The latest organism to have its most intimate personal details published could have the biggest impact yet. This bug is not a modest target.
Cholera is one of the most rapidly fatal illnesses known, often killing within hours.
The last of seven great global cholera pandemics ended in 1971, but recent outbreaks affected a string of countries from Peru to Russia. For such a feared infection, cholera can be very simple to treat. Without this basic aid, one in two patients die. Now Claire M. Fraser of the Institute for Genomic Research, Maryland, and colleagues have laid the foundations for better treatments - by revealing V. cholerae 's genetic blueprint. Identifying genes that help the bug survive and replicate should help design drugs to prevent human infection.