Transcriptional Profiling of<i>Vibrio cholerae</i>Recovered Directly from Patient Specimens during Early and Late Stages of Human Infection

ABSTRACT Understanding gene expression by bacteria during the actual course of human infection may provide important insights into microbial pathogenesis. In this study, we evaluated the transcriptional profile of Vibrio cholerae , the causative agent of cholera, in clinical specimens from cholera patients. We collected samples of human stool and vomitus that were positive by dark-field microscopy for abundant vibrios and used a microarray to compare gene expression in organisms recovered directly from specimens collected during the early and late stages of human infection. Our results reveal that V. cholerae gene expression within the human host environment differs from patterns defined in in vitro models of pathogenesis. tcpA , the major subunit of the essential V. cholerae colonization factor, was…