An international team of scientists from the UK and Bangladesh have identified the genetic reasons why the Vibrio cholerae bacteria, which causes cholera, can become life-threatening. The discovery will help to effectively combat the infection. The research has been published in the scientific journal magazine Nature Communications (NatComms).
Cholera is a serious diarrheal disease that continues to threaten millions of people worldwide. Up to 4 million cases of the disease are recorded annually, of which 143,000 are fatal. In Bangladesh alone, the disease kills 4.5 thousand people each year.
Vibrio cholerae is evolving to make infections more severe and harder to control, but until now scientists have not been able to pinpoint the genetic factors underlying these changes.
In this new study, the team analyzed bacterial samples collected from cholera patients in six districts of Bangladesh between 2015 and 2021. They identified a number of unique genes and mutations in the newest and dominant Vibrio cholerae strain responsible for the devastating 2022 outbreak.
These genetic traits are associated with the bacteria’s ability to cause serious symptoms, such as prolonged diarrhea, severe abdominal pain, vomiting, and dehydration (symptoms that can be fatal in severe cases).
The study also showed that some of these disease-causing traits overlap with traits that help bacteria spread more easily.
These genetic factors enable Vibrio cholerae to survive in the human gut, making the microbes resistant to environmental stress and more effective at causing disease.
According to scientists, the findings of their work contribute to more effective prevention of cholera and combating a dangerous disease.
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Source: Gazeta
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