Part 1 of Essay
Merriam Webster’s Tenth Edition College Dictionary describes virulence as the rapid course, severity, or malignancy of a disease or infection caused by a microorganism [pathogen] to overcome body defenses of the host. Ewald (1) looks at virulence in two spectrums depending upon mortality rates of the infected hosts. The ....

Part 2 of Essay
.... to the host. Most pathogens we are familiar with today fall into the latter category. In this case, virulence of the pathogen can, and is, measured by mortality rates. Here, more virulent strains kill more hosts. If mortality rates are very low or not present at all, greater virulence can be expressed as causing more symptoms of illness. One such pathogen is Vibrio cholerae, which causes the disease known as cholera. The subject of this paper will focus on the V. cholerae pathogen and the significance of ....