Question

1. Cholera is a disease that changes the tonicity (water/salt concentration) within the intestines and leads to excessive diarrhea and dehydration and often death in those affected by it. Based on your knowledge of osmosis and water movement, explain what you think the cholera bacteria does to the cells and digestive cavity of people that are infected. Secondly, explain whether you believe that large amount of water or large amounts of an electrolyte drink such as gatorade would be the best treatment and why.

Answer 1

Vibrio cholerae is the bacteria responsible for causing Cholera, which is an intestinal disease that result in excess water and electrolyte loss from the body even leading to death. These bacterias binds into the cells at the lining of small intestine. The bacteria has two subunits, a ring shaped B subunit and A subunit which is toxic in nature attached with the B subunit. The B subunit binds to the glycans at the surface of the cell, this creates a channel by the reducing the disulfide bridge. Through this channel, the A subunit of the cholera toxin enters the cell. Once the Cholera toxin A reaches the cytoplasm it interacts with the protein Arf6 which makes the toxin's catalyse activity active which causes increase in adenylte cyclase, which inturn increases the concentration of the cyclim AMP which makes the ion channels to open. DUe to the opening of the ion channels, ions flows in to small intestine, thus concentration variation occure ,thus through osmosis water flows out of the cell to small intestine. This flow will be excess so that it causes diarrhea. This toxin also makes the flow of large amounts of electroytes from the cell to small intestine, which leads to the reduce in levels and electrolytes causing dehydration.                                                                                                            

                                                             Always the best treatment for Cholera is antibiotics, but taking of large amounts of water and electrolytes are best to compensate with the loss of both from the body. Taking these will help to maintain the levels to an extend. So it is advised to take more amount of water and electrolytes during this disease.