Secretory antitoxin IgA may also play a role. Transmission of disease is primarily via water that has been contaminated by human feces. Carriage of vibrios is rare. Gastrointestinal symptoms and the presense of a rice water stool are presumptive for cholera. Direct examination of the feces may indicate vibrios.
Sanitary measures are most important in controlling cholera outbreaks.
The shear volume of liquid and concentration of viable organisms precludes measures for decontamination. Click here to see how. Death from cholera results as a consequence of extreme and rapid dehydration. Moderate or broad spectrum antibiotics may be used to reduce the output of viable organisms. 1997-2001 Douglas F. Fix.