Pathogenesis of Experimental Cholera: Choleragen-Induced Rat Foot Edema; a Method of Screening Anticholera Drugs

Abstract

This preliminary study suggests that the rat foot edema test may provide a useful means of screening pharmacological agents potentially capable of preventing or reversing the specific metabolic lesions induced by cholera enterotoxin (choleragen). The first inhibitor selected for study, cyclo-heximide, prevented or delayed the onset of choleragen-induced edema in the rat foot test and also prevented the development of choleraic diarrhea in the infant rabbit assay. However, it did not alter the course of the established lesion in the rat foot. These observations suggest that a choleragen-induced, host-produced protein mediator may be involved. Additional studies, involving this model, directed toward understanding the pathogenic mechanism of cholera toxin and to develop potentially more effective methods of treatment of cholera patients, are in progress.