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Complete recovery balance studies on six infants with severe cholera are reported. Supporting data from a larger group of children with cholera, with particular reference to stool and small intestinal fluid composition, are also reported. The mean and range (in parentheses) for net retention at the end of the balance studies were: water, 96 gm (47-119); sodium, 10.5 mM (5.3-16.7); chloride, 8.9 mM (5.8-12.5); and potassium, 6.5 mM (4.8-9.7); all values are per kilogram of final body weight. Mean values for average evaporative water losses over day and night ranged from 31 gm to 63 gm/kg/24 hours. Stool output requiring parenteral replacement continued for 24 to 60 hours in five of six patients, and 48-hour stool output equaled 13 to 22% of final body weight. Stool composition in pediatric cholera is compared to that in infantile diarrhea and adult cholera. Significant differences from each of the latter two are described in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The fixation of tetanus toxin and the deactivation of cholera toxin by gangliosides are toxin-specific and ganglioside-specific, and not prevented by protective colloid, whereas the inactivation of a number of toxins by gangliosides which is prevented by protective colloid is a non-specific phenomenon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There are several similarities between tetanus and cholera toxins, including their ability to react with ganglioside. However, tetanus toxin reacts mostly with certain gangliosides containing sialidase-sensitive bonds, whereas cholera toxin reacts only with one particular ganglioside that does not contain any sialidase-sensitive bonds. The possible implications of the similarities and dissimilarities of these two toxins are touched upon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study which examined the effects of human saliva on cholera vibrio. The author suspects that an antibacterial agent found in human tissues and secretion is sufficient to destroy the common cholera vibrio organism. Results indicate that most cholera patients have little to no antibacterial activity within their saliva.

The article cites a study that compares two control measures for enteric infections such as typhoid and cholera in public health practice in the U.S. The most important of these measures are sanitation and immunization, or combination of these in varying proportions. There is need for strict quantitative measurement of the inputs and outputs in terms of improvements in health and the economy of the community. Based on researchers' analysis, it has been shown that in the control of these infections, sanitation has the most important role to play. Sanitation has a cumulative effect which is not the case with vaccination.