Biomaterial Database

Emergence of a new cholera pandemic: molecular analysis of virulence determinants in Vibrio cholerae O139 and development of a live vaccine prototype. 1994

M K Waldor, and J J Mekalanos

Dept. of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115.

In October 1992, a non-O1 strain of Vibrio cholerae emerged as a cause of epidemic cholera in India and Bangladesh. This antigenically novel clone has been designated serogroup O139 synonym Bengal. Since its emergence, V. cholerae O139 has caused a massive cholera epidemic throughout and beyond the Indian subcontinent. Molecular analysis of virulence determinants in clinical isolates suggests that O139 strains are highly related to El Tor O1 strains. Unlike other non-O1 strains, O139 strains carry multiple copies of the cholera toxin genetic element and also genes for the toxin-coregulated pilus. These results guided construction of a live V. cholerae O139 vaccine prototype through deletion of genes for at least four specific virulence determinants (ctxA, ace, zot, and cep) as well as other factors involved in site-specific and homologous recombination (RS1, attRS1, and recA). It is hoped that this attenuated live vaccine will help control the pandemic spread of V. cholerae O139.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D002771	Cholera	An acute diarrheal disease endemic in India and Southeast Asia whose causative agent is VIBRIO CHOLERAE. This condition can lead to severe dehydration in a matter of hours unless quickly treated.	Vibrio cholerae Infection,Choleras,Infection, Vibrio cholerae,Infections, Vibrio cholerae,Vibrio cholerae Infections
D004196	Disease Outbreaks	Sudden increase in the incidence of a disease. The concept includes EPIDEMICS and PANDEMICS.	Outbreaks,Infectious Disease Outbreaks,Disease Outbreak,Disease Outbreak, Infectious,Disease Outbreaks, Infectious,Infectious Disease Outbreak,Outbreak, Disease,Outbreak, Infectious Disease,Outbreaks, Disease,Outbreaks, Infectious Disease
D005814	Genes, Viral	The functional hereditary units of VIRUSES.	Viral Genes,Gene, Viral,Viral Gene
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D014613	Vaccines, Attenuated	Live vaccines prepared from microorganisms which have undergone physical adaptation (e.g., by radiation or temperature conditioning) or serial passage in laboratory animal hosts or infected tissue/cell cultures, in order to produce avirulent mutant strains capable of inducing protective immunity.	Attenuated Vaccine,Vaccines, Live, Attenuated,Attenuated Vaccines,Vaccine, Attenuated
D014614	Vaccines, Synthetic	Small synthetic peptides that mimic surface antigens of pathogens and are immunogenic, or vaccines manufactured with the aid of recombinant DNA techniques. The latter vaccines may also be whole viruses whose nucleic acids have been modified.	Antigens, Synthetic,Chemical Vaccine,Chemical Vaccines,Immunogens, Synthetic,Molecular Vaccine,Molecular Vaccines,Recombinant Vaccine,Semisynthetic Vaccine,Semisynthetic Vaccines,Synthetic Antigen,Synthetic Vaccine,Synthetic Vaccines,Vaccines, Recombinant,Synthetic Antigens,Synthetic Immunogens,Vaccines, Chemical,Vaccines, Molecular,Vaccines, Semisynthetic,Antigen, Synthetic,Recombinant Vaccines,Vaccine, Chemical,Vaccine, Molecular,Vaccine, Recombinant,Vaccine, Semisynthetic,Vaccine, Synthetic
D014734	Vibrio cholerae	The etiologic agent of CHOLERA.	Bacillus cholerae,Bacillus cholerae-asiaticae,Liquidivibrio cholerae,Microspira comma,Pacinia cholerae-asiaticae,Spirillum cholerae,Spirillum cholerae-asiaticae,Vibrio albensis,Vibrio cholera,Vibrio cholerae-asiaticae,Vibrio comma
D014765	Viral Vaccines	Suspensions of attenuated or killed viruses administered for the prevention or treatment of infectious viral disease.	Viral Vaccine,Vaccine, Viral,Vaccines, Viral
D014774	Virulence	The degree of pathogenicity within a group or species of microorganisms or viruses as indicated by case fatality rates and/or the ability of the organism to invade the tissues of the host. The pathogenic capacity of an organism is determined by its VIRULENCE FACTORS.	Pathogenicity