Cholera infections caused by Vibrio cholerae bacteria can be life-threatening and the trigger is the cholera toxin produced by the bacteria. It binds to the surface of intestinal cells—more precisely, to certain "sugar lipids" (GM1 gangliosides, GM1) on the cell surfaces. This bond is one of the strongest known interactions between a protein—the toxin—and the sugar part of GM1. It enables the cholera toxin to penetrate the intestinal cells, which causes the very rapid loss of fluid.
