Vibrio cholerae serogroup O139 (V. cholerae O139)

Vibrio cholerae serogroup O139 is a Gram-negative, comma-shaped bacterium that causes epidemic cholera, a severe diarrheal disease [1]. First identified in 1992 in the Bay of Bengal, it is the only non-O1 serogroup of V. cholerae to have caused large-scale epidemics, largely due to its ability to produce cholera toxin and its unique capsular polysaccharide [2][3]. The bacterium targets the human small intestine, where it adheres to the mucosal surface and secretes cholera toxin, leading to an efflux of chloride ions and water that results in rice-water stools [4]. Therapeutic intervention primarily focuses on oral or intravenous rehydration, while antibiotics such as azithromycin and doxycycline are used to shorten the course of the illness and reduce bacterial shedding [5]. Prevention is managed through bivalent oral cholera vaccines that include inactivated O139 cells to provide specific serogroup immunity [6].

Other names

Vibrio cholerae O139 BengalV. cholerae O139Bengal strain

Antibiotics inhibit bacterial protein synthesis (30S/50S ribosome) or DNA replication (DNA gyrase), while vaccines induce mucosal IgA antibodies against the O139 surface antigen and cholera toxin.