Treatment of Shiga Toxicosis

Infections by Shiga toxin-producing E. coli are a major cause of lethal food-borne disease in the United States. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an estimated 265,000 people in the United States are affected by STEC each year, resulting in approximately 3,600 hospitalizations and 30 deaths. New research from The University of Texas at Austin’s College of Pharmacy may have discovered a way to repurpose an existing drug to fight the lethality of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli, or STEC, infections. Stopping the spread of Shiga toxins released by E. coli bacteria, which are potentially fatal if they reach the kidneys, has been a focus of researchers for years. No treatments for STEC currently exist, and antibiotic therapy cannot be used because it increases release of Shiga toxins from the bacteria. Approved antidotes are also not available to neutralize the effects of these toxins. A recently led research focused on understanding how the Shiga toxins enter human cells and cause cell death. That led to the discovery that tamoxifen, a drug approved by the Food and Drug Administration for treatment of other diseases such as breast cancer, potently blocks the capability of the Shiga toxins to invade human cells and cause disease.That led to the discovery that tamoxifen, a drug approved by the Food and Drug Administration for treatment of other diseases such as breast cancer, potently blocks the capability of the Shiga toxins to invade human cells and cause disease. Robert Graham robert.graham@utsa.edu (210) 458-8139