In the early 1940s, Dr. S.C. Seal of the All India Institute of Hygiene and Public Health in Calcutta (now Kolkata, West Bengal) conducted pioneering research on cholera. While specific details about his discovery of the cholera exotoxin during this period are limited, Dr. Seal’s contributions to cholera research are well-documented.
In a preliminary trial, Dr. Seal, along with S.C. Ghosal and M.M. Ghosh, investigated the use of intravenous aureomycin (chlortetracycline) in treating cholera. Their work is referenced in the “Bibliography of Internal Medicine,” highlighting early efforts to explore antibiotic treatments for cholera.
It’s important to note that the definitive identification of cholera toxin as the primary virulence factor of Vibrio cholerae was achieved between 1951 and 1959 by Dr. Sambhu Nath De. His groundbreaking work demonstrated that cholera is caused by a potent exotoxin affecting intestinal permeability, leading to the severe diarrhea characteristic of the disease.
Regarding cholera vaccine development in India, significant advancements occurred in the latter half of the 20th century. The development of the first oral cholera vaccine involved creating an avirulent El Tor strain, which was found to be safe for human use and capable of inducing both local and systemic antibodies.
These collective efforts in cholera research and vaccine development have played a crucial role in controlling and preventing cholera epidemics in India.
