150 research primates got diarrhea, flooding lab with priceless vaccine data
Summary
Over 150 non-human primates at a research center got diarrhea in an outbreak caused by Shigella bacteria. Scientists used data from this outbreak to learn how immune cells fight the bacteria and to help design better vaccines.Key Facts
- The outbreak began in December 2022 at the Wisconsin National Primate Research Center.
- A total of 169 primates were confirmed to have shigellosis, the disease caused by Shigella.
- Researchers collected 151 Shigella samples and sequenced the genomes of 95 samples.
- The outbreak was due to two related groups of Shigella flexneri bacteria.
- 63% of tested bacterial samples were resistant to several antibiotics.
- Researchers studied immune responses in 41 infected primates by collecting blood and immune cells over time.
- The study found specific targets on the bacteria that antibodies attack, helping guide vaccine design.
- Shigella infects over 200 million people each year worldwide and kills more than 200,000, mostly children.
Read the Full Article
This is a fact-based summary from The Actual News. Click below to read the complete story directly from the original source.
