Scientists hope to create a new vaccine for a tropical disease responsible for the deaths of about 60,000 people every year.

Leishmaniasis, or black fever, attacks the spleen, bone marrow and liver and destroys the immune system. If untreated, it is almost always fatal.

In the journal, American Chemical Society Chemical Biology, Swiss researchers say they have designed an inoculation that could protect animals and humans.

The team at the Laboratory for Organic Chemistry at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) in Zurich, are the only scientists known to be attempting to develop a carbohydrate-based vaccine.

This type of vaccine uses synthetic forms of carbohydrates taken from the parasite or bacteria that causes Leishmaniasis. It stimulates the patient's own immune system into releasing a protective shield against the disease.