Cholera Toxins

Vibrio cholerae, the causative organism of the disease Cholera, colonizes the small intestine and produces several different toxins among which the enterotoxin, or more widely known as cholera toxin (CT), happens to be the major virulence determinant that is responsible for the diarrheal syndrome. This book provides for the first time comprehensive and up-to-date information about all the toxins of Vibrio cholerae, their physical and chemical structures, their biosynthesis and its genetic regulation, their physiology, the molecular biology of their interactions with the host as well as their role in the development of an appropriate and effective cholera vaccine. It also offers relevant and necessary background information on the basic biology of the Vibrio cholerae cell and cholera bacteriophages.

Dr. Keya Chaudhuri (b. 1952) obtained her PhD degree from Jadavpur University in 1983 and is presently working as Senior Scientist & Deputy Director at the Molecular & Human Genetics Division of the Indian Institute of Chemical Biology, Kolkata, India. Her research focuses on Vibrio cholerae infection, mainly on the cellular and molecular mechanisms of the disease-process, with special emphasis on the identification of bacterial gene products that become apparent during the infection as well as their role in V. cholerae pathogenesis and the elucidation of host response at the molecular level. Besides Vibrio cholerae, her research interest includes bioinformatics and cancer biology.Professor S. N. Chatterjee (b. 1932) received his PhD degree from the University of Calcutta in 1958. He worked for several years as Associate Professor & Head of the Biophysics Department at the Calcutta School of Tropical Medicine and then as Senior Professor & Chairman (1977–1992) of the Biophysics Division and Director (1990-1991) of the Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics in Kolkata. Subsequently he continued to work at the SINP as Senior Scientist, an emeritus-ship awarded by the Indian National Science Academy, New Delhi. Besides Vibrio cholerae and cholera bacteriophages, his research interests include the electron microscopy of biomolecules, free radicals biology involving ultrasound and UVA, and the molecular toxicology of nitrofurans. He is a fellow of several academies and recipient of many awards.