Cholera bacteria live inside copepods, tiny marine organisms. This type of microscopic bacteria harms the copepods by feeding off their internal tissues.

Both of these organisms are found in oceans throughout the world. Unfavorable temperatures or salt levels may cause cholera bacteria to become inactive. When inactive, they do not feed or reproduce. When conditions become favorable, they become active once again.

A cholera population may depend on the population of copepods in the surrounding water. A simple food chain showing this relationship is shown below.

Cholera bacteria perform binary fission to