Read condition-specific symptoms and clinical context for Vibrio cholerae. Strain-dependent intestinal illness, sometimes causing rapid dehydration.
V. cholerae has diverse strains. Toxigenic O1 and O139 strains cause epidemic cholera after contaminated food or water is consumed. Infection may be silent or mild, but severe watery diarrhea can rapidly cause dangerous dehydration. Other strains can also cause human illness. This model shows a representative curved, noncapsulated phenotype; it does not represent every serogroup.
Possible symptoms of cholera; severity varies and many infections are mild or silent.
Possible symptoms: Watery diarrhea; Vomiting; Leg cramps; Dehydration.
Seek care promptly for acute watery diarrhea during an outbreak. Severe dehydration requires immediate medical care.
Many infected people notice no symptoms but may shed bacteria in stool.
Carriage or infection can be present without the disease symptoms listed above.
Clinical context and appropriate testing distinguish carriage from illness.
Source check: 2026-09-19. Educational content; independent scientific review remains pending.