Infectious Diseases More Infectious Diseases Cholera Guide Cholera Guide Overview Symptoms Causes Diagnosis Treatment How Cholera Is Diagnosed By Robyn Correll, MPH Robyn Correll, MPH LinkedIn Twitter Robyn Correll, MPH holds a master of public health degree and has over a decade of experience working in the prevention of infectious diseases. Learn about our editorial process Updated on May 27, 2022 Medically reviewed by Ronald Lubelchek, MD Medically reviewed by Ronald Lubelchek, MD LinkedIn Ronald Lubelchek, MD, is a board-certified infectious disease specialist in Chicago, Illinois. He previously served as the Medical Director for Cook County’s ambulatory HIV clinic, one of the largest HIV clinics in the U.S. Learn about our Medical Expert Board Print The symptoms of cholera often look a lot like other diarrheal diseases, making it tough to diagnose it on your own or with a physical exam. While some medical teams in endemic areas will know cholera when they see it, the only real way to determine for certain you have cholera is through a lab test. Verywell Self-Checks/At-Home Testing There currently aren't any diagnostic tests for cholera designed to take at home. The only way the disease can be officially diagnosed is with the help of trained medical professionals. That being said, there are ways individuals on their own can check for the biggest threat from cholera: dehydration. Self-checks for dehydration involve taking stock of what the body is doing by looking for a few key characteristics: Are you really thirsty? Do you have to pee less frequently?When you do go, is your urine a dark yellow?Try pinching your skin. Does it go right back to where it was, or does it stay puckered and take a little bit to go back down?Are there any other signs of dehydration, such as dizziness, tiredness, or mood changes? In most cases, dehydration can be treated at home with over-the-counter or homemade oral rehydration solutions. If severe dehydration is suspected, however, it's important to see a doctor. Labs and Tests Diarrhea can be caused by a lot of different things, including several different kinds of bacteria. That's why medical teams rely on testing stool samples to spot Vibrio cholerae, the specific bacterium that causes cholera. Lab cultures and rapid tests are valuable tools for confirming cholera and spotting an outbreak early. Lab Cultures Lab cultures to isolate and identify Vibrio cholerae are currently the gold standard for detecting and diagnosing cholera. These tests are done by taking a small stool sample and spreading it on a special medium to see if the bacteria will grow. The medium most commonly used for cholera cultures is thiosulfate–citrate–bile salts agar (TCBS)—a complex mixture of proteins, sugars, salts, and other ingredients that is ideal for growing Vibrio cholerae specifically. The sample is laid down on the medium in streaks so the bacteria are easier to identify, then placed in an incubator for 18 to 24 hours. The moist nutrients and warm environment are nearly perfect conditions for the bacteria to spread, and if present, cholera bacteria will grow to form large, yellow-brown dots in just a matter of hours. When that happens, additional lab work is done to confirm the bacteria really is Vibrio cholerae, and then doctors use these test results to positively diagnose cholera. Rapid Tests In areas where labs aren't readily available or where time is of the essence, rapid tests like the Crystal VC Dipstick Test can be used to spot cholera in the field. Instead of hours or (more often) days waiting to see whether someone is positive for cholera, a rapid test can give a preliminary result in just minutes. The saved time can help public health and medical teams mobilize faster to more easily contain a cholera outbreak in its early stages. In addition to speed, these tests have a few other advantages. Namely, they don't require refrigeration (or a "cold chain") to work, allowing them to be used in more places around the world. They're also cheap, clocking in at roughly half the cost of doing a lab culture, and require significantly less training to administer. These factors are all valuable in helping identify and respond to cholera outbreaks in impoverished areas without developed infrastructure—areas often hit hardest by cholera. The biggest downside to the rapid tests, however, is that they aren't as accurate as lab cultures. Research shows them to be remarkably good at identifying people with cholera, giving a correct "positive" result nine times out of 10. Rapid tests aren't great, however, at accurately evaluating people without cholera, often giving false positives for people who didn't actually have the cholera bacteria. For this reason, rapid tests that come back positive for cholera should still be sent off for a lab culture to confirm the diagnosis. In some instances, public health professionals might want to perform further tests to identify the bacterium strain or toxin assay. These, however, are more often used for surveillance and outbreak response, and not necessarily for diagnosis. How Cholera Is Treated Frequently Asked Questions What is a common cause of cholera? Cholera is most often spread through the "fecal-oral" route. This means if any food or drinking water is contaminated with fecal matter that contains cholera, a person who ingests the contaminated food or water may become infected. Learn More: Causes and Risk Factors of Cholera What are the symptoms of cholera? Common symptoms of cholera include watery diarrhea, nausea or vomiting, and dehydration. Severe symptoms can also occur, such as persistent vomiting, rapid heart rate, low blood pressure, and muscle cramps. In most cases, symptoms of cholera are mild. Learn More: Symptoms of Cholera Can you diagnose dehydration yourself? Yes, it is possible to check if you are dehydrated. To do this, there are a few questions you need to ask yourself:Are you very thirsty? Do you pee less frequently? When you do go, is your urine a dark yellow? If you pinch your skin and let go, does the skin return immediately to where it was, or take some time to go back down? Do you feel dizzy, tired, or have mood changes? 3 Sources Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Laboratory Methods for the Diagnosis of Vibrio cholerae. Ley B, Khatib AM, Thriemer K, von Seidlein L, Deen J, Mukhopadyay A, et al. (2012) Evaluation of a Rapid Dipstick (Crystal VC) for the Diagnosis of Cholera in Zanzibar and a Comparison with Previous Studies. PLoS ONE 7(5): e36930. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0036930 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. How does a person get cholera? Additional Reading Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Cholera - Vibrio cholerae: Diagnosis and detection. By Robyn Correll, MPH Robyn Correll, MPH holds a master of public health degree and has over a decade of experience working in the prevention of infectious diseases. See Our Editorial Process Meet Our Medical Expert Board Share Feedback Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! What is your feedback? 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