UC Berkeley researchers develop the first oral infection mouse model for Shigella infection that recapitulates human disease

Shigellosis, also known as “bacillary dysentery” is an acute infection of the intestine caused by Shigella bacteria. Complications from this infection lead to more than 200,000 deaths every year, primarily among infants. UC Berkeley co-authors, Patrick Mitchell and Justin Roncaioli, develop the first oral infection mouse model for Shigella infection that recapitulates human disease. They demonstrate a specific host-protective function for inflammasomes in intestinal epithelial cells. These findings, published in Elife, open up new prospects for the development of vaccines to combat this group of bacteria, which is on the WHO list of 12 priority pathogens.

Read the full story here and the press release here.

Special shout out to Justin Roncaioli, a CEND 2019 fellow!