The Vibrio cholerae biofilm: A target for novel therapies to prevent and treat cholera

Vibrio cholerae, a gram-negative halophilic bacterium, is the perpetrator of hundreds of thousands of deaths in the developing world each year due to severe diarrheal disease. Currently, rehydration and antibiotics remain the mainstay of therapy. Adhesion of the bacterium to the intestinal epithelium, a complex process required for disease, presents a multitude of promising targets for therapeutic intervention. Here we present the current state of knowledge regarding surface adhesion or biofilm formation by V. cholerae both in the aquatic environment and in the host intestine and discuss the first forays into this exciting new area of drug discovery.

Section editors:William Bishai – Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USAEric Nuermberger – Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA