Cholera & Biofilm Research Laboratory, Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology, Thiruvananthapuram, India.
Center for Human Microbial Ecology, Translational Health Science & Technology Institute, Faridabad, India.
Indian J Med Res. 2018 Feb;147(2):133-141. doi: 10.4103/ijmr.IJMR_280_17.
Cholera, caused by the Gram-negative bacterium Vibrio cholerae, has ravaged humanity from time immemorial. Although the disease can be treated using antibiotics along with administration of oral rehydration salts and controlled by good sanitation, cholera is known to have produced mayhems in ancient times when little was known about the pathogen. By the 21 century, ample information about the pathogen, its epidemiology, genetics, treatment and control strategies was revealed. However, there is still fear of cholera outbreaks in developing countries, especially in the wake of natural calamities. Studies have proved that the bacterium is mutating and evolving, out-competing all our efforts to treat the disease with previously used antibiotics and control with existing vaccines. In this review, the major scientific insights of cholera research are discussed. Considering the important role of biofilm formation in the V. cholerae life cycle, the vast availability of next-generation sequencing data of the pathogen and multi-omic approach, the review thrusts on the identification of suitable biofilm-inhibiting targets and the discovery of anti-biofilm drugs from nature to control the disease.
霍乱由革兰氏阴性细菌霍乱弧菌引起,从古至今一直肆虐人类。虽然可以使用抗生素以及口服补液盐来治疗这种疾病,并通过良好的卫生条件进行控制,但在对病原体知之甚少的古代,霍乱曾造成过严重的混乱。到 21 世纪,人们对病原体、流行病学、遗传学、治疗和控制策略有了足够的了解。然而,发展中国家仍然担心霍乱的爆发,尤其是在自然灾害之后。研究表明,这种细菌正在发生变异和进化,使得我们以前使用的抗生素治疗方法和现有的疫苗控制方法都失效了。在这篇综述中,讨论了霍乱研究的主要科学见解。考虑到生物膜形成在霍乱弧菌生命周期中的重要作用,以及病原体的大量下一代测序数据和多组学方法,本综述侧重于确定合适的生物膜抑制靶点,并从自然界中发现抗生物膜药物来控制这种疾病。