Acute Secretory Travellers' Diarrhoea Caused by Vibrio cholerae non-01 which does not Produce Cholera-like or Heat-stable Enterotoxins

An Australian tourist suffering from severe acute watery diarrhoea and dehydration due to Vibrio cholerae non—01 was studied. The V. cholerae strain isolated from the patient belonged to serovar 05. The organism did not produce any of the conventional enterotoxins including cholera—toxin (CT) or heat—stable toxins (NAG—ST) that are known to be associated with intestinal secretion. This report suggests that toxin(s) other than CT—like or NAG—ST may be involved in the pathogenesis of diarrhoea by some V. cholerae non—01 strains.