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A nasal spray that could potentially prevent childhood ear infections and reduce antibiotic use is a step closer to clinical trials thanks to a $500,000 CUREator grant.

News you can use - Travelling with an ear infection

Paediatric audiologist Associate Professor Chris Brennan-Jones has been announced as a finalist for the country’s leading national science awards – the Australian Museum Eureka Prizes.

A The Kids Research Institute Australia ear health researcher has received a prestigious national fellowship to support her search for new therapies to improve the lives of kids who suffer repeat middle ear infections.

Otitis media has a high prevalence in childhood, and grommet insertion is the most common surgical treatment for OM. The public health system in Australia faces considerable strains, including high demand for Ear, Nose and Throat specialists. Extending the scope of practice for audiologists to manage post-operative care for children receiving grommets has the potential to alleviate this burden.

There is limited but consistent evidence that suggests prenatal factors, including maternal stress, may contribute to susceptibility for otitis media. We aimed to determine the effect of multiple life stress events during pregnancy on risk of acute and recurrent otitis media in offspring at three and five years of age. 

In Australian remote communities, First Nations children with otitis media (OM)-related hearing loss are disproportionately at risk of developmental delay and poor school performance, compared to those with normal hearing. Our objective was to compare OM-related hearing loss in children randomised to one of 2 pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) formulations.

With cochlear implantation becoming increasingly performed worldwide, an understanding of the risk factors, preventive measures, and management of cochlear implant (CI) infection remains important given the significant morbidity and cost it conveys.

Nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae (NTHi) is a major otitis media (OM) pathogen, with colonization a prerequisite for disease development. Most acute OM is in children <5 years old, with recurrent and chronic OM impacting hearing and learning. Therapies to prevent NTHi colonization and/or disease are needed, especially for young children. Respiratory viruses are implicated in driving the development of bacterial OM in children.