water creates a favorable environment for the bacterium. The cholera vibrio can a lso live inside algae, in a dormant state, for years. Sewage tends to encourage the growth of algae because it contains nutrients. Thus these algal blooms also result in the transmission of the disease (MayoClinic). The pathogen multiplies in the intestine, releasing a powerful toxin (CTX) which disrupts the flow of sodium and chloride ions. The disruption of sodium and chloride ions results in diarrhea which causes rapid loss of water, fluids and salts from the body (rice-water stool) (MayoClinic). There are two serogroups of the bacterium, O-group 1 and O-group 139, and it is their toxigenic strains which are known to cause cholera. V. cholera O1 has two biotypes Classical and El Tor. Each biotype has two serotypes Inaba and Ogawa. Individuals infected with El Tor, either do not show every symptoms of the disease, or develop only a mild illness. The classical serotype is now only restricted to Bangladesh and India (WHO CDC). Contaminated standing water, seafood, raw fruits and v egetables and grains like rice and millet whitethorn harbor the bacterium especially in developing countries where there is poor sanitation and the provision of clean drinking water is a formidable challenge. The disease can also be spread by vectors like flies when moving from human feces to food. After being infected with the bacterium 25% of the people develop the disease. The rest remain