Cholera is an acute intestinal infection caused by the bacterium vibrio Cholerae. The bacteria produces a toxin that causes an infected person dehydrate through vomiting and profuse watery diarrhea.
Two strains of cholera are now associated with infection: V. cholera serogroup O1 and V. cholera serogroup O139. Serogroup O1 is further subdivided into two main serotypes, Ogawa and Inaba, on the basis of type-specific antigens. Strains of the Ogawa type have the A and B antigens, and the Inaba have the A and C antigens. That is, they both share A, while B is Ogawa specific and C is Inaba specific. V. cholera O139( only one serotype) was first identified in 1992 in India and Bangladesh, and since then, it has been reported in many countries.
The cholera O1/O139 Rapid test is a Chromatographic Immunoassay(CIA) for the rapid qualitative determination of V. cholera O1(both Ogawa and Inaba serotypes) and V. cholera O139 in human stool samples.