A decades-long effort to develop a vaccine against one of the world's leading causes of severe digestive illness has reached a milestone, according to new research.Scientists recently developed a technology targeting enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC), a bacterium responsible for millions of diarrheal illnesses each year.The technology has now been licensed to French vaccine manufacturer Valneva for further development.MYSTERY PARASITE LEAVES AMERICANS BATTLING ‘EXPLOSIVE' ILLNESS AS CDC INVESTIGATESThe findings come after decades of research led by scientists at the University of Bergen and the Norwegian Research Center (NORCE).One of the most common bacterial causes of severe diarrhea worldwide, ETEC is known to disproportionately affect children in low- and middle-income countries.Despite years of research, there is currently no broadly effective vaccine to prevent the infection, according to the study.Researchers have made a major breakthrough in the decades-long effort to develop a vaccine against ETEC, a leading cause of diarrheal disease worldwide.
(iStock)The researchers focused on a toxin produced by ETEC that has long been considered one of the biggest obstacles to vaccine development.CLICK HERE FOR MORE HEALTH STORIESJames Fleckenstein, MD, a professor of medicine and molecular microbiology at the Washington University School of Medicine in St.Louis, said the findings represent a promising step."We still have a lot of work to do to translate these findings to an actual vaccine," Fleckenstein, who was not involved in the research, told Fox News Digital.
"But the approach does look promising in the sense that the proteins elicit strong antibody responses that appear to offer protection against diarrheal illness after the first infection in children in developing countries."ETEC is a leading bacterial cause of severe diarrhea worldwide, especially among children in low- and middle-income countries.(iStock)If the vaccine eventually reaches patients,...