A case of cholera in Kingston, Ont

Abstract

A case of cholera occurred in Kingston, Ont. in 1974 in a traveller from South Africa. Treatment, based on an understanding of the pathophysiology of cholera diarrhea and the mechanism of action of the Vibrio cholerae enterotoxin on gastrointestinal fluid loss, consisted of correcting the severe loss of fluid and electrolytes and the metabolic acidosis, as soon as the patient could tolerate taking fluids orally, further fluid replacement consisted increasingly of oral administration of glucose and saline. Tetracycline therapy was given only to shorten the duration of the acute illness.