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Disease is worldwide. Some, unfortunately, may continue to be a problem for decades or centuries to

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Disease is worldwide. Some, unfortunately, may continue to be a problem for decades or centuries to come. Cholera is one disease that continues to disrupt parts of the world. Cholera is death by diarrhea (Symington, 2011). It is a potentially severe disease that affects the digestive system, leading to extreme dehydration with the possibility of death within hours (Symington, 2011). The culprit responsible for this particular plague is the bacteria Vibrios cholerae (Kraft, 2010). Symptoms of cholera have been traced as far back as ancient Greek times and Sanskrit writings (Pukatzki & Provenzano, 2013). Between 1817 and 1961 there have been seven pandemic outbreaks that killed millions of people (Cable News Network, 2013.). In the …show more content…

The cells are highly motile via means of a single, polar flagellum (Todar, n.d.). Vibrios are found most often in marine and freshwater environments but prefer a slightly salty venue for prime growth to occur (Todar, n.d.). V. cholerae is part of the plankton ecosystem therefore it can easily move through multiple environments (Kraft, 2010). The bacteria also form biofilm colonies by blanketing the surface of rocks, plants, shells and the like, within their watery surroundings (Kraft, 2010). Cholera appears to affect only humans (Finkelstein, 1996). It mostly targets people who live in countries lacking proper sanitation systems and/or safe drinking water (Sack, Lyke, McLaughlin, Suwanvanichkij, 2001). The disease is typically scarce in industrialized populations (Cable News Network, 2013). The main mode of V. cholerae transmission is the consumption of food or water containing fecal-contaminated bacteria (Sack et al., 2001). The bacteria can be transferred through food tainted by infected people who have inadequate hygiene methods after going to the bathroom or by improperly prepared foods, such as shellfish obtained from contaminated waters (Symington, 2011). Often it is difficult to distinguish between water and food as the source of contamination due to the fact that water frequently contaminates food (Sack et al., 2001). More bacteria enter our environment through waste each time a

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