Sidd
Staff
Junior
45 posts
"Sustainable dairy business."
Posted on 22. Dec 2023
Vibrio cholerae 01 and 0139 are the bacterial agents for the disease. V. cholarae 01 includes two biotypes- classical and E1 Tor- each of which includes organisms of Ogawa, Inaba and rarely Hikojima serotypes.Epidemiology
They are Gram-negative, facultative anaerobic, motile, non-spore forming rods that grow at 18-42°C (optimum 37°C), pH 6-11 (optimum 7.6) water activity of 0.97.Growth is stimulated by salinity levels of around 3% but prevented by levels of 6%. Organism is resistant to freezing but sensitive to heat and acid (National Disease Surveillance Centre, 2004).Pathogenesis
May survive for some days on fruit and vegetables. It is often found in aquatic environments and is part of the normal flora in brackish water and estuaries. V. cholera is non-invasive and diarrhoea is mediated by cholera toxin formed in the gut (toxico-infection).Symptoms
Incubation period 1-3 days. Profuse watery diarrhoea, which can lead to severe dehydration, collapse and death within a few hours unless lost fluid and salt are replaced; abdominal pain and vomiting. Duration is up to 7 days.Mode of transmission
Food and water contaminated through contact with faecal matter or infected food handlers. Contamination of vegetables may occur through sewage or wastewater used for irrigation.Person to person transmission through the fecal-oral route is also an important mode of transmission. Foods involved include seafood, vegetables, cooked rice and ice.Control and Prevention
Safe disposal of sewage and wastewater, treatment of drinking water e.g. chlorination or irradiation, heat treatment of foods e.g. canning; high pressure treatment; good hygiene practices during production and processing.In food service establishment/household, personal hygiene (hand washing with soap and water); thorough cooking of food and careful washing of fruit and vegetables; boiling drinking-water when safe water is not available. Consumers should avoid eating raw seafood.Occurrences
Africa, Asia, parts of Europe and Latin America. In most industrialized countries, reported cholera cases are imported by travellers or occurs as a result of imported food.References
- National Disease Surveillance Centre. (2004). Preventing Foodborne Disease: A Focus on the Infected Food Handler. Dublin, Ireland: National Disease Surveillance Centre.
- WHO. (2008). Foodborne Disease Outbreaks: Guidelines for Investigation and Control. Geneva, Switzerland: World Health Organization.
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