Editing Vibrio cholerae (section)

==Ecology and epidemiology==
The main reservoirs of ''V. cholerae'' are aquatic sources such as [[river]]s, [[brackish water]]s, and [[estuaries]], often in association with [[copepods]] or other [[zooplankton]], [[shellfish]], and aquatic plants.<ref name="LutzErken2013">{{cite journal|last1=Lutz|first1=Carla|last2=Erken|first2=Martina|last3=Noorian|first3=Parisa|last4=Sun|first4=Shuyang|last5=McDougald|first5=Diane|title=Environmental reservoirs and mechanisms of persistence of Vibrio cholerae|journal=Frontiers in Microbiology|volume=4|pages=375|year=2013|issn=1664-302X|doi=10.3389/fmicb.2013.00375|pmid=24379807|pmc=3863721|doi-access=free}}</ref>

Cholera infections are most commonly acquired from drinking water in which ''V. cholerae'' is found naturally or into which it has been introduced from the feces of an infected person. Cholera is most likely to be found and spread in places with inadequate water treatment, poor sanitation, and inadequate hygiene. Other common vehicles include raw or undercooked fish and shellfish. Transmission from person to person is very unlikely, and casual contact with an infected person is not a risk for becoming ill.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=https://www.cdc.gov/cholera/general/index.html|title=General Information {{!}} Cholera {{!}} CDC|date=2018-12-13|website=www.cdc.gov|language=en-us|access-date=2019-11-14|archive-date=2012-03-20|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120320171945/https://www.cdc.gov/cholera/general/index.html|url-status=live}}</ref>''V. cholerae'' thrives in an [[aquatic ecosystem|aquatic environment]], particularly in surface water. The primary connection between humans and pathogenic strains is through water, particularly in economically reduced areas that do not have good water purification systems.<ref name=faruque1998 />

Nonpathogenic strains are also present in water ecologies. The wide variety of pathogenic and nonpathogenic strains that co-exist in aquatic environments are thought to allow for so many genetic varieties. [[Gene transfer]] is fairly common amongst bacteria, and recombination of different ''V. cholerae'' genes can lead to new virulent strains.<ref name=faruque2002>{{cite journal|last=Faruque|first=SM|author2=Nair, GB |title=Molecular ecology of toxigenic Vibrio cholerae.|journal=Microbiology and Immunology|year=2002|volume=46|issue=2|pages=59–66|pmid=11939579|doi=10.1111/j.1348-0421.2002.tb02659.x|doi-access=}}</ref>

A symbiotic relationship between ''V. cholerae'' and ''Ruminococcus obeum'' has been determined.  ''R. obeum'' [[autoinducer]] represses the expression of several ''V. cholerae'' [[virulence factors]]. This inhibitory mechanism is likely to be present in other gut microbiota species which opens the way to mine the gut microbiota of members in specific communities which may utilize autoinducers or other mechanisms in order to restrict colonization by ''V. cholerae'' or other [[Gastroenteritis#Cause|enteropathogens]]. Autoinducers, specifically with ''V. cholerae,'' can develop biofilms and control virulence in response to extracellular quorum-sensing molecules. 

Outbreaks of Cholera cause an estimated 120,000 deaths annually worldwide. There has been roughly seven pandemics since 1817, the first. These pandemics first arose in the Indian subcontinent and spread.<ref name="faruque1998" />