165-year-old cholera intestine promotes research

165-year-old cholera intestine promotes research

11/01/2014

After 165 years, the gut of a cholera victim is now driving forward the current research. A DNA analysis showed that the former pathogen deviates strongly from today's bacteria. Scientists hope to gain further knowledge about the development of the infectious disease.

Pathogen more dangerous then today
Genetic researchers have gained important insights into the historical development of this life-threatening infectious disease with the help of the well-preserved intestine of a cholera victim from 1849. Thus, the genetic material of the cholera pathogen could be decoded and compared with the genome of modern cholera pathogens, like the „New England Journal of Medicine“ reported in his most recent issue. Thus, it appeared that the pathogens were obviously much more dangerous then today.

Stroke of luck for the research
For the science, it had been an exceptional stroke of luck that the gut of a man who died of cholera in 1849 remained so well preserved. The decryption of the genome of pathogens can namely be done only on soft tissues and not from preserved bones. The old organ has been carefully preserved for decades at the Museum of Medicine History in Philadelphia.
Pathogen probably came from the Bay of Bengal
The evolutionary geneticist Hendrik Poinar of McMaster University in Hamilton now examined the intestinal tissue. In the analysis of the genome of the cholera pathogen, he found that this differs significantly from the current tribe known as El Tor. Presumably came in the 19th century rampant cholera pathogen from the Bay of Bengal.

Up to 120,000 deaths from cholera every year
Cholera was different from tuberculosis and smallpox was unknown in western countries for a long time. Starting from India, the first devastating pandemic began in 1817 and has been followed by six more. The disease is one of the serious infectious diseases that, if left untreated, can lead to the death of the person affected. Every year, between 100,000 and 120,000 people die of it. Mostly the disease is transmitted via contaminated water or food. Infected people get very strong diarrhea and vomiting and the body loses enormous amounts of fluid. In 99 percent of cases, the disease is curable when the extreme water and salt loss is treated. (Ad)

Image: Dieter Schütz