Answer 88
Concerning cholera:
True a. it has an incubation period of 1-5days.
False b. it causes an inflammatory cell infiltrate in the lamina propria of the mucosa of the small intestine
True c. it causes muscle cramps
True d. the diagnosis is confirmed by dark field microscopic examination of the stool
False e. compared to the classical biotype, the El Tor strain produces more severe illness
THE HISTOLOGY IS NORMAL. The diarrhoea is caused by cholera toxin.
Vomiting follows the onset of diarrhoea in up to 80% of cases.
Identification of the cholera vibrios by dark field microscopy of a wet preparation of stool can be confirmed by the addition of a specific antiserum which causes sudden cessation of vibrio movement.
TCBS agar can be used to culture the organism but there should be minimal delay between patient and culture medium.
Serological diagnosis following recovery may be helpful epidemiologically.
