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WEDNESDAY, June 24, 2020 (HealthDay News)<\/p>\n
An experimental vaccine<\/a> helps protect monkeys against bacteria that cause diarrhea<\/a> in millions of children worldwide, researchers report.<\/p>\n Bacterial gastroenteritis<\/a> — a digestive problem associated with malnutrition among millions of children younger than age 5 each year in developing nations — can be caused by Campylobacter<\/i> bacteria. Repeated infections can stunt growth and impair brain development.<\/p>\n Developing an effective Campylobacter<\/i> vaccine<\/a> could help improve the health of people who are regularly exposed to the bacteria due to poor sanitation, according to the researchers.<\/p>\n The experimental vaccine uses bacteria that have been inactivated by a hydrogen peroxide-based approach called HydroVax technology.<\/p>\n For the study, the researchers tested it on several strains<\/a> of Campylobacter<\/i> in rhesus monkeys and found that it was 83% effective in preventing Campylobacter<\/i>-associated diarrhea<\/a>, according to the report published June 24 in the journal Science Advances<\/i>.<\/p>\n “We’re hoping to move forward into clinical trials<\/a> because this is a huge problem around the world,” said study co-senior author Mark Slifka, a professor at Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU), in Portland.<\/p>\n “Campylobacter<\/i> has been associated with infant growth stunting. Targeting a disease like this can help a lot of people — including kids in developing countries — grow stronger by reducing the damage caused by these bacteria,” Slifka said in a university news release.<\/p>\n There were no harmful side effects in the monkeys or in mice that received the vaccine, the study authors noted.<\/p>\n “We are happy with the safety of the vaccine so far, but in the end the vaccine will need to be studied in humans in the form of Phase 1 clinical trials<\/a> in order to directly answer this important question,” Slifka said.<\/p>\n Study co-senior author Ian Amanna added that the problem is not limited to developing countries.<\/p>\n “Along with the exciting opportunity to help children in developing countries, many people don’t realize how much of a problem Campylobacter<\/i> is here in the U.S.,” said Amanna, vice president for research at Najit Technologies, an OHSU spinoff.<\/p>\n “Studies have shown that these bacteria are responsible for up to $5.6 billion in economic costs annually in America,” Amanna said.<\/p>\n — Robert Preidt<\/p>\n ![\"MedicalNews\"](\"https:\/\/images.medicinenet.com\/images\/HealthDay\/healthday.png\")
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