Cholera is an infectious disease caused by Vibrio cholerae, which is a major cause of death in areas of the world where a proper infrastructure for good sanitation doesn’t exist. Bacteria are ingested by consuming contaminated water and food. The water becomes contaminated when a person with the disease (which causes severe diarrhoea) produces the faeces which then carry the bacteria in the water supply.

As all bacteria, Vibrio cholarae is a prokaryotic organism. Prokaryotes do not have a nucleus like eukaryotes do. Their DNA is not membrane-bound, just free in the cytoplasm.

The cholera bacteria cause severe diarrhoea by producing a toxin which binds to receptors in the small intestine; this in turn activates cyclic AMP (which is a messenger molecule) which results in chloride pumps staying open all the time. Under normal conditions, these pumps would open and close accordingly to adjust water content in the small intestine….