Biology Professor Ben Koestler and his team are studying Shigella, which causes dysentery. The researchers want to know how the bacteria interacts with our own cells in order to multiply.
They hope their findings may lead to a more effective way to treat shigella infections, which cause more than 600,000 deaths worldwide every year.
Koestler, of Western Michigan University, says Shigella is one of several bacteria showing increasing resistance to antibiotics. This concerns health agencies like the Centers for Disease Control and the World Health Organization.
"The CDC and the WHO are increasing the alarm bells to say about the urgency that we need to research this pathogen because of this rise in antibiotic resistance."
The Koestler Lab received 75 thousand dollars from the National Institutes of Health for its work on Shigella.