Researchers at the University of Oxford are part of a team that has received a grant to develop vaccines against Campylobacter. The project also involves researchers at Centre Suisse de Recherche Scientifique in Cote d’Ivoire; the Medical Research Council Unit, The Gambia; London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine; and the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research. The Ineos Oxford Institute has received a £5 million ($6.
1 million) Wellcome Discovery Award to develop vaccines against pathogens that cause diarrhea. Diarrheal diseases are a major threat to public health, especially for children in low and middle income countries (LMICs). Campylobacter is the most common bacterial cause of diarrhea.
It is prevalent in livestock such as poultry, cattle, pigs, and sheep and can be transmitted to humans via contaminated water and food, especially chicken meat. However, there is under-reporting and declining antibiotic effectiveness. The process of disease transmission is unclear because Campylobacter is very common in the guts of wild and domestic animals and can be transmitted easily to humans.
Limited laboratory and diagnostics facilities, and low patient attendance at health facilities in LMICs make it hard for scientists to study the disease and find treatments. Vaccine for animals Sam Sheppard, principal investigator of the Ineos Oxford Institute’s digital microbiology program, will lead the work. Sheppard said the network of 19 countries and nine African co-investigato.
