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Vibrio (including cholera)

Vibrio (including cholera)

Some specific types of Vibrio bacteria that cause infection in humans include Vibrio parahaemolyticus, Vibrio vulnificus, and Vibrio cholerae. Specific types of V. cholerae cause a specific disease called cholera that has great potential for epidemic spread and is discussed separately in the fact sheet called â€œCholera.â€ However, other types of V. cholerae, as well as V. vulnificus and V. parahaemolyticus, can cause disease typified by diarrhea, vomiting, and stomach cramping or severe wound infections.

Cholera is an infection of the intestine caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. Between 1817 and 1911, six worldwide cholera outbreaks resulted in hundreds of thousands of deaths. The bacterium responsible for the seventh pandemic, now in progress, is known as V. cholerae O1, biotype El Tor. Another serogroup associated with cholera outbreaks is O139. Other serogroups of V. cholerae have been reported in the United States and Georgia; these are referred to "non-O1, non-O139 V. cholerae". These serotypes may also cause a cholera-like illness.