Profuse watery diarrhea ("rice water stools"), leading to dramatic fluid loss, severe dehydration, and hypotension that frequently leads to death, is the hallmark of infection with which bacterial species?

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As a notorious pathogen, Vibrio cholerae elaborates several toxins and factors that play important roles in the organism's virulence. Cholera toxin (CT) is primarily responsible for the key features of cholera. Release of this toxin causes mucosal cells to hypersecrete water and electrolytes into the lumen of the gastrointestinal tract. The result is profuse watery diarrhea, leading to dramatic fluid loss. The fluid loss results in severe dehydration and hypotension that, without medical intervention, frequently leads to death.

Profuse Watery Diarrhea ("Rice Water Stools"), Leading to Dramatic Fluid