American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol 19, 384-389, Copyright © 1966 by The American Society for Clinical Nutrition, Inc.

Nutritional Studies in Cholera

Influence of Nutritional Status on Susceptibility to Infection

¹ From the Pakistan-SEATO Cholera Research Laboratory, Mahakhali, Dacca 5, East Pakistan

The nutritional status of a series of patients admitted to the Pakistan-SEATO Cholera Research Laboratory was studied to evaluate the hypothesis that malnutrition predisposes the exposed subject to infection. These studies demonstrated the following: Thiamine nutriture, as measured by erythrocyte transketolase activity, was normal in patients with cholera and did not differ significantly from that of patients who did not have cholera. Urinary thiamine excretion in subjects exposed to cholera did not indicate thiamine deficiency, nor were such data valuable in predicting the subsequent development of clinical disease. Although urinary excretion of thiamine decreased to nearly negligible levels during the course of cholera, no evidence of the deficiency state was obtained by transketolase assay as late as the seventh day of disease. Serum ascorbic acid concentrations in patients with cholera varied widely. Mean values did not differ significantly from those of patients who did not have cholera or from values obtained for the general population. Serum vitamin B₁₂ levels were normal in almost all patients with cholera. Most patients with cholera had normal serum folate levels and the incidence of subnormal levels was less than in a group of patients with nonspecific acute diarrheal illness.