Classification: ICD-9 001; ICD-10 A00
Syndromes and synonyms: Summer diarrhea, acute diarrhea.
Agent: Enterotoxin-producing Vibrio cholerae 01 and 0139 Bengal. Serogroup 01 has two biotypes, classical and El Tor, each with three serotypes: Inaba, Ogawa, and the rarer Hikojima.
Reservoir: Principally humans; also warm-water marine and estuarine copepods, other zooplankton. Crabs, shrimps, and shellfish carry the vibrio on their carapaces and shells.
Vector: Main transmission is fecal–oral, but houseflies act as supplementary vectors by contaminating food after feeding on exposed human feces.
Transmission: Consuming fecally contaminated food or water, raw or undercooked contaminated shellfish. Person-to-person transmission through indirect fecal–oral transmission occurs. The role of bacteriophages needs further elucidation.
Cycle: Two interacting cycles can be distinguished: (1) a persistent cycle in the aquatic reservoir, and (2) in the human host, leading to amplification through fecal–oral spread.
Incubation period: A few hours to 5 days; usually 2–3 days.
Clinical findings
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