Campylobacteriosos – a foodborne illness – affects approximately 1.3 million people per year in the United States. No licensed vaccine for Campylobacteriosis currently exists.
Found mainly in unpasteurized milk, produce, unclean water, and poultry, the campylobacter jejuni bacteria causes dysentery, cramps, pain, and fever. Side effects can be dangerous and may include contraction of Guillain-Barré syndrome (a nervous system disorder). Travelers and children are particularly susceptible to the infection.
Promisingly, a vaccine seeking to treat Campylobacteriosis was recently approved for human trials by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The sugar-based vaccine was developed by the Naval Medical Research Center and Professor Mario Monteiro of the University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada. The US Navy’s decade-long collaboration with Professor Monteiro stems from their desire to combat one of the most common travel-related sicknesses that plague Navy servicemen.
Unlike previous variations that did not advance past Phase I testing, the most recent version of a Campylobacteriosis vaccine has so far proven itself to be both safe and immunogenetic. A 2009 peer-reviewed study revealed that testing conducted on monkeys resulted in 100% successful treatment of Campylobacteriosis symptoms. Researchers are hopeful that the human trials will be just as successful.
