▁path ogen . ▁▁ 1 9 th - century ▁discover ies ▁ ▁V ib rio ▁ch ol era ▁( 1 8 4 9 - 1 8 8 4 ) ▁ ▁V ib rio ▁ch ol era ▁b acter ia ▁are ▁transm itted ▁through ▁cont amin ated ▁water . ▁Once ▁ing ested , ▁the ▁b acter ia ▁colon izes ▁the ▁int est inal ▁tract ▁of ▁the ▁host ▁and ▁produces ▁a ▁to x in ▁which ▁causes ▁body ▁flu ids ▁to ▁flow ▁across ▁the ▁l ining ▁of ▁the ▁int est ine . ▁Death ▁can ▁result ▁in ▁ 2 – 3 ▁hours ▁from ▁de h yd r ation ▁if ▁no ▁treatment ▁is ▁provided . ▁ ▁Before ▁the ▁discovery ▁of ▁an ▁inf ect ious ▁cause , ▁the ▁sympt oms ▁of ▁ch ol era ▁were ▁thought ▁to ▁be ▁caused ▁by ▁an ▁excess ▁of ▁b ile ▁in ▁the ▁patient ; ▁the ▁disease ▁ch ol era ▁gets ▁its ▁name ▁from ▁the ▁Greek ▁word ▁ch ol er ▁meaning ▁b ile . ▁This ▁theory ▁was ▁consistent ▁with ▁humor ism , ▁and ▁led ▁to ▁such ▁medical ▁practices ▁as ▁blood lett ing . ▁The ▁b acter ium ▁was ▁first ▁reported ▁in ▁ 1 8 4 9 ▁by ▁Gabriel ▁P ouch et , ▁who ▁discovered ▁it ▁in ▁st ools ▁from ▁patients ▁with ▁ch ol era , ▁but ▁he ▁did ▁not ▁appreciate ▁the ▁significance ▁of ▁this ▁presence . ▁ ▁The ▁first ▁scient ist ▁to ▁understand ▁the ▁significance ▁of ▁V ib rio ▁ch ol era e ▁was ▁the ▁Italian ▁an atom ist ▁Fil ipp o ▁Pac ini ,