Research into how the Shigella bacterium causes infection in humans could help prevent millions of diarrhoea cases worldwide.
Shigella causes dysentery, a gastric illness in humans resulting in life-threatening diarrhoea. When Shigella is ingested through contaminated food or water, it binds to the intestinal mucosa, the epithelial cells that line the surface of the intestine. The bacteria then inject proteins called effectors allowing the pathogen to invade the intestinal mucosa and evade the host's immune system.
Further details: Shigella invasion