Diseases and vaccines

Shigellosis and enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC)

PATH is working with public- and private-sector partners to develop safe, effective, and affordable vaccines against Shigella, bacteria that cause dysentery, and ETEC, bacteria that cause watery diarrhea, for children living in the developing world. Learn more about PATH’s work in developing vaccines against Shigella and ETEC.

Shigellosis and ETEC disease

  • Shigella and ETEC are two of the leading bacterial causes of diarrhea worldwide, together killing more than one million people. Millions more are hospitalized with these infections, which can lead to dehydration and malnutrition as well as impaired physical and cognitive development in young children.
  • Each year, Shigella causes approximately 165 million cases of severe dysentery, and travelers and military personnel report approximately 580,000 cases annually.
  • ETEC is most likely the first enteric disease children are exposed to, and it causes at least 200 million cases of diarrhea each year, with recent estimates as high as 840 million cases annually, mostly in children.
  • Shigella and ETEC infections usually follow the ingestion of contaminated food or water. Shigella can also be transferred by person-to-person contact. Treatment for these infections includes rehydration therapy and antibiotics.

Shigella and ETEC vaccines

  • Currently, no vaccines exist against Shigella or ETEC. The development of vaccines against these infections has been hampered by technical constraints, poor coordination, and a lack of market forces for research and development.
  • Most vaccine development efforts are taking place in the public sector or as research programs within biotechnology companies. Several vaccine candidates against Shigella and ETEC are currently in various phases of research and development. There is also at least one combination ETEC-Shigella vaccine in preclinical development.

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