Diarrheal diseases are the world's second leading cause of death in children aged under 5 years, and of these, bacillary dysentery or shigellosis remains a major public health issue. This disease is most prevalent in African and South-East Asian countries, where it is endemic despite significant improvements in terms of access to drinking water and management of contaminated water. Consequently, vaccination remains the preferred method of prevention although there are no vaccines currently approved. Scientists at the Institut Pasteur have developed an innovative conjugate vaccine prototype using a synthetic sugar component mimicking the bacterial polysaccharide antigen, which induces protective antibodies. A phase 1 trial was conducted in Israel. Its results, recently published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases, establish proof of concept of the safety and immunogenicity of this candidate based on a unique design approach.

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