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vibrio

American  
[vib-ree-oh] / ˈvɪb riˌoʊ /

noun

Bacteriology.
vibrios plural
  1. any of several comma- or S -shaped bacteria of the genus Vibrio, certain species of which are pathogenic for humans and other animals.


vibrio British  
/ ˈvɪbrɪˌəʊ /

noun

  1. any curved or spiral rodlike Gram-negative bacterium of the genus Vibrio , including V. cholerae , which causes cholera: family Spirillaceae

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Inflected Forms

noun

Etymology

Origin of vibrio

< New Latin (1854), equivalent to Latin vibr ( āre ) to shake + -iō noun suffix

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Cholera is an acute intestinal infection that spreads through food and water contaminated with the bacterium vibrio cholerae, often from faeces.

From Barron's • Feb. 4, 2026

According to Cheryl McCloud at the Herald Tribune, "at least eight people in Florida have died so far this year from the so-called 'flesh eating' bacteria" vibrio vulnificus.

From Salon • Sep. 18, 2023

“While rare, the vibrio bacteria has unfortunately made it to this region and can be extraordinarily dangerous,” Hochul said in a news release.

From Seattle Times • Aug. 16, 2023

“You have a mix of climate change, poverty and aggressive urbanization, all contributing to the exacerbation of vibrio infections and an increase of other diseases like dengue, zika and parasitic infections.”

From Washington Post • Oct. 18, 2022

The discovery was received with much scepticism in some quarters, and the claim of Koch’s vibrio to be the true cause of cholera was long disputed, but is now universally acknowledged.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 6, Slice 3 "Chitral" to "Cincinnati" by Various

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