In a development that may lessen the epidemic of diarrhea-
related deaths among children in developing countries,
scientists in the laboratory of Nobel Laureate Ferid Murad,
M.D., Ph.D., at The University of Texas Health Science Center at
Houston have discovered a novel compound that might lead to an
inexpensive, easy-to-take treatment. The results of pre-clinical
tests have now been published The compound - a pyridopyrimidine
derivative - targets acute secretory diarrhea caused by E. coli
and other enterotoxigenic strains of bacteria, which produce
toxins that stimulate the linings of the intestines, causing
them to secrete excessive fluid, thereby producing diarrhea.
Diarrhea kills an estimated 1.6 to 2.5 million children every
year, according to researchers quoted in the Bulletin of the
World Health Organization. Enterotoxigenic strains of bacteria
may account for a significant amount of these deaths, according
to an article in Clinical Microbiology Reviews. Enterotoxigenic
E. coli or ETEC is a leading caus