Early trials of the norovirus vaccine pill are committed to protecting against the infamous “winter vomiting” bug, and researchers say it could be used in a few years.

The virus is highly contagious and infects and causes the stomach and intestines Vomiting and diarrhea. Most people recover within a few days, but very young people and older people, especially going to the hospital, costing a considerable amount of medical care. “In the US alone, it’s 10 billion.[dollar]- A problem of one year.” Shawn Tucker At Biotech Company Vaxart in San Francisco, California.

This has spurred scientists to develop vaccines, but so far, efforts have failed. This is because previous attempts focused on developing injectable vaccines. This isn’t very good for producing protective antibodies in the intestines where the virus replicates. Tucker says.

To deal with this, Tucker and his colleagues Previously developed oral norovirus vaccines This will supply proteins to the intestines from the Gi.1 norovirus mutant. The first trials in adults under the age of 50 found that tablets can produce norovirus-specific antibodies in the intestines, but it is probably not a vaccine priority given that people in this age group generally recover easily from the virus.

Researchers are currently testing vaccines in people in the US between the ages of 55 and 80. The team gave 11 people the pills, while the other 22 took the placebo. About a month later, the researchers collected blood and saliva samples from the participants.

They found that people who took the vaccine had higher levels of IgA antibodies. These antibodies were increased by more than 10 times in the blood and about 7 times in saliva compared to samples just before vaccination. In contrast, the placebo group showed little change in antibody levels.

Importantly, antibodies are still present in people who took the pills, albeit at lower levels after 6 months, suggesting that they can provide permanent immunity. “The fact that they have this robust antibody response makes me hope that it can provide protection. [against infection]”I say Sarah Cady At Cornell University in New York. “In particular, the salivary antibody response is a way to get a snapshot of what’s going on in the intestines because of similar immune responses,” she says.

However, further research should investigate whether the vaccine actually prevents infection or reduces spread spread of norovirus, she says. The team wants to explore this.

Furthermore, this study focused only on one norovirus variant. “In the real world, there are a number of different strains you may encounter. The vaccine may not protect all of them,” says Caddy. In an unpublished study, researchers found that versions of vaccines containing both Gi.1 and Gii.4 norovirus variants (the latter currently surges in the UK) produce antibodies against multiple variations.

This suggests we may soon have norovirus vaccines, Tucker says. “If there’s no funding hiccups, if everything goes smoothly, the vaccine could be available in a few years,” he says.