Overview Product Pipeline V. Leishmaniasis Diarrheal Disease Malaria Chagas

		Related Press Releases and Articles: Institute For OneWorld Health Announces Strategic Advisory Board For Diarrheal Disease Program OneWorld Health Press Release  04.29.08 Roche and the Institute for OneWorld Health Announce Research Collaboration to Fight Neglected Diarrheal Diseases in Developing Countries OneWorld Health Press Release  04.17.08 OneWorld Health Sponsors Diarrheal Diseases Symposium at PEDICON 2008 to Share Information on Effective Therapies against Major Child Killer OneWorld Health Press Release  01.19.08 Dr. Victoria Hale to Build upon OneWorld Health’s Success for Broader Global Health Impact OneWorld Health Press Release  09.27.07		Five Common Types of Diarrheal Pathogens: E. coli Global Burden Escherichia coli (shown at left) is responsible for an estimated 780-900 million cases of diarrhea worldwide and at least 300,000-500,000 deaths annually. Although most strains of E. coli are harmless, the pathogenic strains represent the most common cause of diarrhea in the developing world1. There are seven different classes of pathogenic E. coli. Three of those seven types, enterotoxigenic E. coli (ETEC), enteropathogenic E. coli (EPEC), and enteroinvasive E. coli (EIEC) are responsible for the vast majority of cases in the developing world2. The disease is usually acquired by ingesting food or water contaminated with human or animal feces, although person-to-person transmission may also occur. Many E. coli infections are benign and self-limiting, although young children are more prone than adults to severe complications from the disease. ETEC infection can result in especially acute diarrheal episodes that are difficult to distinguish clinically from cholera; these cholera-like symptoms are due the ETEC LT-1 toxin, which is closely related to the cholera toxin. All strains of E. coli can cause loose stools (sometimes with blood or mucous), nausea, vomiting, and abdominal cramps. Current Treatment As with many other diarrheal pathogens, Oral Rehydration Therapy (ORT) can help to replace fluids and salts lost due to E. coli-induced illness. Antibiotics are sometimes prescribed; however, as with most other bacterial pathogens, antibiotic resistance is compromising the efficacy of many routinely prescribed antibiotic compounds. Antibiotic resistance is also on the rise for newer antibiotics, such as Ciprofloxacin3. The rise in antibiotic resistance highlights the need for new treatments for the disease. Several attempts have been made to develop a vaccine that will be effective against pathogenic E. coli, specifically ETEC4. However, the only vaccine to undergo clinical trials in an endemic area, rCTB-CF ETEC, did not provide any significant protection from the disease5. Further studies hope to provide information that will contribute to the development of a more effective vaccine. Wenneras, C., and Erling, V. (In press), World Health Organization Report Clarke, S. C. (2001) Diagn Microbiol Infect Dis 41, 93-98 Hoge, C. W., Gambel, J. M., Srijan, A., Pitarangsi, C., and Echeverria, P. (1998) Clin Infect Dis 26, 341-345 Svennerholm, A. M., and Steele, D. (2004) Best Pract Res Clin Gastroenterol 18, 421-445 Svennerholm, A.-M., and Savarino, S. J. (2004) in New Generation Vaccines (Levine, M. M., ed), 3rd edition Ed., Marcel Decker, New York Return to Common Types of Diarrheal Pathogens page > Return to Diarrheal Disease main page >

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