The strain of E. coli is known to be fatal and is most common in underdeveloped regions of the world, such as South America, Africa, Southeast Asia and the Middle East. Contamination from E. coli can result from ingesting fecal bacteria in food or water, and usually causes watery diarrhea in those infected.

“That would be tremendously critical, important and needed,” said Manuel Chavez, the associate director and graduate coordinator for MSU’s Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies. “One of the most prevalent problems in Latin America is intestinal stomach problems due to the problematic hygiene and water pollution.”

In 2004, about 176 million tourists visited regions affected by E. coli, Saeed said. Thirty-five million of those tourists contracted a form of E. coli. Also, three to five million children under the age of five contract the infection, and almost 500,000 of them die because of it. American soldiers in these regions also have contracted E. coli.

“All of this, when you put them together, the need to do something that alleviates the suffering is really very clear,” Saeed said.

Although the strain of E. coli is an international concern, it still is important to MSU, said Tracey Bylin, a psychology sophomore.

“It’s significant because we’ve had experiences with E. coli on campus,” she said. “It could help out a lot of people.”

Saeed’s interest in the strain of E. coli began in 1978 when he was writing a Ph.D. dissertation and has since grown into a project aimed at eliminating the infection. Saeed was one of four researchers in the country to receive a $500,000 grant from the National Institute of Health to research food and waterborne diseases. With help from more than 20 MSU students, Saeed said he finally has a vaccine.

“There is no vaccine currently that offers protection against this toxin, so ours hopefully will be the first one,” he said.

Scientists initially struggled to find a cure for Enterotoxigenic E. coli because of the size of the bacteria molecule. The bacteria is small enough that people’s immune systems don’t defend against the illness.

Normally, a body would be able to build a resistance to the bacteria that would last six months to a year. However, this strain of E. coli can re-infect people three to seven days later and the new infections can grow in severity. To combat this problem, Saeed created a carrier that attaches to the toxin and triggers the immunity response from the body.

Saeed said at least two pharmaceutical companies are interested in his vaccine and commercial production is a possibility. The vaccine will first undergo what could be a year of tests to determine if it has any side effects.