Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2010 Mar;88(3):237-40.
doi: 10.2471/BLT.09.072504.

From endotoxin to exotoxin: De's rich legacy to cholera

G Balakrish Nair  1 , Jai P Narain
Affiliations

From endotoxin to exotoxin: De's rich legacy to cholera

G Balakrish Nair et al. Bull World Health Organ. 2010 Mar.

Abstract

Between 1951 and 1959, Sambhu Nath De made crucial discoveries on the pathogenesis of cholera that changed the course of our understanding of the disease. The discovery that cholera is caused by a potent exotoxin (cholera enterotoxin) affecting intestinal permeability, the demonstration that bacteria-free culture filtrates of Vibrio cholerae were enterotoxic, and the development of a reproducible animal model for the disease are considered milestones in the history of the fight against cholera. In this commentary, a classic article by De & Chatterje published in 1953 and its public health and research impact are highlighted.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. De SN. Enterotoxicity of bacteria-free culture filtrate of Vibrio cholerae. Nature. 1959;183:1533–4. doi: 10.1038/1831533a0. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Brock TD. Robert Koch: a life in medicine and bacteriology Washington, DC: ASM Press; 1999.
    1. De SN, Chatterje DN. An experimental study of the mechanism of action of Vibrio cholerae on the intestinal mucous membrane. J Pathol Bacteriol. 1953;66:559–62. doi: 10.1002/path.1700660228. - DOI - PubMed
    1. De SN. Cholera: its pathology and pathogenesis Edinburgh, London: Oliver and Boyd; 1961.
    1. De SN, Bhattacharyya K, Sarkar JK. A study of the pathogenicity of strains of Bacterium coli from acute and chronic enteritis. J Pathol Bacteriol. 1956;71:201–9. doi: 10.1002/path.1700710126. - DOI - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources