chol·er·a   (kŏl'ər-ə)    n.   An acute infectious disease of the small intestine, caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae and characterized by profuse watery diarrhea, vomiting, muscle cramps, severe dehydration, and depletion of electrolytes. Also called Asiatic cholera. Any of various diseases of domesticated animals, such as chickens, turkeys, or hogs, marked by severe gastroenteritis. [Latin, cholera, jaundice; see choler.] chol'e·ra'ic (-ə-rā'ĭk) adj., chol'e·roid' (-ə-roid') adj.

Cholera

Chol"er*a\, n. [L., a bilious disease. See Choler.] (Med.) One of several diseases affecting the digestive and intestinal tract and more or less dangerous to life, esp. the one commonly called Asiatic cholera.

Asiatic cholera, a malignant and rapidly fatal disease, originating in Asia and frequently epidemic in the more filthy sections of other lands, to which the germ or specific poison may have been carried. It is characterized by diarrhea, rice-water evacuations, vomiting, cramps, pinched expression, and lividity, rapidly passing into a state of collapse, followed by death, or by a stage of reaction of fever.

Cholera bacillus. See Comma bacillus.

Cholera infantum, a dangerous summer disease, of infants, caused by hot weather, bad air, or poor milk, and especially fatal in large cities.

Cholera morbus, a disease characterized by vomiting and purging, with gripings and cramps, usually caused by imprudence in diet or by gastrointestinal disturbance.

Chicken cholera. See under Chicken.

Hog cholera. See under Hog.

Sporadic cholera, a disease somewhat resembling the Asiatic cholera, but originating where it occurs, and rarely becoming epidemic.

cholera [(kol-uh-ruh)]

An acute disease, and an infectious disease, caused by a kind of bacterium that affects the intestines. Transmitted by food or water that has been contaminated with raw sewage, cholera is often fatal and is characterized by severe vomiting, diarrhea, and collapse.

cholera 

Main Entry: chol·era
Pronunciation: 'käl-&-r&
Function: noun
: any of several diseases of humans and domestic animals usually marked bysevere gastrointestinal symptoms: as a : an acute diarrheal disease caused by an enterotoxin produced by a comma-shaped gram-negative bacillus of the genus Vibrio (V.cholerae syn. V. comma) when it is present in large numbers in the proximal part of the human small intestine —see ASIATIC CHOLERA b : FOWL CHOLERA c : HOG CHOLERA —chol·e·ra·ic /"käl-&-'rA-ik/ adjective

cholera chol·er·a (kŏl'ər-ə)
n.

1. An acute epidemic infectious disease caused by Vibrio cholerae, characterized by profuse watery diarrhea, extreme loss of fluid and electrolytes, and prostration.
2. Any of various diseases of domesticated animals marked by severe gastroenteritis.

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chol'e·ra'ic (-ə-rā'ĭk) adj.

cholera   (kŏl'ər-ə)  Pronunciation Key  An infectious, sometimes fatal disease of the small intestine caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. It is spread from contaminated water and food and causes severe diarrhea, vomiting, and dehydration.