Search
The underlying pathogenesis of pediatric obstructive sleep disordered breathing (SDB) and recurrent tonsillitis (RT) are poorly understood but need to be elucidated to develop less invasive treatment and prevention strategies.
Nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae (NTHi) is the most common bacterial otopathogen associated with otitis media (OM). NTHi persists in biofilms within the middle ears of children with chronic and recurrent OM. Australian Aboriginal children suffer exceptionally high rates of chronic and recurrent OM compared to non-Aboriginal children.
Lower airway biofilms are hypothesised to contribute to poor treatment outcomes among children with chronic lung disease; however, data are scarce.
We have demonstrated that a single dose of a closely related commensal can delay onset of NTHi otitis media in vivo
Development of vaccines to prevent disease and death from Streptococcus pneumoniae, and nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae (NTHi), the main pathogens that cause otitis media, pneumonia, meningitis and sepsis, are a global priority.
Despite vaccination, influenza and otitis media (OM) remain leading causes of illness. We previously found that the human respiratory commensal Haemophilus haemolyticus prevents bacterial infection in vitro and that the related murine commensal Muribacter muris delays OM development in mice. The observation that M muris pretreatment reduced lung influenza titer and inflammation suggests that these bacteria could be exploited for protection against influenza/OM.
Understanding patterns of bacterial carriage and otitis media (OM) microbiology is crucial for assessing vaccine impact and informing policy. The microbiology of OM can vary with geography, time, and interventions like pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCVs). We evaluated the microbiology of nasopharyngeal and middle ear effusions in children living in Western Australia, 11 years following the introduction of PCV13.
Chris Glenn Lea-Ann Peter Ruth Brennan-Jones Pearson Kirkham Richmond Thornton PhD BA (Education) PhD Candidate PhD MBBS MRCP(UK) FRACP PhD Head, Ear
Deborah Lea-Ann Peter Ruth Strickland Kirkham Richmond Thornton PhD PhD MBBS MRCP(UK) FRACP PhD Head, Pregnancy and Early Life Immunology Co-Head,
Lea-Ann Peter Ruth Kirkham Richmond Thornton PhD MBBS MRCP(UK) FRACP PhD Co-Head, Bacterial Respiratory Infectious Disease Group; Microbiology Lead,