Striepen Comment in Nature

In last week's Nature magazine, professor and Georgia Research Alliance Distinguished Investigator Boris Striepen makes the case for more research and funding to find a treatment for the protozoan parasite Cryptosporidium, one of four pathogens responsible for severe diarrhea in thousands of infants and toddlers in Asia and Africa:

Vaccines and treatments are already available or fast being developed for three of the four pathogens identified: rotavirus, Shigella bacteria and enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (see 'Child killer'). But for 'crypto', there is no fully effective drug treatment or vaccine, and the basic research tools and infrastructure needed to discover, evaluate and develop such interventions are mostly lacking.

The technical challenges of working on crypto in the laboratory have led to the perception that the pathogen is an intriguing yet intractable problem. Crypto lab cultures last a few days at most, for instance, and some of the species that infect humans cannot be easily studied in standard model organisms such as mice. As a result, funders and biologists have tended to shy away from the parasite.

In a UGA press release about the article, Striepen said progress on infectious diseases is based on strong research models, something sorely lacking for crypto.

"At the moment, one thing we suggest here that is really missing is technology for genetic analysis and manipulation that allows us to track it more efficiently or make weakened strains for vaccine development," he said.

Striepen's Comment article is a great example of scientists taking a moment outside the laboratory to educate their colleagues and the wider world about trends they see developing on the ground. This includes advice and advocacy for better, more effective allocation of resources to help more people around the world. Bravo, Dr. Striepen for adding your voice to the important research going on your lab and others at the university.

Image: From Nature magazine, In young children, the parasitic infection cryptosporidiosis is one of four leading causes of severe diarrhoea. ANDREW BIRAJ/REUTERS/CORBIS