Jake Eberts posted a photo of himself drinking the concoction.
A 26-year-old man drank a life-threatening concoction of Shigella bacteria, which are found in the faeces of people who are infected, in the name of science. Jake Eberts was paid $7,000 by the University of Maryland for taking part in an 11-day inpatient trial.
He downed a glass of cloudy, salty liquid containing the bacteria knowing it would produce a miserable case of dysentery.
“I am going to be deliberately infected with dysentery and kept in a quarantine facility for 11 days as part of a Phase IIc vaccine clinical trial,” he said in a tweet on April 4, a day before participating in the trial. He later posted a photo of himself actually drinking the smoothie.
He then posted a running thread of the vaccine trail experience to tell users about how the bacteria affected his body.
Mr Eberts said the symptoms from the trial resulted in the “worst eight hours of my life”. He was among the 16 health young adult who took part in the trial.
Later, speaking to Insider, Mr Eberts said, “I don't want to make myself out to be Mother Teresa here - would not have done this for free. It's a big ask to ask someone to get dysentery.”
Mr Eberts said he would do it again, if he was paid.
Talking about the research, University of Maryland said they were evaluating the effectiveness of an investigational Shigella vaccine.
According to experts, Shigellosis, caused by Shigella bacteria, is a disease that affects the digestive system. It is very contagious and results in stomach pain, diarrhea and fever in people who are infected, Cleveland Clinic said.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said on its website that the Shigella bacteria causes 600,000 deaths annually worldwide and there is no vaccine available against it.
Shigella enters the body by drinking contaminated water, eating ill-prepared food or coming in contact with someone's infected bowel movements, said the CDC.
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