transmission
Last reviewed 01/2018
transmission
Transmission of cholera has been linked to faecally contaminated drinking water drawn from shallow unprotected wells and also bottled water with ice
- seafood and other foods have frequently been a source of cholera - especially undercooked or raw shellfish
- person-to-person spread may occur through the faecal-oral route (1)
In experimental human infections the infectious dose of V cholerae is thought to be 105-108. This figure can be as low as 103 when the patient has concurrent achlorhydria (2)
Patients without any symptoms generally shed the organism for only a few days while symptomatic patients may shed the organism for between 2 days and 2 weeks (rarely longer)
Reference:
- (1) Immunisation Against Infectious Disease - "The Green Book". Chapter 14 Cholera (January 2013)
- (2) Harris JB et al. Cholera. Lancet. 2012;379(9835):2466-76