Vibrio cholerae causes an acute diarrheal illness that can be fatal if not treated. Several vaccines have been developed in an effort to prevent this disease. The oral cholera vaccine is a mixture of killed Vibrio cholerae bacteria plus additional inactivated cholera toxin protein. Efficacy studies of this vaccine indicate that it prevents 50-60% of the cases of cholera infection observed in non-vaccinated individuals. In contrast, injectable vaccines made from killed bacteria or purified bacterial subunits are substantially less effective at preventing infections. This is likely due to the fact that:

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The oral cholera vaccine elicits gut-homing immune responses, which are important for preventing cholera infection as the majority of Vibrio cholerae infections occur in the gut. This response is not elicited by injectable vaccines, leading to their reduced efficacy.

Vibrio Cholerae Causes an Acute Diarrheal Illness That Can Be