(1888PressRelease)
June 16, 2008 - London - A team of researchers, led by Dr Gregory Glenn and Dr Sarah Frech (IOMAI Corporation, Gaithersburg, MD, USA) announced recently that travel patches containing bacteria may be a promising new immunisation against diarrhoea among travellers. Current travel vaccination clinics offer required immunisation at low costs, and yet, 27 million globe trotters are infected yearly, with an estimated 50 000 contracting the disease daily. Diarrhoea is contracted when the bacterium enterotoxigenic E coli (ETEC) infects the lower intestine and secretes toxins that threaten the digestive system. Existing research indicates that one of the toxin acts as an ideal antigen, although up until now has been too toxic for external administration.
The US team of researchers selected healthy, adult travelers who went to Mexico or Guatemala, with one part of the group receiving a placebo and two parts using the enterotoxigenic patches. The researchers focused on the rate of diarrhea attacks, safety and feasability of the vaccine. The authors published the study in The Lancet medical review, stating “The LT patch vaccine conferred some protective efficacy against moderate-to-severe travellers’ diarhoea of any cause, sever diarrhoea, and moderate-to-sever ETEC diarrhoea . Furthermore, recipients of the LT patch who became ill had a milder course of illness, with reduced stool output and duration of diarrhoea illness compared with placebo. Taken together, the LT patch conferred a meaningful benefit to the recipients."
MediClinic, a team of GP practitioners in the UK and based in London, has recommended that travellers seek medical advice about avoiding the Enterotoxigenic bacteria, as well as yellow fever vaccinations and safety guides prior to travelling to high risk areas. Diarrhoea particularly affects travellers moving from industrialised areas to developing countries, especially those holiday destinations in warm, semi-tropical locations. These include South America, Africa and Southern Asia, where the risk of contraction is higher than 40% for all travellers, specifically children, infrequent travellers and those who are indiscrimate concerning consumption of food and drink. Diarrhoea is pronounced as abdominable pain following by loose stools, bilious vomiting, pallor, jaundice, heamaturia, signs of shock and dehydration.
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