Vibrio cholerae: epidemiology of Cholera, virulence, ecology, biofilms and vibrio phages

Abstract

Every year there are a million cases of acute diarrheal disease around the world that is caused by the strain, Vibrio Cholerae due to poor sanitation and hygiene practices. It mostly affects children and can be deadly if left untreated. It has come to light that V. Cholerae can change from planktonic to biofilm state and the biofilm state provokes the infection and disease transmission leading to an outbreak. This review will highlight all the essential aspects of Vibrio Cholerae’s lifestyle and classification specifying the biotypes, summarize the latest knowledge on the epidemiology, transmission of the disease, virulence factors of V. Cholerae and its regulation involved in enhancing the pathogenicity and its ecological persistence in the aquatic and human intestine environment. Furthermore, it discusses the three stages of biofilm development – surface attachment, microcolony formation and dispersal, involvement of genes and regulators in regulating the biofilm formation and the process of intestinal colonization caused by the bacteria. Lastly, significant emphasis has been given on the possible ways to prevent biofilm formation and its infection; especially on the recent findings related to Vibrio Phages in controlling V. Cholerae.