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Updated: Aug 15, 2026
Quantifying Vibrio cholerae Colonization and Diarrhea in the Adult Zebrafish Model
Published on: July 12, 2018
Hyperinfectivity of human-passaged Vibrio cholerae can be modeled by growth in the infant mouse
Ashfaqul Alam1, Regina C Larocque, Jason B Harris
1International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Abstract:
It has previously been shown that passage of Vibrio cholerae through the human intestine imparts a transient hyperinfectious phenotype that may contribute to the epidemic spread of cholera. The mechanism underlying this human-passaged hyperinfectivity is incompletely understood, in part due to inherent difficulties in recovering and studying organisms that are freshly passed in human stool. Here, we demonstrate that passage of V. cholerae through the infant mouse intestine leads to an equivalent degree of hyperinfectivity as passage through the human host. We have used this infant mouse model of host-passaged hyperinfectivity to characterize the timing and the anatomic location of the competitive advantage of mouse-passaged V. cholerae as well as the contribution of three type IV pili to the phenotype.
Insights
Passaging Vibrio cholerae through infant mice creates a hyperinfectious state similar to human passage. This mouse model helps study cholera
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Infectious Diseases
- Bacterial Pathogenesis
Background:
- Vibrio cholerae gains hyperinfectivity after human intestinal passage, potentially driving cholera epidemics.
- The exact mechanisms of this human-passaged hyperinfectivity remain unclear due to challenges in studying stool-derived bacteria.
Purpose of the Study:
- To establish and utilize a mouse model mimicking human-passaged hyperinfectivity in Vibrio cholerae.
- To investigate the timing, location, and contributing factors of this enhanced bacterial competitiveness.
Main Methods:
- Passaging Vibrio cholerae through infant mouse intestines to induce hyperinfectivity.
- Characterizing the competitive advantage of mouse-passaged V. cholerae in terms of timing and anatomical location.
- Assessing the role of three specific type IV pili in the hyperinfectivity phenotype.
Main Results:
- Infant mouse intestinal passage induces a hyperinfectivity phenotype in V. cholerae comparable to human passage.
- The study elucidated the temporal dynamics and anatomical sites of the competitive edge conferred by host passage.
- The contribution of three type IV pili to this hyperinfectious state was investigated.
Conclusions:
- The infant mouse model effectively replicates human-passaged V. cholerae hyperinfectivity.
- This model provides a tractable system for dissecting the mechanisms underlying cholera's epidemic spread.
- Type IV pili are implicated in the hyperinfectious phenotype of host-passaged Vibrio cholerae.
