A De in the life of cholera.

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dc.contributor.authorHall, Robert H.
dc.date.accessioned2011-11-18T10:17:56Z
dc.date.available2011-11-18T10:17:56Z
dc.date.issued2011-02
dc.description.abstractThe 50-year commemoration of S.N. De’s seminal 1959 publication in Nature provides an opportunity to reflect on scientific discovery, recognition, and public health. De’s paper marked the first major conceptual advance in cholera research since 1884, when Robert Koch definitively identified Der Kommabazillus as the aetiological agent of cholera. Unfortunately, Koch reported that systemic toxinosis and multi-organ failure led to severe dehydrating diarrhoea, thereby mistaking cause for effect. As a consequence, while work on other microbial pathogens advanced into the development of vaccines and therapeutics, cholera research languished as scientists injected animals parenterally in decades of futile effort to develop an animal model of diarrhoea. This fundamental misconception in cholera pathogenesis was swept away when S.N. De used ligated loops of rabbit ileum to demonstrate lumenal fluid accumulation in the presence of Vibrio cholerae culture filtrates. After some delay, De’s observation of a diarrhoeagenic exotoxin became the founding principle of modern cholera research, vaccination, and treatment; and a burst of discovery saw V. cholerae transformed into the enteric pathogen best understood at the molecular level. The scientific basis for orally administering vaccines to induce mucosal immunity was established, and the success of oral rehydration, what has been described as one of the 20th century’s most important medical advances, was explained.Nobel laureate Joshua Lederberg wrote of De’s iconoclastic creativity, experimental skill, and observational mastery, and many other leaders in the field concurred. De was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine more than once. But despite the passage of half a century from De’s work, cholera remains a frustrating problem: we are clearly missing something. In reviewing the scientific and programmatic impact of S.N. De on cholera, it is clear that a defining victory against the disease is achievable, but only if basic scientific discoveries are relentlessly driven towards progress in public health.en_US
dc.identifier.citationHall Robert H. A De in the life of cholera. Indian Journal of Medical Research. 2011 Feb; 133(2): 146-152.en_US
dc.identifier.urihttps://imsear.searo.who.int/handle/123456789/135365
dc.language.isoenen_US
dc.source.urihttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3089045/en_US
dc.subjectCholera toxinen_US
dc.subjectDeen_US
dc.subjectEl Toren_US
dc.subjectVibrio choleraeen_US
dc.subject.meshAnimals
dc.subject.meshCholera --complications
dc.subject.meshCholera --etiology
dc.subject.meshCholera --microbiology
dc.subject.meshCholera --physiopathology
dc.subject.meshCholera Vaccines
dc.subject.meshDiarrhea --etiology
dc.subject.meshExotoxins
dc.subject.meshHistory, 19th Century
dc.subject.meshHistory, 20th Century
dc.subject.meshHumans
dc.subject.meshIndia
dc.subject.meshResearch Personnel
dc.subject.meshVibrio cholerae --pathogenicity
dc.titleA De in the life of cholera.en_US
dc.typeArticleen_US
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