Regulation of Infection and Biofilm Formation in Vibrio cholerae

Cholera is a serious human disease caused by the gram-negative bacterium, Vibrio cholerae. It affects between 3-5 million people worldwide every year and there have been seven historical pandemics of cholera to date.
The 'seventh pandemic' of cholera is known to have been caused primarily by the O1 serogroup and the El Tor biotype of V. cholerae. The mechanisms that determine the ability of V. cholerae to infect and be transmitted by humans is still poorly understood.
Studies suggest a link between quorum-sensing and greater survival and host intestinal colonisation by Vibrio cholerae. This project aims to determine the importance of the regulation of quorum-sensing in host infection and transmission as well as bacterial survivability.