Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) is back in the race to develop and commercialize a vaccine against Shigella, a deadly bacterial infection which affects children under five. After its original collaboration with an international organization failed, ICMR has teamed up with an Indian manufacturer in order to bring this groundbreaking vaccine product to market.
The Vaccine Candidate A vaccine candidate developed by ICMR-NIRBI, previously known as the National Institute of Cholera and Enteric Diseases, has shown impressive results in animal studies. Dr. Shanta Dutta, director of ICMR-NIRBI, stressed the vaccine’s potential to reduce deaths due to Shigella in middle and low income countries.
Shigella and Its Impact
Shigella is a gram-negative bacteria which causes shigellosis, an infectious condition marked by bloody diarrhea and fever in young children due to immature immune systems. Shigella spreads via the fecal-oral route through food or water contamination. Each year shigella causes approximately 125 million diarrheal episodes worldwide and 160,000 deaths with one third occurring among children under five.
Shigella is an endemic pathogen in India and has caused multiple outbreaks. One notable outbreak occurred in 2022 in Kasaragod, Kerala when one 16-year-old girl succumbed and 58 others were hospitalized after eating food contaminated by Shigella-contaminated Shawarma.
Previous Collaboration and Challenges
In 2019, ICMR licensed its shigella vaccine technology to MSD-Wellcome Trust Hilleman Laboratories; however, due to COVID-19 pandemic and Hilleman Laboratories moving its headquarters from India to Singapore; due to this setback ICMR-NIRBI searched for other vaccine manufacturers but initially found no takers. Recently however an Indian vaccine maker expressed interest due to global demand.
Development Challenge of Shigella Vaccine
Due to Shigella’s complex antigenic diversity, developing an effective Shigella vaccine is no simple matter. There are four species and 50 serotypes associated with Shigella bacteria, making broad-spectrum protection challenging. A scientist involved with developing this candidate noted high efficacy against 16 serotypes–including 6 of the most prevalent and severe strains–compared with other candidates studied during development.
Independent experts emphasize the necessity of a shigella vaccine. Dr. Suresh Kumar Panuganti, a pediatric critical care specialist at Yashoda Hospitals in Hyderabad highlighted its role in preventing disease transmission and protecting vulnerable populations; vaccination could also save money over time through lower healthcare expenses and economic losses caused by illness.
Conclusion
The International Centre for Medical Research’s renewed effort to develop a shigella vaccine in partnership with an Indian manufacturer marks an important step toward combatting this deadly infection. With promising animal studies results and promising vaccine candidates already identified by the ICMR, they could make a profound impactful statement regarding public health – particularly regions with high prevalence rates for this deadly pathogen. If successful in human trials, their vaccine could become available within two years, providing much-needed protection to millions of children worldwide.