Cholera is caused when the bacterium Vibrio cholerae infects the small intestine. The disease is characterized by acute watery diarrhea resulting in severe dehydration. EPFL scientists have now demonstrated that V. cholerae uses a tiny spear to stab and kill neighbouring bacteria, even the same species, and then steal their DNA. This mechanism, known as ‘horizontal gene transfer’, allows the cholera bacterium to become more … Continue reading Scientists identify Cholera’s mode of horizontal gene transfer and drug-resistance.