Diarrhoea is the process of passing watery stools, accompanied by symptoms such as stomach pain, nausea and vomiting (better heartburn). It is very widespread, is experienced by many people several times a year and is usually easily treatable (webmd). However, not all cases of diarrhea are that simple. In fact, some cases of diarrhea are life-threatening and kill approximately 760,000 children under the age of five each year (WHO1). The responsible bacterium and its natural environmentThe bacterium responsible for a serious diarrheal disease (scientifically known as cholera) is a gram-negative bacterium, a facultative anaerobic, curved, rod-shaped microorganism known as Vibrio cholera (WHO2 pdf p. 119). According to the “how it spreads” figure and online microbiology, V. cholera is found naturally in aquatic sources such as saline waters. This pathogen, which uses humans as hosts, usually inhabits neutral or alkaline environments and is therefore sensitive to acidic pH (microbiologiaonline). However, when this microorganism is consumed in large quantities, for example through contaminated water, it is po...