Implications of bacterial load for vaccine efficacy and antibiotic treatment outcomes in high-risk populations

Funded Activity Summary

Otitis media (middle ear disease) is a common childhood infection, and a major concern in remote Aboriginal communities of the Northern Territory. For these children, otitis media commences within the first few weeks of life and progresses to perforation of the ear drum in 60% of children by 12 months of age. Few children in remote Aboriginal communities have normal ear status or normal hearing and many have conductive hearing loss, affecting language development and education. Otitis media in these children results from infection with the bacteria Streptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae and-or Moraxella catarrhalis. Therefore the types of interventions we are using to combat the high prevalence of ear disease are antibiotic therapy, Streptococcus pneumoniae vaccination, and hygiene interventions. However we fear that the high load of bacteria carried by these children compromises the treatment and prevention strategies. The current proposal will test this hypothesis, and if found to be true, there will be implications for the management of otitis media. For example, dose, frequency and choice of antibiotic treatment, and vaccine schedule changes including an early dose or a booster dose.

Funded Activity Details

Start Date: 01-01-2003

End Date: 01-01-2004

Funding Scheme: NHMRC Project Grants

Funding Amount: $345,000.00

Funder: National Health and Medical Research Council

Research Topics

ANZSRC Field of Research (FoR)

Indigenous Health

ANZSRC Socio-Economic Objective (SEO)

There are no SEO codes available for this funding activity

Other Keywords

Indigenous health | Otitis media | Quantitative PCR | immune response | otitis media | pneumococcal infection | pneumococcal vaccination | vaccine efficacy

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