Targeted antibiotics for Shigella diarrhea in young children
Targeted antibiotic therapy for Shigella among children in low-resource settings
This project will use new biomarker tools to give antibiotics only to children with Shigella, aiming to help them recover faster and cut unnecessary antibiotic use in low-resource settings.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Emory University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Atlanta, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11163437 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
Researchers will follow children hospitalized with acute diarrhea in Haydom, Tanzania and collect clinical data and samples to see which cases are caused by Shigella. They will test biomarker-based approaches that could identify Shigella at the point of care and link those results to who receives antibiotics. The team will measure outcomes like death, rehospitalization, how long diarrhea lasts, and impacts on child growth to see how targeted treatment changes results. They will also model population-level ways to focus antibiotic use on Shigella while reducing overall antibiotic exposure.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates are young children (especially under age 5) hospitalized with acute diarrhea in the study area, such as Haydom, Tanzania.
Not a fit: Children whose diarrhea is from non-Shigella causes, those not hospitalized, or children outside the study locations may not directly benefit from this project.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this approach could help children with Shigella get the right antibiotics sooner and reduce unnecessary antibiotic use that drives resistance.
How similar studies have performed: Prior work shows promise for targeted antibiotic approaches and biomarker methods for bacterial diarrhea, but point-of-care biomarker targeting for Shigella in low-resource settings remains relatively novel.
Where this research is happening
Atlanta, United States
- Emory University — Atlanta, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Rogawski Mcquade, Elizabeth Tacket — Emory University
- Study coordinator: Rogawski Mcquade, Elizabeth Tacket
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.